Tensions between the United States and Iran have reached a new high after the US carried out heavy military strikes on Iran over the weekend. US President Donald Trump on Sunday raised questions about possible regime change in Iran, following the strikes.

"It's not politically correct to use the term 'regime change', but if the current Iranian regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform.

These remarks came just one day after the US dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site. The mountain above the site was reportedly hit directly, but the actual damage inside remains unclear.

Iran promises to defend itself

In response, Tehran has promised to defend itself at all costs. Iran and Israel have also continued exchanging missile attacks. One explosion in western Iran killed at least six Iranian military members, as reported by an Iranian news outlet. Earlier, Iran had fired missiles that injured many people and destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, speaking in Istanbul, said Iran is considering all kinds of responses and added, “There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated.” He also said, “The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force.”

So far, Iran has not directly attacked US bases or tried to block global oil supply routes, though experts warn that such actions could happen soon.

US and allies on high alert

After the airstrikes, the US State Department told the family members of American employees to leave Lebanon and advised other US citizens in the region to stay alert and avoid travel. The Department of Homeland Security also released a warning of a “heightened threat environment in the United States”.

In major US cities, police increased patrols and added more security at places like religious centres, embassies, and cultural sites.

Even though President Trump praised the airstrikes and said they were “a spectacular military success”, US officials were more cautious. Trump claimed that Iran’s key nuclear facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated”. However, there has been no official report of the actual damage, except for satellite images showing craters on the mountain above Fordow.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, said it had not detected any increase in radiation around the strike area.

Strait of Hormuz and oil threat

Iran’s parliament has approved a step to close the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that is one of the most important routes for global oil shipments. About 25% of the world’s oil moves through this passage, which lies between Iran, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

Closing this route could send oil prices soaring, hurt the global economy, and likely lead to a direct conflict with the US Navy, which has a large presence in the Gulf through its Fifth Fleet.

However, closing the strait still needs final approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which is controlled by a top aide of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Security experts also warned that Iran might use other ways to retaliate, such as cyberattacks or secret bombings.

US and Israel have different goals

The Israeli government, which started the conflict with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, has clearly stated it wants to remove Iran’s current religious leadership. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was close to achieving its goal of destroying Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes.

But US officials have made it clear that they are not aiming for regime change. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “This mission was not and has not been about regime change. The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear programme.”

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