Iran has limited options to respond directly. The danger, however, is that Israel has opened a Pandora’s box: the worst Iranian response might also be the most likely—a decision to withdraw from its arms control commitments and build nuclear weapons in earnest.

Israel’s strikes on archfoe Iran exposed severe weaknesses for Tehran that have hampered its ability to respond militarily, analysts said.

Gordon also argued that Trump was manipulated into supporting Israel’s strikes by Netanyahu, even as Trump celebrated Israel’s killing of Iranian hardliners, noting that several of Trump’s senior advisors have urged restraint rather than intervention.

Amid the escalating violence, US President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are in agreement that the hostilities must end immediately.

Shapiro served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East until January—charged with, among other things, considering scenarios in which tensions between Israel and Iran escalated into all-out war and preparing U.

Financial markets are set to reopen Monday with investors squarely focused on escalating geopolitical tensions as Israel and Iran continue to bombard each other with no sign of a pause.

Commanders have promised to unleash ‘hell’ on Israel but their options for retaliation carry considerable risk

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was coy about whether the ultimate goal of the preemptive strikes on Iran is a regime change, but made clear that such a powershift would be a welcome outcome.