In early 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran was riding high(处于鼎盛时期，春风得意). It was the dominant(主导的，占统治地位的) external actor(外部行为体) in four Middle Eastern states: Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Its missiles and armed proxies menaced(威胁，恐吓) and coerced(强迫，胁迫) Arab countries. Israel, Tehran’s main enemy, had been damaged by Hamas’s October 2023 attack and was fighting a seven-front war against Iranian proxies. The Islamic Republic’s nuclear program was moving steadily closer to producing a weapon as Iranian officials enriched uranium to 60 percent and expanded their ballistic missile manufacturing.(随着伊朗官员将铀浓缩至60%并扩大弹道导弹制造，其核计划正稳步接近生产武器。) Suddenly, the regime’s long-standing(长期存在的) calls for “death to Israel” and “death to America” seemed to have much more meaning. Iran appeared close to fulfilling its five-decade quest(追求，探索（尤指长期艰辛的）) to become the most powerful country in the Muslim world.
2024年初，伊朗伊斯兰共和国正处于鼎盛时期。它是伊拉克、黎巴嫩、叙利亚和也门这四个中东国家中的主导外部角色。其导弹和武装代理人威胁并胁迫着阿拉伯国家。以色列作为德黑兰的主要敌人，因哈马斯2023年10月的袭击而受损，正与伊朗的代理人进行着七线作战。随着伊朗官员将铀浓缩至60%并扩大弹道导弹制造，其核计划正稳步接近生产武器。突然间，该政权长期喊出的“以色列去死”和“美国去死”的口号似乎更具实质意义。伊朗似乎即将实现其五十年来的追求——成为穆斯林世界最强大的国家。
Then, in April 2024, Israel struck(打击（strike的过去式）) a Quds Force(①地位：圣城旅是伊朗革命卫队负责海外行动...) meeting building situated adjacent(毗邻的，邻近的) to the Iranian embassy complex. The facility served as the operational headquarters for Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ operations in Syria and Lebanon, who was responsible for coordinating Iranian-led terror activities against Israel. Iran, in turn(反过来，作为回应), directly attacked Israel. And in the months that followed, it quickly became clear that Tehran’s prior confidence was misplaced: the regime was much more vulnerable than it seemed. Israel, alongside France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, intercepted(拦截) almost all of Iran’s drones and missiles. Israel then destroyed Iran’s air defense systems. Israeli forces dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah—Iran’s most vaunted(被吹嘘的，被夸耀的) proxy—by killing its longtime leader and destroying many of its weapons. In June 2025, Israel launched a military strike against Iran’s nuclear sites and ballistic missile facilities. Working with Washington, it bombed and buried much of Iran’s enriched uranium. And in February this year, the United States and Israel again went to war with Iran, severely damaging more of its military and security infrastructure, striking the regime’s defense production industries, and eliminating senior figures at the highest levels, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his top deputy, Ali Larijani.(今年2月，美国和以色列再次与伊朗交战，严重破坏了其更多军事和安全基础设施，打击了该政权的国防生产工业，并清除了最高级别的资深人物，包括前最高领袖阿里·哈梅内伊及其副手阿里·拉里贾尼。)
随后，2024年4月，以色列袭击了毗邻伊朗大使馆综合楼的一座圣城旅会议楼。该设施是伊斯兰革命卫队驻叙利亚和黎巴嫩行动指挥官穆罕默德·礼萨·扎赫迪准将的行动总部，他负责协调伊朗领导的针对以色列的恐怖活动。作为回应，伊朗直接攻击了以色列。在接下来的几个月里，事实很快表明德黑兰此前的自信是错位的：该政权比看上去脆弱得多。以色列与法国、英国和美国一起，拦截了几乎所有的伊朗无人机和导弹。然后以色列摧毁了伊朗的防空系统。以色列军队对伊朗最引以为豪的代理人真主党给予沉重打击，击毙其长期领导人并摧毁其许多武器。2025年6月，以色列对伊朗的核设施和弹道导弹设施发动军事打击。与美国合作，它炸毁并掩埋了大部分浓缩铀。今年2月，美国和以色列再次与伊朗交战，严重破坏了其更多军事和安全基础设施，打击了该政权的国防生产工业，并清除了最高级别的资深人物，包括前最高领袖阿里·哈梅内伊及其副手阿里·拉里贾尼。
But despite these successes, not everyone in the United States is pleased. In fact, many American analysts believe the conflict has squandered(浪费，挥霍) U.S. resources in what is almost certain to be an unsuccessful attempt to change Iran’s regime. Some also think the war has happened at the behest of(按照…的命令，受…指使) the Israelis, and that the conflict has undermined the United States’ reputation and churned through(大量消耗（尤指弹药）) its munitions(弹药，军火) in order to weaken a country that is mainly a threat to Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv.
但尽管取得了这些成功，并非所有美国人都感到满意。事实上，许多美国分析人士认为，这场冲突浪费了美国资源，而它几乎注定是改变伊朗政权的一次不成功尝试。一些人还认为，战争是按照以色列人的命令进行的，并且冲突削弱了美国的声誉，消耗了其弹药，而目的是削弱一个主要对海法、耶路撒冷和特拉维夫构成威胁的国家。
FINISH THE JOB
完成工作
SPARRING PARTNERS
较量伙伴
MENDING FENCES
修复关系
PRESENT AT THE CREATION
见证创造