World awaits Iranian response after US hits nuclear sites

On Sunday, the global community awaited Iran's reaction to significant U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, an action that, along with Israel's ongoing military engagement, marks the largest Western military intervention against Iran since its 1979 revolution.

The U.S. targeted Iran's Fordow nuclear facility with 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Following these attacks, American leaders urged de-escalation, while anti-war protests emerged in U.S. cities. President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, suggested the possibility of regime change in Iran, stating, "if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???"

Meanwhile, Iran and Israel continued exchanging missile attacks. Israel confirmed hitting military targets in western Iran after Iranian missiles injured many and destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a "heightened threat environment" alert in the U.S., warning of potential cyberattacks and targeted violence, leading to increased law enforcement patrols around religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites in major cities. The U.S. State Department also advised American citizens abroad to exercise extreme caution due to possible anti-American demonstrations and airspace closures across the Middle East.

Although Iran has not yet directly retaliated against the U.S. by targeting bases or disrupting oil supplies, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated in Istanbul that all responses were being considered and that diplomacy would not resume until retaliation occurred. He criticized the U.S. for its disregard for international law, stating, "They only understand the language of threat and force."

President Trump lauded the strikes as a "spectacular military success," claiming Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities were "completely and totally obliterated." Commercial satellite imagery suggests severe damage to the deeply buried Fordow plant, though its exact status remains unconfirmed. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported no increased off-site radiation levels but could not yet assess underground damage. A senior Iranian source, however, claimed most highly enriched uranium at Fordow was relocated before the attack, a claim Reuters could not immediately verify.

Trump urged Iran to forgo retaliation, stating that it "must now make peace" or face "far greater and a lot easier" future attacks. In a move seen as Iran's most significant threat to Western interests, its parliament approved closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly a quarter of global oil shipments pass. This action would require approval from Iran's Supreme National Security Council and could drastically increase global oil prices, potentially inviting conflict with the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is tasked with keeping the strait open. Following the attacks, Brent crude and U.S. crude futures rose to their highest levels since January.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated no further military operations were planned against Iran unless they provoked. The U.N. Security Council met to discuss the U.S. strikes, with Russia, China, and Pakistan proposing a ceasefire resolution. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the U.S. bombings as a dangerous escalation and called for a halt to fighting and a return to nuclear program negotiations.

Despite U.S. officials stressing that their mission was not about regime change, Israeli officials, who initiated hostilities with a surprise attack on June 13, have increasingly expressed their goal of toppling Iran's ruling clerical establishment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel was close to eliminating the threats posed by Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear program.