Sadaj Kushek, an Iran expert, made some interesting comments about why Iran's deterrence has eroded. The problem was never weapons, but will be. According to him, the decline began after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. Israel and the US tried to retaliate heavily, but Iran's response was limited, so it made them realize that although Iran has the capabilities, it does not have the "political will" to use them. He gave Iran- The Iraq war as a counter example, when conventional weapons alone bought decades of deterrence because the determination was clear. What followed gave a clear pattern from then on:.
There was no response to the killing of Mohsen Fahrizada.
Silence after attacks on drone and missile sites, such as the attack on the base in Kermansha, which the state television blamed on Barak.
After October 7, senior commanders were killed in Syria with little reaction.
An attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus and Iran's response that did not cause Israeli casualties, according to him, the responses Iran made did not restore deterrence. It should be noted that he blames Iran's political decision-making (which was largely the Rouhanis administration) and not the military itself, which he says had the means to respond. I am also going to add here that the martyrs Hajizadeh and Co. said in the past that they wanted to do certain actions, but their hands were tied.