The US government has warned that it may not be able to intercept many of Iran's one-way drones, Shahed attack drones, posing a major challenge for US air defenses. The Shahed drones, known for their low and slow flight, are more likely to evade air defenses than ballistic missiles. The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine acknowledged the issue, but attempted to downplay concerns about the drones' capabilities and suggested that Gulf state partners had been stockpiling interceptors. The officials also dismissed questions about how the US would prevent Iran from becoming a failed state and said regime change was an ancillary goal. However, they did not indicate who they thought the next supreme leader would be, according to a source familiar with the briefing. The war with Iran is escalating, threatening to create a global energy crisis and destabilize the Middle East.