Iran’s response has rarely been limited to direct, conventional retaliation; as you note, its network of proxies, cyber capabilities, and asymmetric tactics gives it many ways to respond indirectly and over a long timeline. That’s exactly why it’s hard for any leader—including Trump—to claim a decisive outcome so quickly.

In the end, whether the strike “worked” depends not just on the immediate aftermath, but on how both countries navigate the longer-term cycle of retaliation, deterrence, and miscalculation. The real test is whether it leads to de-escalation or simply shifts the conflict into less visible but equally dangerous forms.