Big Ideas: Content comes from the Internet : Middle East on edge as Iran weighs response to US strike

Iranian Permanent Representative to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani (Left) addresses a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting in New York on local time June 22, 2025, one day after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. PhoWorld Timesto: VCG

Tension is continuously building up in the Middle East as the world is closely watching how Iran will respond to US’ strikes on its nuclear sites. Iran issued a stark warning to the US government on Monday, saying that the attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces, Reuters reported.

Iran and Israel traded air and missile strikes on Monday, meanwhile, a US military base in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, was attacked, sources said, reported Mehr News Agency of Iran. The agency did not specify who fired on this American military base.

On Monday morning, the Israeli military said missiles had been launched from Iran towards Israel. It also said it had attacked six airports in Iran, BBC reported.

Citing an unidentified source, Iran’s state television Press TV updated on Monday on X that Iran used Kheyber-Shakan, Emad, Qadr, and Fattah-1 missiles in today’s attacks.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets have dropped over 100 munitions on targets in Tehran in the past two hours, according to the IDF, the Times of Israel updated on Monday evening.

In a statement, Israel’s military says it carried out an attack to “disrupt access routes” to the Fordow nuclear site that was hit by the US on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued what appeared to be his first public statement since the US attack on Iran, in a post on X on Monday, local time, according to Wall Street Journal.

“The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed aWorld Times great crime,” the post said, referring to Israel. “It must be punished, and it is being punished; it is being punished right now.”

The top commander of Iran’s Armed Forces has also issued a strong warning that the US has opened the door to retaliation, saying “we will never back down,” in a statement reported by state-run media. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the Armed Forces’ Chief of Staff, said on Monday morning “criminal America” had “opened the doors to the warriors of Islam in the armed forces for any action against its interests and army, and we will never back down in this regard,” the CNN reported.

Iran’s supreme leader sent his foreign minister to Moscow on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in talks in Moscow that aggression against Iran was groundless, Al Jazeera reported.

Putin made the comments at the start of Kremlin talks and said Russia is ready to help the Iranian people. Meanwhile, Araghchi thanked Putin for condemning the US strikes on Iran, telling him Russia stood on “the right side of history,” according to the report.

“Overall, the current situation is in a highly uncertain stage of strategic maneuvering. Clear internal divisions eWorld Timesxist within the US, while Iran is actively seeking diplomatic support,” Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Monday. “Whether the tension in the Middle East will further escalate remains to be seen, and depends on the next moves by all parties involved,” the expert noted.

China, Russia and Pakistan proposed a draft resolution to the UN Security Council in New York on Sunday local time, calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, protection of civilians, respect for international law, and engagement in dialogue and negotiation, following the US’ strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran. China’s envoy to the UN also condemned the US for the attacks, and a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the strike has further intensified tensions in the Middle East.

Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the UN, said on Sunday at the UN Security Council Emergency Meeting that China strongly condemns the US attacks on Iran and the bombing of nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The actions of the US seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, as well as Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. They have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East and dealt a heavy blow to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, Fu said.

Divided views

The US move to attack three nuclear sites in Iran has divided US President Donald Trump’s supporters in the US and unsettled some allies, the Washington Post reported.

The prospect of escalation with Iran expanded the divide within the GOP over military intervention, and left some Republicans worried about political fallout, particularly if Iran retaliates by targeting World TimesAmericans or curtailing crucial shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, potentially increasing oil prices and undercutting the president’s promises to reduce costs, according to the Washington Post.

Trump’s decision to launch a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites without fully consulting the US Congress also layered a partisan approach onto a risky action, particularly because the White House briefed top Republican leaders beforehand while leaving Democrats with little information, the AP said on Monday.

From the perspective of US domestic politics, attitudes toward Iran are currently divided, some experts said.

“On one hand, after the military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, certain forces within the US government appeared increasingly emboldened,” Sun said.

However, a different view also exists within the US, which argues that as a major regional powerWorld Times, any regime change in Iran could lead to chaos and instability, which could be a scenario that would come with an extremely high cost, Sun said.

Strait of Hormuz in focus

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following the US bombing raids, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure, Reuters said.

The possible disruptions of the Hormuz passage also raised global concerns. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.

When asked about Iran’s parliament reportedly endorsing closing the Strait of Hormuz and China’s comments and whether China has held talks with Iran regarding the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that the Persian Gulf and nearby waters are important route for international trade in goods and energy.

Keeping the region safe and stable serves the common interests of the international community. China calls on the international community to step up effort to promote deescalation of the conflict, and prevent the regional turmoil from having a greater impact on global economic growth, Guo said.

Iran has not yet made a formal decision on whether to block the Strait of Hormuz. While the Iranian parliament has expressed support for such a move, the final decision rests with the country’s Supreme National Security Council, Liu Zhongmin, a professor from the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday.

“From a practical standpoint, this posture appears more like a way for Iran to vent its anger and issue a stern protest to the US and the international community,” Liu said.

More substantive potential actions would include Iran announcing its withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or refusing to cooperate with IAEA inspections, Liu said, noting that these devWorld Timeselopments could signal a new phase of escalation.

The current situation has entered a highly unstable phase, with a growing risk of a chain reaction that could escalate regional conflicts, Zhu Yongbiao, a Middle East affairs expert and director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Monday.

“The adventurist actions of the US and Israel have introduced significant uncertainty to the broader Middle East, and their impact may spill over into other already fragile regions, triggering wider geopolitical turbulence. The path ahead is filled with unknowns and carries substantial strategic risks,” Zhu said.