India, June 23 -- The ongoing Iran-Israel conflict threatens to turn into a regional war with the US bombing three nuclear sites in Iran Sunday morning. President Donald Trump has announced that the bombings obliterated Iran's nuclear facilities and, ominously, said more attacks could follow if "peace does not come quickly". Tehran has indicated that it will retaliate. Iran's neighbourhood is home to numerous US bases that house over 40,000 American troops, warships, and other equipment. What follows next, especially the nature, scale, and targets of Iran's response, will shape the contours of the conflict and the power relations in West Asia. The US's entry into this war is significant in many ways. One, it is a unilateral action unlike its 2001 invasion of Afghanistan or 2003 attack on Iraq, when it received material support from its Nato allies such as the UK. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that US strikes were carried out "in full coordination" between the American and Israeli militaries. Two, the White House did not take the US Congress into confidence before ordering the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites. Three, Trump's action lacks bipartisan support and even threatens to divide his core Make America Great Again (MAGA) constituency. The Republican leader had promised during his presidential campaign that he would stop America's participation in global conflicts and pursue peace in Ukraine and Gaza. How Trump steers the US out of the current crisis, especially if Tehran targets its assets in the region, will have implications for the remainder of his term. An extended war in West Asia will plunge the world into a crisis. The immediate impact will be felt on oil prices. Shipping routes in the region may come under attack, impacting global trade in a big way. The turmoil in Iran, seen as the custodian of Shia interests, will have repercussions beyond national borders. Proxy Iranian militias in the region - Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthis - have been silent but they can disrupt Western interests in the region, and add to the instability. As for India, any war in West Asia is bad news. One, India imports about 40% of all its oil and about half of its liquified natural gas through the narrow Strait of Hormuz that separates Iran from the Arab peninsula, which Tehran has threatened to close. Two, close to nine million Indians work in West Asia and a wider conflict in the region has dire economic consequences. Three, if the US and Israel weaken Iran and force a regime change in Tehran, it may open up the space for countries such as Pakistan, which is evident from the new bonhomie between Washington and Rawalpindi. New Delhi must play its cards carefully....