Seven Options for Iran After US Attacks

Newsweek

5 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Iran must decide on a response to the attacks on three key nuclear sites by the United States while facing U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of further military action if it retaliates itself. Below are seven options for possible action by Iran.
1. Pursue Nuclear Talks
Iran earlier this year engaged in talks with the United States to find a peaceful resolution to the dispute over its nuclear program, but it had failed to move quickly enough to satisfy Trump. Iran last week ruled out further talks while Israel continued its strikes on the Islamic Republic, a possible factor in the U.S. decision to attack days after Trump had said he would decide within the next two weeks.
The main sticking point to nuclear talks had been uranium enrichment. The U.S. position was that Iran should not be permitted any enrichment, which can be used for building nuclear weapons. Iran said it would never agree to that and that it sought enrichment only for peaceful purposes.
2. Rally Diplomatic Support Against U.S.
Iran will do this anyway. It was clear from the initial statement of Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi that the U.S. attack was being condemned as a violation of international law and with an appeal to the U.N. Charter and to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Iran's condemnation may well be echoed by other powers such as China and Russia, which have a close relationship with Iran. But the United States could veto any U.N. Security Council resolution and it may also have support from western allies. More important would be whether China and Russia took any stronger action against the United States beyond words.
3. Attacks on U.S. Military Targets
The United States maintains military facilities in no fewer than 19 locations throughout the Middle East. Among these, eight are established as permanent bases situated in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, with a deployed force ranging from 40,000 to 50,000 personnel.
Attacking any of these would be a major escalation that would be likely to bring an even bigger military response from the United States. It would also involve strikes on Arab countries that have so far condemned the actions of Israel in attacking Iran and had warned the United States against further escalation and would therefore be a diplomatic as well as military challenge.
4. Disrupting Oil Supplies
The head of Iran's parliamentary committee on defense and national security has previously stated that shutting the Strait of Hormuz — the key passage linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and a route for roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments — is being seriously considered, according to Iranian state media.
Any such disruption could drive oil prices higher and heighten tensions between Iran and Western powers, potentially prompting naval clashes aimed at maintaining access to the vital waterway. A closure would also negatively impact China, a major recipient of Iranian oil, as well as Gulf states that have criticized Israeli strikes on Iran.
5. Using Proxy Forces
Iran's network of proxy groups—including the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq, Palestinian factions, and Hezbollah in Lebanon—could potentially carry out rocket attacks, sabotage operations, and covert actions.
But all have been heavily battered by recent Israeli and U.S. military operations. Hamas continues to wage the war in the Gaza Strip that began with the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the regional conflict, but is in little place to do more than try to survive. The Houthis in Yemen agreed a truce with the Ameicns after weeks of air strikes. Hezbollah was also badly bruised by its most recent fighting with Israel. A Hezbollah spokesperson told Newsweek that it did not have immediate plans to retaliate against Israel and the United States after the U.S. strikes on Iran.
6. Covert Action
This could include physical attacks by groups designated as terrorists by the United States, but would not be limited to those — for which severe retaliation could also be expected if any link were proved.
Iran's also has cyber units, including the Mabna Institute, which have carried out attacks on U.S. and Israeli banks, utilities, and military networks, inflicting both economic harm and symbolic blows while preserving plausible deniability. Iranian hackers have escalated cyberattacks on key Israeli infrastructure—such as water and energy systems—highlighting an increasing emphasis on cyber warfare as a primary tool of retaliation.
7. Accelerating Nuclear Program
The attacks could prompt Iran to try to achieve a nuclear weapons capability as quickly as possible and this was a threat that had previously been raised by Iranian officials. Countries that have managed to build their own nuclear weapons, such as North Korea, become much harder targets for attacks.
The damage to the nuclear facilities from Israeli and U.S. strikes and Israel's killing of nuclear scientists may well be a setback for nuclear weapons ambitions – which Iran had denied – such facilities can be rebuilt and Iran now has the know-how to be able to build nuclear weapons. Should it acquire them it could set off a bigger regional nuclear arms race. Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons already.