Jean-Marc Rickli, a specialist in contemporary warfare and international security, says Iran is faced with “a spectrum of possible reactions”.

He said the first would be to not take any action, something he noted would be “really bad for its reputation and also internally”. The second option would be to strike back at US interests or assets, he told Al Jazeera.

“Probably there will be actions that are in-between, but the issue with Iran is finding a way to not bring the Americans back in terms of the military — because, of course, if the US military unleashes its full potential, Iran stands no chance,” said Rickli, the head of global risk at the Geneva Centre for security policy

He also referenced the Iranian response in 2020 when Iran retaliated against military commander Qassem Soleimani’s assassination by the US by bombing a US base in Iraq after giving prior warning.

“Will they try to do something similar? That is possible, but for now it is very difficult to say.”