America Strikes Iran: Explained

American protests against striking Iran

After days of speculation, the United States has now joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear infrastructure. As negotiations over a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran have stalled, President Trump has decided to use the American military to force Iran to the negotiation table. Such a bold decision has received both immense praise and backlash from each of the two parties. This article seeks to explain why President Trump chose to strike Iran and why his opponents frown upon the decision. 

Why would the United States strike Iran? 

• To understand why President Trump decided to strike Iran, multiple factors must be considered. Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon is a major security concern for the United States and its allies. As talks over a new nuclear deal with Iran had made minimal progress before Israel and the United States military intervention in Iran, President Trump felt the need to use force to pressure Iran to negotiate. With Iran having the potential to develop a nuclear weapon in a brief period, the United States chose to act before it was too late. 

• The United States not only fears Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, but there's also great concern that Iranian proxies that are considered terrorist organizations by the United States government (Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen) may obtain access to a potential Iranian nuclear weapon. The United States feels that if nothing is done to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, it could fall into the hands of an Iranian-backed terrorist organization. If this were to happen, the chances of a nuclear conflict in the Middle East would skyrocket, especially with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

  
  

• As mentioned in my previous article, there's great concern that if Iran were to develop a nuclear weapon, states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Türkiye may feel compelled to do the same. A nuclear Iran would only open the floodgates for other Middle Eastern states to obtain their own nuclear weapons program. This security dilemma can be seen throughout the history of nuclear weapons development. The Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons after World War II, as it felt threatened by the United States' nuclear domination. The nuclear security dilemma continues with China and India. If Iran were to develop a nuclear weapon, it's quite certain that a chain reaction would break out in the Middle East region.

Potential cons of this decision 

• Many of President Trump’s political opponents deeply resent the idea of American military involvement in Iran. Many fear that striking Iranian nuclear infrastructure will only drag the United States into a full-blown conflict with Iran. As Iran has already struck an American military base in Qatar, further escalation of this conflict will likely continue. Further retaliation may come from either Iran itself or Iranian proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Houthis. It is important to note that striking Iran may increase hardliner sentiment in Iran, making it harder to reach a potential deal.  

  
  

• President Trump’s actions so far in his second term have not sat well with Liberal Americans. From ICE raids, deportations, DOGE, and tariffs, political instability has been on the rise in America. Especially with mass public support for the Palestinian cause, involving the United States in a conflict on the side of the Israelis will only continue to anger President Trump’s opposition. War is always unpopular among the masses. Especially with the United States’ recent blunders in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American population does not want to see our government get involved in a protracted conflict in the Middle East.