MIT Professor Ted Postol, Dialogue Works Highlights: How Iran Blinded US Defenses in 10 Minutes & stupid political decisions

by Dialogue Works Highlights [3-11-2026] Nima Rostami Alkhorshid(bio).

(RAD: Professor Postol does an excellent job of explaining how Iran blinded the US & Israel missile defense systems. Although not explicitly stated, it is clear that the Iranian engineers fully understood how the various radars worked to support missile defenses. Professor Postol goes on to point out some wasteful & ineffective missile defense systems in the US where the politicians made decisions without understanding the technical issues.

He even gives examples of why the Patriot Missile Defense system shoots at missiles that have already hit the ground. At best, the Patriot system intercepts only a few percent. It is also useless against the newer hypersonic missiles.

He also points out how it is obvious that Putin works closely with their technical experts. — RAD)

A deep technical discussion on the real capabilities of modern missile defense systems. The interview examines Patriot and THAAD intercept rates, the importance of early-warning radars, and how the destruction of key radar infrastructure can disrupt missile tracking and defense networks. It explores how drones and missile strikes have challenged U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf, potentially shifting regional political dynamics. The conversation also looks at the engineering limits of ship-based interceptors and radar systems, arguing that many missile defense decisions were driven more by politics than by technical analysis.