The United States could strike Iranian critical infrastructure—including oil and gas facilities, power plants, critical transportation infrastructure, and desalination facilities—in the hopes of wreaking further havoc on the Iranian economy and society. But the cruel logic of this approach is obvious, and we have avoided it for good reason. Strikes of this nature could cause a humanitarian crisis in Iran, stain the United States’ moral standing, and would by no means guarantee capitulation from the regime. That is to say nothing of the Pandora’s box that a “total war” might open, placing the Gulf states’ critical infrastructure, energy and power facilities, civilian population centers, as well as desalination plants at the top of Iran’s target list.
