“Remember, Iran cannot have any nuclear weapons. Very simple. Don’t have to go too deep into it. They just can’t have nuclear weapons.” “Iran’s leaders should understand that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

The future of Iran’s nuclear program will depend in part on the extent of the damage from the U.S. attacks and Tehran’s negotiating position in the coming days.

Iran has spent decades building multi-tiered military capabilities at home and across the region that were at least partly aimed at deterring the United States from attacking it.