Truth be told, the US lost the strategic chess match with Iran in the Persian Gulf. The big blue water ships of the US Navy were very vulnerable in the narrow shallow Persian Gulf. The Iranian fortified the shores of the Gulf with state of the art Chinese made shore to ship missiles. Those missiles were developed by the Chinese to clear the Taiwan Strait of hostile naval elements in the event of war with the ROC. Those missiles also featured an American designed guidance system licensed to China by the Clinton administration. If shooting were to start those missiles fired en masse, accompanied by thousands of less sophisticated missiles to engage and overwhelm the ships Phalynx and other defense systems would have been devastating. The US Navy faced a debacle worse than Pearl Harbor in less than fifteen minutes. Senor officers no doubt knew that their ships and crews were very vulnerable. IMHO history will show that this reality was a large factor that contributed to Obama’s decision to disengage from the area, and acquiesce to Iran.
That’s what smart bombs are for, coastal clearance before the ships come in.
Can’t air strikes take out those missiles?