US President Donald Trump has explained in detail how the new phase of the war against Iran. Trump said after the latest series of major US attacks on Iran that the Iranians had tried to reset their radars.

“We waited until they were almost done, then we hit them,” he said.

US forces on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, again attacked several targets in Iran. According to CENTCOM, targets were destroyed, including radar systems, air defense systems, naval installations, naval mine planting capabilities and communications facilities. Meanwhile, Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at US bases and facilities in the region. Thus it happened that US Central Command had hinted a few days earlier as a possible strategy for the next phase of the war.

According to Axios news website, the aim of these limited and repeated attacks is to prevent Iran from rebuilding its capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz.

A US government official described the idea of ​​the attack as "weed harvesting," using a phrase from Israeli security policy.

This phrase refers to a strategy that never promises to cross the adversary once and for all; Rather, it is sufficient to reduce its military capacity steadily enough to keep the threat under control. If the weed regrows, it is again “harvested”.

Applying this to the Iranian situation means that the United States monitors the capabilities that the enemy is rebuilding, and attacks again when it crosses a certain limit.

Temporary successes

There is no doubt that the United States has achieved military victories in recent months. US forces have clearly reduced Iran's military capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz and have begun removing Iranian naval mines.

But these successes are not sustainable. Because Tehran can repair its radars or acquire new radar systems, air defense and anti-aircraft bases, as well as anti-ship missiles.

Although the bombs may accurately destroy important Iranian sites, they cannot destroy Iran's military technological know-how and industrial infrastructure.

This will delay the rebuilding of Iran's military capabilities, but it will not prevent it. While the United States always faces the same choice: accept Tehran to regain its capabilities, or attack and destroy them again?

Middle East expert Muna Yacoubian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington warned of the consequences in April.

Yacoubian said the development could lead to "ongoing complications, which will be interrupted by more severe interventions.

Trump's military warnings

Because the “strategy of harvesting weeds” reaches its borders, it was not originally designed for war with a state. Israel developed this strategy to counter non-state entities such as the Hamas movement.

Analyst Yaqubian believes that the "weed harvesting" strategy can become an "outdated military strategy" when used against opponents with state characteristics and stronger capabilities. This is clearly demonstrated in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States must keep the strait open continuously according to its mission. While Iran just needs to prove that going through the strait is still dangerous. Thus, even a heavily weakened adversary can cause huge costs to Washington.

Moreover, the United States faces the problem that Washington can determine the level of severity of its attacks, but cannot determine Tehran’s response. US President Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran against retaliatory strikes in a military tone.

In view of these warnings, the Tehran regime did not hesitate to launch missiles against US bases and institutions in the region. Jordan alone said its air defenses had detected 13 ballistic missiles in its airspace and shot down ten.

The nuclear issue

But Middle East expert Muna Yacoubian warns of a greater danger as a result of continued US attacks.

Tehran, he argues, may come to the conclusion through him that sustained countermeasures can only be achieved by “seeking to acquire nuclear weapons”. This may accelerate the development that the United States and Israel originally wanted to control by attacking Iran.

From Washington’s perspective, the alternatives to me Trump don’t look much better. If President Trump allows Iran to regain its military strength in the Strait of Hormuz, it will risk repeated attacks on ships and disrupting shipping on one of the world's most important energy arteries.

The consequences of this for the world economy were revealed. Despite denials, tensions and renegotiations, Washington and Tehran have so far failed to reach a political agreement because of differences that seem difficult to overcome.

The next war is a "war without end"?

In contrast, the “harvest weed strategy” has political appeal domestically for Donald Trump, despite all misgivings in foreign policy. The US president is acting without invasion, establishing a new regime and bringing in large US ground forces.

At the same time, by doing so, Trump is avoiding so-called “perpetual wars,” which he often accused his predecessors in the White House of waging.

But in the end, this outlet from its endless war may become a permanent war. Yacoubian describes this "weed-harvesting" as "an endless crippling strategy."

As long as Washington is unwilling to accept that Iran’s capabilities can be rebuilt in time, any successful attack will create a reason for the next one