What Would a Military Strike on Iran Mean for the Middle East?

Abstract

U.S. President Donald Trump has alternated between making threats and suggesting negotiations with Iran. His proposal of direct talks has so far been dismissed and rebuffed by a regime that is deeply suspicious of Washington after the first Trump administration pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Given the risk of military confrontation over Iran’s nuclear program—which is, according to some analysts, only weeks away from producing a deliverable weapon—Foreign Policy asked three experts to assess how a strike by the United States, Israel, or both acting together would affect Iranian politics, the strategic outlook of Saudi Arabia, and regional dynamics more broadly.

—Sasha Polakow-Suransky, deputy editor

Document Type

Article

Topic(s)

National Security

Region(s)

Middle East

Publication Date

3-27-2025

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