Prior to the attack, Iran had threatened to retaliate against the U.S. if it became involved in its conflict with Israel.

President Donald Trump said in a brief address to the nation Saturday evening that U.S. bombers had “totally obliterated” three key Iranian nuclear sites and threatened to hit more targets if Iran refused to “make peace.

Trump’s primary wager is that Iran and its proxies in the Middle East have been so weakened that the US president can cast his intervention as both limited and successful. It is also a bet that a cowed Tehran will swiftly seek a settlement rather than retaliating.