On June 21, President Trump launched a bombing attack against three Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel in its military effort to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Two days later, he announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran; the Iranian foreign minister announced that no such agreement had been made. However, no Israeli strikes were reported that morning, and Iran has stated that they “have no intention to continue [their] response” given that Israel stops its attack.
President Trump’s bombing operation, known as “Operation Midnight Hammer”, featured 125 US military aircraft and occurred early Saturday morning. In an address following the assault, President Trump stated that the “key enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated”. However, many worry about the dangers of the US being pulled into another global conflict, especially since the attack was made without Congressional approval. President Trump has threatened greater retaliation on Iran if peace is not reached. Iran has responded with drone strikes on Israel, reportedly injuring hundreds, and experts warn that Tehran could directly attack US military troops in the region. Indeed, Iran launched a missile attack on the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, though no casualties were reported.
The international response to the surprise bombing was mixed, with the European Union urging peace between the nations, while Israel praised Trump’s decision to deny Iran nuclear weapons. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte similarly thanked the president, calling his actions “something no one else dared to do”.
President Trump’s decision to engage has divided the MAGA movement, given his previous opposition to involvement in Middle Eastern wars. At the same time, many of his supporters believe that Iran left the US no choice but to intervene. Congressional Republicans, such as Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), have questioned the Constitutionality of the President’s actions, as well as expressed worries about being dragged into a larger war.
Regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities, the impact of the strikes is not yet known. The political deputy of Iran’s state broadcaster, Hassan Abedini, stated that Iran had evacuated the sites before the attack and the uranium had been transferred elsewhere. An early report by the US Defense Intelligence Agency found that the strikes did not impact the core components of Iran’s nuclear facility and would likely only set the country back by a few months. However, the White House has disagreed with the statement, calling the analysis “flat-out wrong” and meant to “demean President Trump”.