Analysis: What led Iran to this moment — and what happens next

The United States is positioning military forces across the Middle East capable of launching multiple waves of strikes into Iran. If ordered, this would mark a significant operation beyond President Trump’s prior, more discrete uses of force. Unlike earlier operations that were time-bound and tethered to defined objectives—from targeting ISIS leadership to striking Syrian airfields after chemical attacks or the single night of strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last summer—this campaign would begin without a clearly defined end state.