Explained: 10 takeaways from the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, for India and the world

Here is why the development will have wide-ranging implications:

1. The US-Israel relationship strengthens

The US has officially joined the military strikes against Iran. So far, it had only provided support to Israel in its attack on Iran that began on June 13, as well as helped to prevent the counterattacks by the Iranian military. This included satellite-based intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program, and the shooting down of drones and missiles.

But, with the strikes, this is the first full-fledged demonstration of the “iron-clad” support for Israel, which claims that Iran is developing nuclear weapons and posing an “existential threat” to Israel.

2. Divergence from Trump’s political agenda

US President Donald Trump has long promised not to involve the country in what he called “endless wars”, from the days of the election campaign for his first term in office (2017-21).

At the 2019 State of the Union address, Trump said, “As a candidate for president, I loudly pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars.” His decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was a case in point, which was ultimately chaotically orchestrated under his successor, Joe Biden.

That theme was part of his campaign in the second term as well. When he took office in 2025, the US was embroiled indirectly in two wars — in Ukraine and Gaza. Trump was determined to end US role in the Ukraine war, and is in talks with Russia. Notably, during his campaign, he pledged to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office.

On the Gaza front, Israel managed to decimate Hamas and broadened it to degrade the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah — both widely seen as Iran’s proxies. However, the war still continues, with tens of thousands of Palestinians dead because of Israeli military action.

With his decision to bomb the nuclear facilities in Iran, the US has now entered a dangerous zone where a firm response from Iran is expected, and Tehran struck Israel on Sunday, raising concerns of a full-scale war. So, instead of ending the ongoing wars, the US-led by Trump has now willingly walked into one.

3. Israel’s gains

Israel is the biggest beneficiary of the US entering the scene, since it lacked the capability to take out the nuclear enrichment facility in Fordow, which was dug deep into the ground underneath a mountain — estimates suggest about 300 feet deep, where the enriched material was stored.

It had always maintained that Iran’s nuclear programme was its target and had wanted to degrade it substantially. The US strike on Fordow was aimed at achieving that. Israel, which had managed to degrade Hamas and Hezbollah, is now looking at the Iranian regime of Ayatollahs as its next target. This is the strongest Israel has been against Iran, since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that led to the establishment of the Islamic republic.

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4. Threat to Iran’s air defences

Israel has also targeted Iran’s missile production capability, and now claims that it has destroyed about one-third of Iran’s missile launching capabilities. The fact that the B-2 bombers came in and went out of Iranian airspace unchallenged is proof of that degraded capacity. Israel had been demonstrating its complete air superiority and dominance to the US in the last week or so, since it launched its military campaign, calling it “Operation Rising Lion”. That gave additional confidence to the US to go in without expecting a counter-attack from Iran.

5. A weakened Iran

Iran stands humiliated since the Israeli strikes began, and the strike on Fordow is another major blow to its standing. While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it had not seen any increase in “off-site radiation levels” following Sunday’s attacks so far, more than 600 Iranians have been killed in a little over a week of Israeli attacks.

The damage is not just domestic — over the last year and a half, Israel has degraded the capacity of Hamas and Hezbollah, striking its senior leadership and greatly weakening the two big regional players. These groups are part of what is called the “Axis of Resistance”, backed by Iran. That cleared the pathway — figuratively and literally, given the 1,500 km distance between Israel and Iran — to target Iran with complete impunity. This is the weakest Iranian regime has been since 1979.

6. Ghosts of Iraq

Faced with the attack, Iran has criticised the US for violating international law and going after its territorial sovereignty and integrity. The premise for the US attacks – that Iran was close to building a nuclear bomb – is akin to how the US attacked Iraq in 2003 for falsely claiming it possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, some analysts say.

This is an important element, serving as a reminder of the fact that Washington’s track record in the region is dodgy, to say the least. Its intervention clearly poses an uncomfortable question that needs to be thought through in the coming days and weeks. Analysts have also questioned the fact that the US and Israel, two countries with nuclear weapons, are now targeting another country with no nuclear weapons.

7. Question mark on the Iranian regime

The attack makes the Iranian regime look weak and unfit to fight back. While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 86 and ailing, and some of the top officials in the Iranian military leadership were killed in the run-up to the US attack, it has shown that Tehran is at its weakest, politically and militarily.

This has also given some meat to the speculation of a regime change in Tehran, which Israel and the US have clearly hinted at as a possibility. The current regime has endured despite Western economic sanctions, but is now witnessing significant challenges. The coming days would greatly test Khamenei’s ability to hold on to power, along with that of the top military leadership.

8. Status of Iran’s nuclear capabilities

Iran is a known leader in the scientific and technological sphere, as its scientists and engineers have defied sanctions and tactical Israeli attacks to carry on with a robust nuclear programme in the last two-and-a-half decades. It will be seen how they navigate the current crisis, whether they can actually push through building nuclear weapons.

9. Deepening turmoil in the Middle East

The Iranian response will define the next few days and weeks, and if the uncertainty increases with the ballistic missile attacks and rocket attacks by the Iranians in the Persian Gulf and their allies, the Houthis in the Red Sea region, it will raise the cost of shipping and will add to economic costs. Already, oil prices have risen in recent days. The Strait of Hormuz is an important choke point, one which Iran moved to block on Sunday.

Iran possibly targeting US troops and bases in the region is another element that could expand and broaden the conflict. This will be a very difficult scenario for the regional players, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Qatar, among others.

10. Significance for India

India will be watching the developments closely, as it has stakes in the peace and stability in the region. It has about 8 to 9 million Indians living and working in the Middle East, and their safety and welfare are of utmost concern for the Indian government. More than 1,400 Indian students have been evacuated from Iran in recent days. It is expected to evacuate some Indians from Israel as well.

Almost 60 per cent of India’s energy needs come from the region. Any instability threatens India’s energy security, and that would have an inflationary impact.

Besides, India wants the region to be stable so that the ambitious India-Middle East-European Economic corridor (IMEEC), announced a month before the Hamas attacks of October 2023, can finally take shape. It would, therefore, want the tensions to be dialled down as any escalation will be detrimental to its own national interests.