Iran appears focused on surviving and causing chaos rather than winning outright, a stance that keeps the conflict dragging on and raises the risk of unconventional retaliation.

• Iran is fighting a cheap, drawn-out war designed to make the conflict painful and costly for its opponents.
• Survival, not victory, is the real goal — Iran wins just by outlasting the fight and creating disorder.
• Behind the scenes, Iran is rebuilding its military, aiming for longer-range missiles down the road.
• A cyberattack on infrastructure is seen as the most dangerous possible escalation to watch for.

Outlook: Expect Iran to keep playing for time and chaos rather than a decisive battle, with the risk of a cyberattack looming as the bigger danger ahead.