Iran’s allies, the self-described “Axis of Resistance,” have been severely hurt by ongoing Israeli attacks since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, particularly Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran has long used those groups as both an asymmetrical way to attack Israel and as a shield against a direct assault.

Iran's strikes on Israel are self-defense and are "proportionate defensive operations directed exclusively at military objectives and associated infrastructure," Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the U.

President Donald Trump in about eight hours went from suggesting a nuclear deal with Iran remained “achievable” to urging Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut short his visit to an international summit to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team.

Just how close is Iran to developing a usable nuclear weapon? That question is at the heart of the Iran-Israel conflict -- and one that's driving how President Donald Trump responds -- but Iran's nuclear capabilities are still very much shrouded in mystery.

The map created using a simulation tool shows the devastating impact of a hypothetical U.S. nuclear strike on Tehran, Isfahan, and Qom.