Critics feared it would plunge the Middle East into a wider war. That doomsday scenario has not come to pass, at least for now: Iran made only symbolic retaliation against America; soon after, a ceasefire ended the fighting between Iran and Israel.

Israel’s military success against Iran undermines one incentive for Saudi normalization and raises concerns about its growing power.

Iran remains 'obsessed' with building nuclear deterrent despite damage incurred from U.S. strikes last month, but suggests its still open to negotiation in a move that one expert warns is a ploy to buy time.