President Donald Trump has claimed to have “completely, totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program in a series of missile strikes and bombings, marking explicit U.S. intervention into Israel’s war that risks a wider international crisis.
The true extent of the damage is unclear. Retaliatory strikes are expected, as are efforts to revive already-fractured negotiations and diplomatic efforts to lower temperatures.
But the United States is now embroiled in a war between two well-armed nations that could spill out far beyond their borders with untold casualties, experts have warned.
“Remember, there are many targets left,” Trump said in a brief address to the nation on June 21, roughly two hours after announcing a “very successful” series of strikes on nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. “If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.”
The world is watching to see what will happen, as experts and analysts consider how current conditions, history and a volatile political environment could inform what’s next.
A ‘dangerous escalation’
Trump had campaigned on a promise to end all wars, including Israel’s war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, yet the president has so far failed to negotiate an end to either.
Israel sought American military support for its campaign against Iran after receiving virtual permission for its devastating war in Gaza in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks — “undermining Trump’s claim to be a peacemaker and his assertion that wars would never have started under his leadership,” according to Brookings Institution senior fellow Sharan Grewal at the Center for Middle East Policy.
He now risks exploding a wider crisis across the Middle East that could endanger U.S. installations abroad and embolden Iran’s allies to retaliate, following a legacy of U.S. intervention and destabilization in the Middle East dovetailing with U.S. support for Israel’s ongoing devastation in Gaza and in occupied territories.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said late Saturday that he was “gravely alarmed” by Trump’s decision to bomb Iran, calling it “a dangerous escalation” and “a direct threat to international peace and security.”
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said.
Iran could also retaliate by blocking the strategically important Strait of Hormuz or attacking the energy infrastructure of the Arab Gulf — dramatically driving up global oil prices. Within hours after Saturday’s attacks, roughly 50 oil tankers were seen scrambling to leave the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran-backed Houthis have warned that Trump “must bear the consequences,” Houthi political bureau member Hizam al-Assad posted on X.
The Houthi-controlled Yemeni Armed Forces also said the group was prepared to target U.S. Navy warships in the Red Sea “in the event that the American enemy launches an aggression in support” of Israel. Houthi rebels had previously attacked ships linked to Israel’s war in Gaza, and the United States retaliated with a series of airstrikes in Yemen earlier this year.
