India, March 4 -- In the skies above the Gulf, the conflict is no longer defined solely by targets hit or territory defended - it is being calculated in spreadsheets and stockpiles.

Each launch carries not just explosive force but economic consequence. Iran's strategy has turned into a stark equation: $20,000 one-way drones against $4 million interceptor missiles.

Three days into the fighting, the confrontation has assumed the character of attritional warfare.

The United States and its regional partners have responded with advanced air defence systems, intercepting the majority of incoming threats. Yet the deeper question is no longer about accuracy. It is about endurance.

Iran's principal tool in this phase of the conflict is the Sha...