Iran hasn’t had the best week.

For decades, the theocratic government has instilled fear in leaders worldwide. Its strategic alliances with regimes hostile to Western civilization coupled with the growing threat of becoming a nuclear power have made provoking this small yet seemingly formidable nation a potential path to nuclear war.

How to best contain this global threat? Eventually, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, often referred to as the Iran nuclear agreement, was struck yet almost immediately skeptics derided the arrangement, which required Iran to dismantle its nuclear program and open its facilities to international inspection in exchange for billions of dollars in relief. Would Iran comply or was it just buying time? In 2018, President Donald Trump’s choice to withdraw U.S. participation made the arrangement moot and Iran resumed its effort to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels — with the protection of fortified underground bunkers.

On Saturday night, President Trump dispatched B-2 stealth bombers to take out three Iranian targets including the notorious Fordow nuclear enrichment facility with “bunker buster” bombs. Administration officials declared “Operation Midnight Hammer” a success, and it no doubt helped that Iran’s air defenses were largely crippled from earlier attacks by the Israel Defense Forces. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” Trump declared Saturday. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”

It may take time for many Americans to fully digest what has happened. Trump had just spoken of giving Iran two more weeks to abandon its nuclear weapons program. In retrospect, that appears to have been a feint, a deliberate attempt to perhaps encourage Iran to lower its guard. But it also contributes to a sense of unease about Trump and his frequent reversals — whether about trade, or budget cuts, or economic policy or, now, his promised end to “forever” wars.

Is this a moment to celebrate and for the Trump administration to pat itself on the back? That remains to be seen. Within hours, the response by members of Congress has, sadly, fallen along the usual partisan lines. But the real question is whether Iran will simply resurrect its nuclear program, its facilities diminished but not necessarily its scientific expertise. The moment is not unlike U.S. attacks against Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001: Have we simply rearranged the deck chairs on a strategic quagmire?

Following the strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that the United States “will be harmed and suffer heavier blows than in the past.” That doesn’t sound like a leader who is looking for peace or will be persuaded if more rockets are launched or bombs are dropped and the death total grows. Administration officials insist that the U.S. does not seek regime change, but one has to wonder if much will change under Khamenei or even his likely successors.

The next weeks, and perhaps even days, will be critical. Whether any of Iran’s allies make a move against the United States is anyone’s guess. But one thing is for certain: Americans are firmly opposed to being dragged into a protracted conflict, one that could draw in China and Russia. The U.S. hasn’t declared war. That action would require an act of Congress. What is needed is a deal, an enforceable one, perhaps similar to the JCPA. Would Iran sign such a peace agreement now?

At the very least, it’s time that Trump and senior officials made clear exactly what the U.S. intends to do next beyond threatening Iran with further military action should Americans and U.S. interests be targeted. If Iran backs down but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t willing to join negotiations, what then? Pressure Israel to stop its bombings? And how far is Trump willing to engage with Iran?

Given all the evidence, Americans are right to be worried that the conflict is far from over.