ORLANDO, Fla. — As tensions continue to unfold in the Middle East, the State Department has now issued a worldwide security alert, warning about demonstrations against Americans and American interests, including cyberattacks. "Iran cannot have a nuclear capability. That is a very clear mission set on this operation,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said from the Pentagon on Sunday.
On X – formerly known as Twitter – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the United States and President Donald Trump after the attacks at three Iranian nuclear facilities. As the conflicts unraveled, the United Nations held an emergency meeting Sunday. “We must immediately and decisively halt the fighting and return to serious negotiations on the Iran nuclear program,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.
The Iranian government has already sent a letter to the United Nations condemning the American attack and urging international action. “History has taught me that the military is not always the solution,” said Professor Houman Sadri, foreign affairs expert and International Relations professor at the University of Central Florida. “We need to watch out to see what happens within the next 24 to 48 hours, very frankly, because I think what’s going to happen is they’re not going to just take it. They’re going to respond. But I think the response is going to be very calculated.”
Iran is one of the world’s largest oil producers, and the professor believes the impact on gas prices here at home could happen, depending on how the stock market reacts, with ripple effects that could be seen starting as early as Monday. “Sometimes the stock market actually doesn’t work in a very rational way,” Sadri explained. “Because people get scared, they sell, or they buy, or they do this, or they do that, so the prices go up. We could have some short-term impact, but nothing long-term.”
As the world watches the missiles and bombs fired across the Middle East, fears of a potential full-on global scale have spread across social media. The professor, however, believes that it is unlikely. “Do you have any concern that we are about to enter World War III?” Channel 9’s Geovany Dias asked. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. Maybe this could have happened if there had been a Cold War,” Professor Sadri said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a global war. It’s most likely going to be a regional world limited to two main rivals, Israel on one hand and Iran on the other hand. I don’t think there is a chance right now for World War III.”
On Sunday afternoon, the pilots responsible for dropping the bombs in Iran returned to the United States. President Donald Trump has also warned that the U.S. could launch more attacks if Iran does not make peace.
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