The world anxiously awaits Iran’s reaction following U.S. President Donald Trump’s authorization, a move that some and cautioned against.
Iran has threatened retaliation against the U.S., prompting Trump to pledge a response with overwhelming force and consider seeking further action.
“For 40 years, Iran has been saying, Death to America, Death to Israel,” Trump stated after the strikes. “There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”
“Remember, there are many targets left,” he added. “If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill.”
In the meantime, the U.S. is alerting its citizens globally to possible travel disruptions and “demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad.”
The Department of State issued a “Worldwide Caution” alert on Sunday—the first such global alert since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
“The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East,” the State Department said in a . “There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.”
The Department of Homeland Security also released a National Terrorism Advisory on Sunday, warning of likely “low-level cyber attacks against U.S. networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists” and the potential for Iran to target U.S. government officials, citing Iran’s repeated statements about attacking specific individuals, including Trump, in response to the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
“The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland,” the alert added.
According to , police in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have increased security at religious sites, diplomatic missions, and public areas.
Iran condemned the U.S. attacks and urged the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action to address the “injustice and gross violations” by the U.S. and Israel. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Israel’s surprise attack initiated the war, while the U.S. intervention this weekend has destroyed any chance of diplomacy.
Iran warned at the UNSC meeting that its armed forces will determine the timing, nature, and scale of its response. Iranian officials have also stated that “all options” are under consideration and that U.S. military bases in the region are “legitimate targets.”
Iran also possesses significant control over global oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz, although disrupting this flow would negatively impact its own economy and that of its allies, such as .
