Iran fired missiles at U.S bases in Qatar and Iraq in response to Saturday night’s attacks on its nuclear sites by the United States.
Feisal Istrabadi is a former Ambassador to Iraq and the founding director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East at IU. He said Iran has other options.
"It could also effectively close the routes through the Red Sea that could have a disastrous impact on world oil prices," he said.
The stated goal of the U.S. attacks was to cripple Iran’s ability to build a nuclear bomb. President Trump implied in a social media post that regime change is also on the table.
If the regime in Tehran falls and Iran loses its influence over the region, Istrabadi said two terrorist-supporting states bordering Iran — Pakistan and Afghanistan — could be emboldened.
"At that point, I think it becomes Katy bar the door, which will be bad news indeed for the United States and for the Arab States of the Gulf in particular, it will be America's problem to resolve at that moment," he said.
Israel and Iran continue to trade missile attacks in what is now the second week of their military conflict.
