27 June 2025, 17:03 | Updated: 27 June 2025, 17:20

By Simon Marks

In the space of a week, the world has been jolted by a high-stakes military operation, presidential bravado, and a political upset in America’s largest city. What’s less clear is what any of it actually means.

President Trump’s dramatic announcement last Saturday night—that the U.S. had “completely obliterated” Iran’s three key nuclear sites—was delivered with characteristic certainty.

And yet, certainty is precisely what has been lacking in the days since. The declaration came before any official damage assessment. Days later, the Pentagon's own early analysis suggested that Iran’s nuclear capabilities remain “largely intact,” merely........

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