No Iranian threat ‘other than having US regional interests challenged’
DazzlingDawn.com June 22, 2025: Stephen Zunes, head of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, dismissed the notion that Iran poses any real threat to the United States as “completely absurd.” He told Al Jazeera, “Iran lacks the missile range or military capacity to strike the US.” Zunes further argued if the concern were genuinely about Iran’s nuclear program potentially being weaponized, then former President Trump wouldn’t have withdrawn from the 2015 nuclear agreement. He believes the motivation behind the attacks has little to do with any direct threat from Iran and more to do with the country’s potential to counterbalance US influence in the region.

How will Iran retaliate against the US?
RadioFree.org June 22, 2025: When asked why Trump chose to attack Iran at this point, Zunes speculated that “he’s probably been eager to start a conflict with Iran for a while now.” Although this move contradicts Trump’s original campaign promises, Zunes noted it’s not entirely unexpected, pointing out that Trump has reversed course on many pledges—both in domestic and foreign policy.

Global Reaction: A Region on Edge
CoastalDigest.com June 22, 2025: Analysts believe the U.S. move might entangle it in a long-term conflict. Stephen Zunes, a Middle East expert at the University of San Francisco, said Iran has several “painful” options at its disposal and warned of a broad regional backlash.

And DNYUZ.com: Stephen Zunes, the director of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, laid out several options available to Iran in response to the US attacks unfolding. “They can attack US forces directly. There are up to 40,000 Americans within the range, not just of Iranian missiles but of drones and other weaponry,” he said. “You have the fleet in the Persian Gulf, just off the Iranian coast. They can be vulnerable as well if they attack,” Zunes said, using another name for the Gulf, which is also referred to as the Arabian Gulf. “It could impact global shipping, impacting oil prices and indeed the entire global economy.” Zunes also pointed towards the “proxy militias in Iraq who could target American bases there”, adding that he would be “surprised if the Iranians don’t target at least some of these”.

Media Sanctuary Radio interview: Stephen Zunes
June 18 on the war Israel launched with Iran
& June 17 on Israel, Iran and the US:
Israel launched an unprovoked military attack on Iran. While they claimed that they were acting to destroy Iran’s imminent effort to develop nuclear weapons, both the US and Israel for decades have claimed that Iran was on the precipice of developing such a capability. Israel of course already has nuclear weapons. The Iranian official who was negotiating over the nuclear program with the US was one of many murdered by Israel. While President Trump claims he did not give the green light to Israel’s attacks, the US has been ramping up its military support for Israel as Iran has responded to the attacks, threatening the possibility of an all out regional war. Trump has urged people to flee Tehran and has raised the possibility of assassinating Iran’s leader, though he did reportedly recently veto such an effort by Israel. Professor Stephen Zunes, Director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco, talks to Mark Dunlea of Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Israel-Iran conflict: Analysts say US likely to take direct military action
CNA June 18, 2025: Channel News Asia, a Singapore -based, owned by Mediacorp
“Calling for the unconditional surrender of a sovereign nation state is pretty extreme. We haven’t heard that rhetoric very often,” noted politics professor Stephen Zunes from the University of San Francisco. “It has really sent some shock waves and is making people think that this is not just going to be a series of strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, but something much bigger.” He pointed to how Israel’s military and Trump have urged residents to evacuate from Iran’s capital city of Tehran, which has a population of more than 9 million. “There, indeed, could be a much bigger war, and the United States itself might get involved,” Zunes said. 

SUBSTACK ARCHIVE REPOST JUNE 22, 2025 (7-minute audio) of Zunes’ 2020 article challenging the myth: “After bombing Iran, Trump’s claim Iran was responsible for 1,000 American deaths in Iraq is a lie…”