London: Following their 12-day war against Iran in June last year, the United States and Israel have continued to issue threats of new military action against the country, with Washington building up its military assets in the region over the past few weeks.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, some European experts believe that the experience of the June war and Iran’s deterrence capabilities have turned any adventurism into a high-risk decision that would entail heavy costs and unpredictable repercussions. Israel began the 12-day war on June 13, 2025, by assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists and senior military officials, and striking nuclear and military sites, as well as residential areas in the capital Tehran and elsewhere. The US later joined the war by bombing three major nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. Iran responded to the act of aggression by missile and drone strikes inside Israel, as well as a major US air base in Qatar.

In an interview with IRNA published on Sunday, Steve Bell, a British researcher and member of the Stop the War Coalition, said that the June war demonstrated to the US that Iran ‘can effectively retaliate.’ He noted that Iran’s ability to reorganize its forces after the initial unprovoked attack and inflict severe damage on Israeli installations has given the US reason to be cautious. Bell emphasized that the Iranian counter-strikes breaking Israeli air defenses was a significant shock to a regime that believed in its ‘invulnerability.’

Former British MP Chris Williamson shared similar views, stressing that any new war against Iran would have significant military consequences for both the US and Israel. He noted that Iran would be no pushover and likely better prepared following the experience of the 12-day war. Williamson also highlighted the vulnerability of the US’s Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in West Asia to Iranian missile strikes.

Alastair Warren Crooke, a former British diplomat, described any US adventurism against Iran as ‘a political suicide’ that would harm the Trump administration in the mid-term elections. He pointed out the heavy blows inflicted by Iran on Israel during the 12-day war, which led Tel Aviv to seek a ceasefire through Trump. Crooke suggested that an attack on Iran could lead to regional military escalation and significant economic consequences for other countries in the region.