Monday | 23rd June 2025
President Donald Trump Announces Direct U.S. Military Action on Iranian Nuclear Sites
In a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States military had carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, including the highly fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site, located deep within a mountain. The strike marks a significant and risky shift in U.S. policy, as Washington becomes directly involved in an intensifying regional conflict largely driven by Israel’s efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
The early Sunday morning strikes targeted Iran’s key nuclear infrastructure in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. According to the President, the facilities were “completely and fully obliterated” by U.S. forces utilizing advanced stealth bombers equipped with massive 30,000-pound bunker-busting munitions—capabilities only the United States possesses. These weapons were specifically chosen to penetrate the reinforced underground facilities that house Iran’s most sensitive nuclear operations.
Speaking from the White House in a nationally televised address, Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran:
“There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”
He also warned that any retaliatory move by Iran could provoke a broader and more devastating U.S. response:
“The United States can hit additional targets with precision, speed, and skill.”
This marks a turning point in the ongoing conflict. Over the past week, Israel has conducted an aggressive campaign of airstrikes aimed at degrading Iran’s air defenses and ballistic missile capabilities. However, U.S. and Israeli officials concluded that certain hardened nuclear sites—especially Fordow—could only be neutralized through American military intervention.
Confirming the attacks, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran acknowledged that all three nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—had been struck. However, the agency insisted that the strikes had not succeeded in halting Iran’s nuclear activities. Iranian authorities also reported that no radioactive material had been released, citing data from the National Nuclear Safety System Center, which claimed radiation detectors showed “no signs of contamination.”
“There is no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites,” the official statement said.
In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, President Trump posted on social media:
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.”
Later, he added:
“This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!”
Despite the damage inflicted, Iran remains defiant. Officials in Tehran vowed to continue their nuclear program and warned of “serious consequences” should the U.S. or Israel carry out further attacks. The situation has prompted international concern, with fears that the conflict could spiral into a wider regional war, drawing in additional powers and destabilizing the already volatile region.
As of now, no casualties have been officially reported, and both the U.S. and Iran are closely monitoring the evolving situation. Global leaders have called for restraint, urging both sides to avoid further escalation and return to diplomatic channels to prevent a full-scale war.
Israel hails US strikes
Netanyahu Praises Trump as Global Leaders Warn of Escalation Following U.S. Strikes on Iran
Following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a direct U.S. military strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a strong endorsement of the operation, praising the American president’s bold action.
In a video message addressed directly to Trump, Netanyahu declared:
“Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history. The United States has done what no other country on earth could do.”
Netanyahu, whose government has long pushed for more aggressive international action against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, portrayed the strike as a historic turning point in the regional balance of power.
The White House and the Pentagon have so far declined to provide further details about the scope and execution of the operation. However, Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close media ally of Trump, revealed shortly after 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time that he had personally spoken to the president. According to Hannity, six bunker-buster bombs were used against the heavily fortified Fordow enrichment facility. In addition, 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles were reportedly launched from U.S. submarines stationed approximately 400 miles away, targeting the other key sites in Natanz and Isfahan.
The airstrikes represent a deeply consequential and risky decision—not just for the Middle East, but for Trump himself. The former president had campaigned on an “America First” foreign policy platform that sharply criticized military interventions abroad, promising to extricate the United States from “endless wars.” This direct involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict appears to be a major departure from that posture.
International reaction was swift and concerned. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning, expressing deep alarm over what he called a “dangerous escalation.”
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” Guterres said in a statement, calling for restraint and immediate diplomatic engagement from all sides.
Back in Washington, Trump sought to quell concerns of a larger military entanglement. Speaking to reporters on Friday before the strikes were launched, he reiterated that sending ground troops into Iran was “the last thing” he wanted to do, even as he acknowledged that he was weighing a range of responses. “We don’t want war, but we will not allow a nuclear Iran,” he stated.
The decision to strike came after nearly two weeks of mounting Israeli bombardments aimed at crippling Iran’s air defenses and missile sites, and amid growing fears in Washington that Tehran could soon retaliate in ways that would destabilize the entire region. Analysts warn that Iran may now strike U.S. military bases in the Gulf or escalate attacks via regional proxies, including in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.
Despite Iranian claims that no radiation leaks have occurred and no fatalities have been confirmed, the long-term consequences of these strikes remain uncertain. With regional tensions at their highest in years, the world watches closely to see how Iran will respond—and whether the United States has now committed itself to yet another unpredictable and costly conflict in the Middle East.
Prospect of wider war
Tensions Spiral as U.S. Strikes on Iran Spark Regional Fallout and Global Alarm
As the dust settled following President Donald Trump’s announcement of coordinated U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, fears of a broader regional war loomed large. The operation — targeting Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — has shaken the already volatile Middle East, drawing in new actors and raising the prospect of widespread conflict.
In a stark warning, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen declared they would resume attacks on U.S. naval vessels in the Red Sea, a campaign they had paused in May under a temporary de-escalation deal with Washington. The Houthis’ threat underlines the risks of retaliation by Tehran’s network of regional proxies — from Yemen to Lebanon — all capable of disrupting global shipping lanes, U.S. interests, and allied forces.
Amid rising tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Israel announced “assisted departure flights” for American citizens — the first such evacuations since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the Gaza war and triggered a wider regional confrontation. In a separate announcement, Israel’s Airport Authority declared that the country’s airspace was closed to both inbound and outbound flights, citing “recent developments.” No timeline was given for when it might reopen.
Back in Washington, the speed and decisiveness of Trump’s move surprised even his allies. Just days earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had said the President was weighing options and would make a final decision within two weeks. Instead, the strikes came just two days later.
Behind the scenes, reports indicate that Israeli officials and senior Republican lawmakers had lobbied Trump intensely, arguing that Israel’s preceding wave of airstrikes had softened Iran’s defenses and opened a rare window to severely degrade Iran’s nuclear capacity — potentially for good. For Trump, it appears to have been a strategic calculation: take decisive action now, or risk missing a chance to reshape the strategic balance in the Middle East.
While initially expressing hope that this moment might be a “second chance” for Iran to return to negotiations, Trump has since escalated his rhetoric to direct threats. In a provocative social media post, Trump warned Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei:
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
This hardline posture is consistent with Trump’s long-standing opposition to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The agreement, brokered under President Barack Obama, was intended to limit Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, calling it the “worst deal ever” and arguing it failed to address Iran’s regional aggression and missile development.
Now, seven years later, Trump is pursuing a military strategy that could define his legacy — but not without political risk. The decision has sparked a sharp backlash from some corners of the MAGA movement, including prominent conservative voices like Tucker Carlson, who accuse Trump of betraying his promise to end costly foreign wars. Carlson and others argue that deeper U.S. involvement risks dragging the country into another open-ended conflict — precisely the kind Trump had once campaigned against.
International reactions remain urgent and apprehensive. World leaders are calling for calm, fearing that an all-out war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran could spiral out of control. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of “catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world” and called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
As the situation unfolds, questions swirl about Iran’s next move. While the Iranian government has downplayed the physical damage and insisted its nuclear program will continue, the psychological and strategic impact of the strikes is undeniable. Whether Iran retaliates through direct military action, proxy attacks, or cyber warfare remains to be seen — but analysts agree the region now sits on the edge of a potentially unprecedented escalation.