Yet, the objectives of the military assault on Iran will remain unclear, and there is even less clarity regarding the consequences. US vice-president JD Vance asserted earlier this week that Washington had evidence Iran was trying to rebuild its nuclear programme. The American president came under pressure from the Israeli leadership to attack Iran to, at the very least, destroy its missile arsenal. Its nuclear programme has been effectively neutralised by US and Israeli assaults; its network of regional allies has been thoroughly degraded. The country’s economy has deteriorated enormously since the US withdrew during Trump’s first term in the White House from a previously negotiated deal on Iran’s nuclear programme, followed by the reimposition of US sanctions.

Source: The Irish Times March 01, 2026 00:01 UTC