Iran's Ballistic Missile Program

Escalating with violence probably wont help Iran... America will love it... bombing people is what they like doing... so much quicker and easier than negotiating or talking.

I would say based on past experience that a conventional cruise missile attack on US bases would be rather more profitable... certainly attacking economic targets in the region would be counter productive for Iran because the US will just retaliate in kind.

Personally if I was Iran, I would talk with both Russia and China, because you really don't want to go it alone... personally I would be talking to Russia about local licence production of Su-30 aircraft to replace the existing obsolete US types, but most importantly I would be looking at licence producing R-73s in their new digital version and the R-77 in the newest model too, and joint development of a new AESA radar complex for the aircraft.

The Su-30 is a good solid mature platform, with plenty of flight range, room for a good sized radar, and able to carry a lot of missiles, but most importantly, if it is locally produced they have control and they have a future with regard to future development of the type.

They will need to buy the engines from Russia no doubt because nobody gives that sort of technology away, but buy a lot of them and get a service centre for the engines built in Iran too... I am sure other countries in the region might consider Flankers if there is a local support network, or potential to set one up.

The Iranians might end up with 200-300 Flankers which makes service centres perfectly viable if not mandatory...

The way the US and Israel have behaved in Syria with S-300s and the IADS there I suspect if Iran spent some money on a decent level IADS too that they would have to show the same respect there too... especially if their air force is fully integrated into it too...

Lashing out at US forces nearby will only result in revenge attacks that might do some serious damage... and the western media will only report what they are told to report, so when US forces attack something that suits their interests to do economic rather than military damage to Iran no one will know except Iran.

For example... the only baby milk factory in the region... would mean you now have to import baby milk... ie a claimed chem or bio facility is attacked, but in reality it is actually an economic target...

You could also be really annoying and claim you believe terrorists are transporting illegal goods through the Persian gulf so all ships travelling through need thorough and time consuming searches... see what I mean?

A few shipping crates fall off cargo ships in the middle of the atlantic and pacific just after the first US attack on Iran and then all of a sudden cruise missiles hit the Pentagon and White House... and one of Trumps Casinos in Vegas... perfectly legitimate in response to US attacks in my opinion...

Attacks on US bases in the ME would also be sensible and hurt the American position there and be perfectly justified by US aggression.

Threats to assist those who oppose the US including in Afghanistan and Syria in a more concerted way would also be useful threats and actions in response to US aggression...

The US walked out on the agreement regarding Iran and nuclear weapons... AFAIK Iran has never promised not to develop ballistic missiles or to want to defend itself from hostile US actions.