Israel’s blitz on Iran is fraught with uncertainty
Much hinges on the stubborn supreme leader and America’s mercurial president
JUST OVER a month ago, Donald Trump was in Saudi Arabia denouncing “interventionists” who tried to reshape the Middle East. The president decided not to stop in Israel on his way back home, a sign of his strained relationship with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who was also facing a series of political crises at home. Instead Mr Trump was eager to negotiate with Iran, which he hoped would become a “really successful” country. He shared a video of a top adviser to Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, proposing a deal over its nuclear-weapons programme.
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This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Decisive attack, unknown result”
From the June 21st 2025 edition
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The obscure Senate functionary whose word is law
Elizabeth MacDonough does more to shape legislation than most congressmen
The big beautiful bill reveals the hollowness of Trumponomics
Republicans mark America’s birthday with a profligate but insubstantial law
The war in Ukraine shows the West can re-arm without re-industrialising
Industrial capacity in peacetime is no longer necessary for success during war
How much did America’s bombs damage Iran’s nuclear programme?
Assessments vary wildly and it is impossible to know for sure
Israel’s war with Iran is over
But its impact is uncertain
Israel’s race to kill Iran’s nuclear dream
If it fails the regime could make a frantic dash for a bomb