The US–Israel war on Iran has fundamentally reshaped the region’s security and strategic landscape. Although Prime Minister Netanyahu has claimed that Israel has achieved its war objectives, several of its core concerns remain unaddressed. Iran has emerged from the conflict with an enhanced image as a resilient and indispensable regional actor. The war has reinforced the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz not only for Gulf regional security but also for the global economy.

The US–Israel war on Iran has emerged as one of the most consequential conflicts in West Asia in recent decades, fundamentally reshaping the region’s security and strategic landscape. During the conflict, the United States and Israel employed some of the world’s most advanced military technologies and weapons systems against Iran, targeting a wide range of military and strategic assets. The war destroyed critical military infrastructure and led to the deaths of several senior political and military leaders of Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Despite suffering extensive damage, Iran demonstrated considerable resilience by launching large-scale retaliatory drone and missile attacks against targets in Israel and the US military bases across the Arab Gulf region. The conflict also saw Iran’s unprecedented closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting one of the world’s most critical maritime energy corridors, severely affecting global energy supplies, and triggering widespread volatility in international energy markets.

Although the United States and Iran signed an MoU in Geneva on 19 June 2026 to end hostilities, the situation remains volatile. The regional and extra-regional actors are reassessing their security policies and strategic partnerships in response to the evolving situation in the region. More significantly, the war has disrupted the existing regional order. The region’s security architecture and balance of power have been fundamentally challenged.

The Joint US–Israel Attack and Iranian Response

The broad objectives of the United States and Israel were to destroy Iran’s nuclear and missile programme, dismantle its regional network of proxies and encourage popular opposition within Iran to challenge and ultimately overthrow the regime. Both countries viewed these issues as significant threats to their interests and regional security in West Asia. There was a significant disparity in military capabilities and technological sophistication between the United States, Israel and Iran.

The attack—codenamed Operation Epic Fury by the United States and Operation Roaring Lion by Israel—adopted a decapitation strategy aimed at dismantling Iran’s command structure by targeting its senior political and military leadership. The simultaneous strikes on multiple targets demonstrated the depth of American and Israeli intelligence penetration within Iran, as well as their military capability to conduct complex and coordinated operations.

Iran’s nuclear infrastructure constituted the primary target of the joint US–Israel military campaign. Several key nuclear facilities, including Natanz, Fordow, Arak and Isfahan, were attacked and destroyed. In addition, the United States and Israel targeted a range of military and strategic assets, such as missile launchers, air defence systems, military-industrial facilities and naval assets.[1] Given the significant asymmetry in military capabilities, the United States and Israel were able to establish complete air superiority over Iranian airspace. The destruction of Iran’s air defence systems and radar networks enabled them to conduct sustained strikes deep inside Iranian territory with minimal resistance.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that Israel achieved all the objectives it had set at the outset of the war. According to him, Israeli military operations destroyed critical components of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, eliminated several nuclear scientists, and targeted missile production facilities. He has also claimed that Israel significantly degraded Iran’s naval and air capabilities and killed numerous senior military commanders.[2] President Trump has repeatedly made similar claims.

On the other side, Iran remained defiant and determined to resist the joint US–Israel attack. Facing two of the world’s most advanced and technologically sophisticated militaries, Tehran announced Operation True Promise 4. It relied heavily on its extensive missile and drone arsenal to defend itself and to retaliate against United States and Israeli targets. Iran expanded the scope of the conflict by targeting United States military bases and assets located in neighbouring Arab Gulf countries. In several instances, Iranian missile and drone strikes hit non-military targets, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.[3] Tehran’s strategic objective in attacking the Gulf states was to impose high costs on the United States and raise the political and military price of its intervention.

However, beyond the conventional calculation of military victory or defeat on the battlefield, Iran has claimed a political victory. In fact, the MoU signed on 18 June appears to reflect a hard bargain struck by Tehran. At the beginning of the war, Iran articulated major principal conditions for ending the conflict, including complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, the cessation of hostilities on all fronts, and the payment of war reparations by the United States.[4] It appears that these key Iranian demands have largely been accommodated in the MoU. Consequently, the understanding is that Iran emerged from the war........

© IDSA