StateMiddle EastIRNStable

Iran

Iran is weaker but not cornered. Reach now depends less on expeditionary force than on Hormuz denial, which still lets Tehran shape costs beyond its borders.

PF Score

44

1

Authority

40

Reach

49

PF ScoreLast 30 days

Under construction

44Overall1

Hormuz coercion and surviving axis coordination keep Iran edging up. It now sits clearly above Pakistan on external effect and near, but still below, its older baseline because wartime attrition has not broken the regime's ability to impose regional costs or bargain from pain.

40Auth

IRGC wartime control preserves a damaged but functioning state

49Reach

Hormuz leverage and Houthi coordination sustain regional influence

Dependency Chain
Depth: Patron

Abbas Aragchi

Iran's Foreign Minister

Kazem Gharibabadi

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs

Esmail Qaani

commander of the IRGC Quds Force

Wall Street Journal·NewsApr 5, 2026

Iran's reported downing of two U.S. warplanes materially weakens the credibility of U.S. claims that Tehran has been militarily broken and that the air campaign is nearing uncontested dominance.

NarrowingMajor Update
Dawn·Analytical / LongformApr 5, 2026

US strikes on Iran during active nuclear negotiations widen the gap between Washington's claimed diplomatic leadership and its exercised coercive behavior.

WideningMinor Update
Reuters·NewsMar 14, 2026

The United States is converting strategic munitions stockpiles into immediate coercive power against Iran, increasing near-term strike dominance but exposing a real inventory constraint in its global posture.

MixedMajor Update