9 Questions Remaining Over Iran-Israel Conflict After Trump's Strikes

Donald Trump and Keir StarmerDonald Trump launched strikes against Iran’s three nuclear enrichment facilities on Saturday in a major escalation of the current conflict in the Middle East.It came shortly after Israel struck Iran over fears it was developing nuclear warheads – a claim Tehran has consistently denied.Although the UK is trying its best to neither criticise nor commend Trump’s strikes, the world was stunned by the attack – and is now incredibly nervous about how how Iran will respond.With global tensions on a knife-edge, HuffPost UK walks you through some of the most pressing queries yet to be answered about this conflict...1. How will the UK be expected to respond if Iran does retaliate against the US?The UK has been at pains to say it was not involved with the Iran strike, but has admitted to moving assets to the region to protect its own interests.Keir Starmer said: “I’m not going to speculate on what is going to happen because my focus is on de-escalation.”2. How much of a threat does Iran pose to the UK right now?Britain has ramped up protections for military personnel and equipment in the Middle East because of the increased risk of an Iranian strike.Britain is not directly involved with the attack right now, but it is a key ally to Iran’s major opponents, Israel and the US, so it remains unclear just what is at risk for Brits.Ministers have insisted that the UK would hit back if Iran were to strike at Britain.3. What will happen with the shared Diego Garcia air base if the spat spirals?The UK shares a military air base with the US in the Chagos Islands, on Diego Garcia.America was expected to use the base for any attacks on Iran, but its bombers flew non-stop from the US to carry out the strikes over the weekend.That prevented the UK from being directly involved – but if the war escalates, it’s not clear if the shared military facility will have to be roped in.4. How much advance warning did Britain have before the US strikes?Starmer repeatedly called for de-escalation in the days following Israel’s first strikes against Iran.Despite widespread worries about just how Trump was going to respond, Starmer told Sky News last week that military action was not on the president’s mind.Days later, that analysis was proven embarrassingly inaccurate.But business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds admitted the UK had known ahead of time that the US did intend to strike Iran.5. What legal advice did the government receive about the conflict?The government’s legal adviser, the attorney general Richard Hermer, reportedly “had questions” about the legality of Israel’s first strikes against Iran two weeks ago.In line with tradition, the government has refused to divulge what he said.But the question of legality will continue to hang over ministers, especially as critics have accused Trump of breaching international law with his strikes.Ministers have notably refused to say if they believe the US attack was legal.6. What precise intelligence pushed Trump into attacking Iran before his two-week deadline was up?The president’s press secretary announced on Thursday that Trump had given himself two weeks to decide whether or not to get involved with the conflict.On Saturday night, he breached his own self-imposed deadline to strike Iran.When defence secretary Pete Hegseth was asked by reporters what pushed Trump to suddenly hit out, he side-stepped the question.He said: “I won’t say the particular moment but there was a moment in time when [Trump] realised there had to be a certain action taken to minimise the threat to us and our troops.”7. How much of Iran’s nuclear capabilities were actually destroyed in Trump’s attack?Joint chiefs of staff chairman, general Dan Caine, told the press on Sunday that it was too early to assess the damage from the US strikes.While acknowledging the US did hit all three targets and did “extremely severe damage”, he was cautious about what may or may not still be there.But Trump claimed on Saturday night that the facilities “have been completely and totally obliterated”. It’s also worth noting that even if Iran’s nuclear facilities have been damaged beyond repair, the country now has the know-how to recreate them.8. Does America want regime change in Iran or not?Vice president JD Vance said Trump does not want to force regime change on Sunday, insisting the US was at war with Iran’s nuclear programme, not Iran itself.He told NBC: “We don’t want a regime change. We do not want to protract this.”But overnight, Trump posted on TruthSocial: “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!”9. Most importantly, what will Iran do next?Vance has warned that it would be “the stupidest thing in the world” for Tehran to hit back at the US.But, there’s no guarantee Iran agrees.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned of “everlasting”, “dangerous” and “far-reaching” consequences for what it described as an “egregious act of aggression and heinous crime”.Related...'Downhill From Here For Trump': Senior BBC Reporter's Bleak Prediction After Iran StrikesTrump Contradicts His Own Vice President On 'Regime Change' In IranMinister Refuses To Say If Britain Believes Trump's Attack On Iran Was Legal

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