U.S. Bombs Iran: What Comes Next?

On June 22, 2025, the United States executed "Operation Midnight Hammer," where over 125 U.S. military aircraft targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The surprise attack followed waves of Israeli targeting of Iran's key nuclear sites, military leaders, and nuclear scientists. Iran has responded with salvos of missile and drone strikes against Israel and a U.S. military base in Qatar.

How effective have U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran's nuclear program and missile capacity been? How well have Israeli and Western air and missile defenses held against Iran's responses?  How might Israel and the United States, further erode Iran's nuclear and military capabilities?  What is the nature of the operational intelligence underpinning all of this, and what are the risks of a wider war in the Middle East? To consider these questions, please join the CSIS Defense and Security Department for a conversation on the escalation risks and the implications for the future of Iran's nuclear program, featuring Dr. Heather Williams, director of the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues, Kari A. Bingen, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project, and Dr. Tom Karako, director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project.

This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.