| The US strikes involved a decoy mission aimed at drawing attention from flight trackers, while the largest-ever deployment of B-2 stealth bombers delivered 30,000-pound bunker busters for the first time in combat. Pentagon officials described a 37-hour operation that included 125 aircraft, Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a submarine and the use of 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs. No US personnel were lost and there was no sign of return fire from Iranian defenses.  A Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Source: US Air Force The operation may have damaged Iran’s known atomic capabilities, but it’s also created a monumental new challenge to work out what’s left and where. Rather than yielding a quick win, the task of tracking uranium and ensuring Iran doesn’t build a weapon just got more complicated, according to sources who monitor the country’s nuclear program. Iran’s Arab neighbors urged restraint and warned of potentially devastating implications for the region, after the US operation highlighted just how much the resource-rich nations are hostage to forces beyond their control. Saudi Arabia condemned the violation of Iran’s sovereignty, Qatar warned it would have “disastrous consequences,” and Oman called it “illegal.” China criticized the US attacks and again said it’s willing to join international efforts to restore Middle East peace. While China buys some 90% of Iran’s oil exports, in defiance of US curbs, the risk of secondary sanctions and the official stance against nuclear proliferation have prevented Beijing offering substantial assistance to Tehran besides rhetorical support. The UK said its military assets weren’t involved in the US operation. Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered tacit backing to Trump’s move, saying he had “taken action to alleviate” the threat posed by Tehran’s nuclear program. The US intervention comes at a fragile moment for the global economy, and the outlook now hinges on how forcefully Iran retaliates. The World Bank, the OECD and the IMF have all downgraded their forecasts in recent months and any significant increases in oil or gas prices, or disturbances in trade, would act as yet another brake on growth. Terminal subscribers can access our latest Bloomberg Economics analysis here. Middle Eastern stocks rose, led by Israel and Egypt, as the region’s traders bet the US intervention in the Iran conflict will accelerate its end. Traders are forecasting a drop in stocks, a jump in crude prices and possibly a strengthening of the dollar as investors potentially head for safety. British Airways and Singapore Airlines canceled flights to the Gulf region, increasing travel disruption in the region after several American and European airlines halted flights to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar last week. The moves highlight growing worries in a slice of the Middle East that is typically considered safe and sheltered from regional dislocations. Iran has threatened multiple times to shut the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow stretch of water through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows each day. But in practice, Tehran has numerous less-drastic options at its disposal to calibrate a response that hurts its enemies while limiting the impact on allies like China. Watch Live: A special edition of Bloomberg TV’s Balance of Power is coming up at 6 p.m. in New York, with hosts Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz. Watch on Bloomberg Television, on the Bloomberg Terminal at TV <GO> and on YouTube. Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter for news from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 1 and 5 p.m. ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. | 
