Ramifications of the strike on Iran manifested as threats of aiding armament and massive oil disruption came to a head against the “courageous and consequential” actions of the president.
While the U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers returned from their Saturday strike against the Islamist regime’s nuclear facilities, Iran signaled it was neither ready to cry uncle nor give up its pursuit of enriched uranium. Rather, as allies signaled a willingness to provide the Middle Eastern nation with warheads and proxies appeared poised to strike nearby U.S. military bases, Iran was plotting to block the Strait of Hormuz.
“Any closure attempt would be temporary and ultimately self-destructive,” argued Middle East Forum Executive Director Gregg Roman to the New York Post. “Iran depends on the strait for its own vital imports and knows that such action would trigger an overwhelming response from the US 5th Fleet, which maintains detailed operational plans for exactly this scenario.”
The statement came as Iran’s parliament voted to close the passage, leaving a final decision to Iran’s Supreme Council that would impact the daily passage of roughly 20% of the world’s oil.
While the price of a barrel of oil ticked up over 4% Sunday to $77, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Email Kosari expressed escalation “will be done whenever necessary,” Roman maintained the action would be devastating for Iran as well.
As China remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil, and with no legal authority over the strait, he told the Post, “It would amount to economic suicide while alienating China, their primary oil customer. Tehran understands this calculus, which is why the threat remains more valuable as leverage than as an actual course of action.”
With the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the area, Roman laid out that the likely strategy would involve naval mines and anti-ship missiles as well as “proven ‘swarm’ tactics, using hundreds of small, fast boats armed with missiles and explosives to overwhelm defenses. We’d also see extensive use of suicide drones and explosive-laden unmanned boats, tactics they’ve perfected through their Houthi proxies in the Red Sea.”
He further suggested cyber attacks and sabotage efforts on oil facilities operated by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could take place.
At the same time, the New York Times reported Sunday that American officials had identified signs that Iran’s proxies were preparing to attack U.S. military bases in the region.
“But so far the groups have held off, and Iraqi officials are working hard to dissuade militia action,” the paper stated, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
Syndicated radio host and member of the president’s Homeland Security Advisory Council, Mark Levin, summarized the Times’ report and posted to X, “The report highlights growing concerns within the Pentagon that proxy forces may attempt to open new fronts against U.S. assets in the region. Washington is now bracing for asymmetric retaliation.”
⚠️BREAKING — The New York Times: The U.S. has obtained intelligence indicating that Iran-backed militias are planning attacks on American military bases in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the recent U.S. strikes on Iran.
The report highlights growing concerns within the…
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) June 22, 2025
The former Russian president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, laid out claims that the strikes had been ineffective while contending that other nations remained willing to provide Iran with nuclear warheads.
“The enrichment of nuclear material — and now, we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons — will continue. A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads,” he wrote in a lengthy thread.
Likewise, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated Sunday, “The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, whatever the arguments it may be presented with, flagrantly violates international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”
2. The enrichment of nuclear material — and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons — will continue.
3. A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) June 22, 2025
Russia was involved in the Obama era’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from, only to see then-President Joe Biden endeavor to resume the deal.
During his Sunday press conference alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed, “We certainly understand the challenges of allies in the region. And, we have been respectful and in working in collaboration with them as it pertains to basing and sensitivities there.”
“Ultimately, they’ve got a lot of assets and people in those locations, also where American troops are co-located. So, that’s a consideration of ours,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the president, who’d briefly addressed the nation Saturday night after the strike on Iran, continued to be lauded for the decisive action aimed at eliminating the threat of a nuclear Islamist regime.
“He made the right decision, and it appears to have been executed flawlessly,” wrote columnist Miranda Devine in an op-ed for the Post. “A limited strike, in and out. Iran’s nuclear capability has been eliminated or at least severely degraded. No regime change. If the nuclear threat from Iran is indeed neutralized, leading to the extension of the Abraham Accords and peace in the Middle East, Trump will have achieved what countless predecessors failed to do.”
“If he pulls it off, without embroiling us in a larger war, he will have carved his role in history as the most courageous and consequential leader since Ronald Reagan. The man who rose from the stage in Butler, blood pouring down his face, raised his fist in the air and said, ‘Fight, Fight Fight,’ is exactly who you want as commander in chief at a time like this, especially as it’s not his first rodeo.”
“So much for ‘TACO Don.’ He outfoxed everyone,” she went on as the president posed the idea Sunday afternoon that it might be time to help make Iran great again. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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