“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon” has been Trump’s much-repeated message, and after last night’s bombing of the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities, the president declared his mission accomplished. Declaring the operation a “spectacular military success,” he called for Iran’s leaders to return to negotiations. “Now is the time for peace,” he wrote on his Truth Social site. Americans must hold him to it.
Iran, of course, will have a say in what happens next. Tehran will inevitably retaliate. It has many options, including targeting U.S. military personnel in the region, disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, or executing cyber or terror attacks in the Middle East or outside it. So far, Iran’s response has been moderate. Tehran has indicated that damage caused by U.S. strikes is reparable and limited. There are also reports that Washington gave Iran advanced warning that this was intended to be a limited strike. It is possible that Iran might calibrate its response to avoid American casualties.
As Iran’s leaders weigh their options, Trump should take clear and decisive steps now to encourage Iran toward deescalation, offering commitments that U.S. military action was indeed a “one-off” and not the start of a longer American campaign. First, Trump must back away from the “deal or bombs” threats he continues to make toward Iran, including in his triumphant speech to the nation following the strikes. After hitting Iran’s nuclear facilities and setting back its path to a nuclear weapon, there is no urgent threat to the United States that would require either a quick deal or additional U.S. military action. In fact, giving Iran ultimatums to return to negotiations only increases the risk of deeper U.S. military involvement because it will create political pressure on Trump to act if diplomacy fails—as is likely in the short term. After all, Iran has no reason now to believe that diplomacy will protect it from future airstrikes and little incentive to compromise in the near future.
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