While U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be celebrating a tactical victory after the devastating strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the uncomfortable truth is that Iran remains a grave and unresolved threat to Israel, the region and global stability. The joint U.S.-Israeli campaign may have significantly degraded Iran’s capabilities, but it fell short of delivering the one outcome that could ensure lasting security: regime change.
The strikes might have achieved more had Trump not prematurely ended the U.S. operation and forced Israel to do the same. Ultimately, neither Washington nor Jerusalem was willing to take the decisive steps necessary to complete the task. As a result, Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been delayed—not defeated—and Iran still poses a formidable threat because of its missile arsenal, sponsorship of global terror and its determination to rebuild its proxies.
Following the Israeli and American strikes, experts have fiercely debated the extent of the damage. Trump has claimed the nuclear threat is “obliterated,” but assessments suggest Iran’s nuclear program may have been set back only two to three years. Iran’s foreign minister confirmed nuclear sites were “seriously damaged.”
Iran surely planned for the possibility of being attacked and moved at least some of its nuclear program elsewhere. We don’t know what secret facilities the Iranians may have; however, they have not behaved as if they have hidden capabilities. (Read More)
