The United States’ strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites raised two major questions: how effective were they, and what will Iran do next? US President Donald Trump said the air raids “totally obliterated” the main nuclear sites, calling them a “spectacular military success”.
So far, Tehran has given little away about its response, although Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States had “crossed a very big red line”. AFP looks at the impact of the attacks and the possible next steps.
– What was the effect of the strikes? –
The United States targeted Iran’s three main nuclear sites including Fordo, a uranium enrichment facility buried 90 metres (about 300 feet) underground. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes “devastated the Iranian nuclear programme”. The extent of the damage has not been confirmed, but there is speculation nuclear material had already been moved away.
Heloise Fayet, a nuclear expert at the Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, said satellite images showing activity around Fordo “suggest enriched uranium stock may therefore have been transferred to sites not monitored by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)”.
“We previously had knowledge, albeit imperfect, of the programme thanks to the agency’s inspections; now no inspections are possible,” she told AFP.
“As for Iran’s technical expertise, it cannot be destroyed, knowing that thousands of people have participated in Iran’s nuclear programme.”
Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, called the US action a “high-risk operation that delivers unpredictable outcomes”, given the facility was deep underground.
“Trump has been using OSINT (open-source intelligence) accounts to say Fordo is gone while the Iranians claim there is only surface-level destruction.”
Ali Vaez, Iran project director for the International Crisis Group, said destroying Fordo “won’t necessarily end Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Tehran has produced hundreds of advanced centrifuges in the past few years that are stored in unknown locations,” he said.
– What is Iran’s next move? –
According to Krieg, Iran will seek a “calibrated response — loud enough to resonate, but measured enough to contain”.
Michael A. Horowitz, a geopolitics and security analyst, said its options included attacking US assets, closing the Strait of Hormuz — a vital conduit for the world oil trade — or even attacking energy facilities in the Gulf, which hosts several US military bases.
“None of those are good options that achieve anything — this is mostly about saving face,” he posted on X.
“The risks, on the other hand, are great.”
However, Horowitz said there were other ways to respond, including a limited retaliation against the US before returning to strikes against Israel and finally negotiating a settlement.
The Iranian government now realises its very existence is at stake, said Renad Mansour, senior research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank, casting it back to the days of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
“It’s survival mode,” he said, predicting “more violence” in the short-term with the prospect of a “managed de-escalation” and eventual negotiations.
Hamidreza Ali, visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said Iran might even allow Trump a “symbolic win” and retaliate against Israeli targets instead.
“This keeps Washington out of the war while intensifying pressure on Tel Aviv. The risk of drawing the US further in would now rest on Trump’s next move,” he posted on X.
“If Trump continues to strike Iran without new provocation, it looks more like going to war on Israel’s behalf. That’s politically costly, given domestic opposition to war with Iran.”
Meanwhile, Iran could deny knowledge of what happened to its enriched uranium, avoiding IAEA inspections, and later leave the Nuclear Non-Profiferation Treaty.
“Trump may have scored a tactical win, but if Iran plays this smart, they hand him a political grenade,” Ali wrote.
“All while shifting the nuclear game into murkier, more dangerous territory.”
