After 6 months of war, Iran's battered regime remains entrenched

It has been six months since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran. One of their main goals was to bring down the regime in Tehran, but Iran's leaders have managed to hold onto power.

Instead of collapsing, the regime has dug in its heels and taken an even harder line.

The U.S. and Israel intensively bombed Iran from Feb. 28 until a ceasefire was declared on April 8. The attacks killed dozens of top Iranian leaders on the first day of the war, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , who had ruled for more than three decades.

The five-week assault at the beginning of the war wiped out Iran's limited air force, including its air defenses, and virtually all of its navy, aside from small speed boats.

The attacks also inflicted damage on Iran's missile and drone programs, though Iran has maintained the ability to strike back during limited, periodic shooting exchanges between the two sides in recent months.

Despite its reduced military capabilities, Iran has been able to largely keep the Strait of Hormuz shut down and has enough missiles and drones to remain a dangerous threat to the Arab countries in the Gulf as well as Middle Eastern states further away, including Israel.

The war has killed 3,375 Iranians and left more than 33,000 injured, according to the World Health Organization .

The U.S. military death toll is 18, with hundreds of service members injured, according to the Pentagon.

Middle East conflict Why is it so hard for the U.S. to win wars? Israel and Gulf countries recorded dozens of deaths during the war.

U.S. military forces remain in place throughout the region — on land and at sea — and could resume military action if ordered to do so. But the intensive bombing campaign at the start of the war has reduced U.S. munitions stockpiles . Military analysts say the U.S. still has considerable firepower, but this issue has raised questions about how long the U.S. might be willing or able to maintain a high-tempo air campaign.

Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway that's critical to the world's oil and gas supply — into its biggest strategic weapon. After responding to the U.S.-Israeli attacks by shutting down the shipping route and striking U.S. installations in Gulf nations, Tehran is doubling down on its control of the area.

The disruption to the region's shipping, especially the transit of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, has shaken economies around the world, driving up the cost of fuel, fertilizer and other goods.

Iran and Oman are negotiating a deal to temporarily open the strait. But the Trump administration has rejected the arrangement, refusing to recognize Iranian control or tolerate tolls on an international waterway. Trump even threatened to bomb Oman , a U.S. ally.

Middle East conflict U.S. says pipelines will make Strait of Hormuz irrelevant. Energy experts disagree Nearby Gulf countries are desperate to get their energy exports moving again. They have tried to use alternate routes and pipelines but the Strait of Hormuz will remain vital to shipping into the near future, analysts say.