U.S. Strikes on Iran: Israel’s War, Iran’s Nuclear Sites, and the Fragile Ceasefire with fmr. NSC Senior Director Javed Ali

On this episode of The Burn Bag, we unpack the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites—marking a sharp escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict and raising fears of a wider regional war. National security expert Javed Ali joins us to trace the timeline from the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel to the Israeli strikes deep inside Iran and the decision that brought U.S. forces directly into the fight. We discuss the key turning points that drove the escalation, the role of Iran’s nuclear program in the conflict, and the potential for asymmetric retaliation from Iran’s extensive proxy network. Javed also offers insight into the precarious ceasefire announced by President Trump, what it might take to hold it, and the critical signals to watch in the weeks ahead.