IRIA News

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U.S. President Donald Trump announced on June 21, 2025, that the United States had launched a series of airstrikes targeting three of Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

The decision marks a dramatic pivot in the region’s conflict trajectory and pushes the U.S. into direct military confrontation with Iran for the first time since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

Trump claimed that the bombings “totally obliterated” Iran’s key uranium enrichment facilities, and were carried out using advanced B-2 stealth bombers and specialized 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs capable of penetrating deep underground installations. The strikes followed more than a week of Israeli attacks on Iranian territory aimed at degrading Tehran’s air defenses and missile capabilities.

“War starts right now,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced via Iranian state media in response to the attacks. Hours after the U.S. attacks on Iran, Tehran launched a barrage of missiles towards Israel, reportedly hitting key military targets.

“Spectacular military success”

Speaking from the White House, President Trump confirmed the operation and celebrated it as a decisive victory against what he termed the “world’s number one state sponsor of terror.”

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said in a national address. “There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”

“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.… pic.twitter.com/AqCLmaLYJb

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 21, 2025

In a post on his Truth Social account shortly after the strikes, Trump wrote, “A full payload of bombs was dropped” on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites. He also offered congratulations to U.S. forces, writing, “Congratulations to our great American warriors. It is now time for peace.”

Despite claiming a desire for peace, Trump made it clear that the campaign could intensify if Iran retaliates. “If peace doesn’t come quickly, we will go to those other targets with precision, speed, and skill,” Trump warned. “Tonight was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal.”

Support and backlash

Trump’s decision drew sharply divided reactions across the U.S. political spectrum. Senator Lindsey Graham, a long-time foreign policy hawk, was among the first to endorse the action.

“The Tehran regime deserved it,” Graham said. “Well done, President. To my fellow citizens: We have the best Air Force in the world. It makes me so proud.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed that sentiment: “The military operations in Iran should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says,” Johnson posted on X. “The President gave Iran’s leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement.”

However, Democratic leaders and many foreign policy experts criticized the decision as reckless and destabilizing. “Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise,” said Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way.”

Senator Bernie Sanders called the operation “grossly unconstitutional.” He said that “the president does not have the right.” Sanders said at a campaign rally in Tulsa, “This kind of unauthorized strike is a recipe for endless war.”

On the world stage, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge, and a direct threat to international peace and security.”

“I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law. At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,” he added.

Iran vows to retaliate

Iran’s leadership responded swiftly and defiantly. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the bombings as “outrageous and will have everlasting consequences.” At the same time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had already warned that any strike on Iranian territory would bring “irreparable damage” to the United States.

In the immediate aftermath, Iran’s state-run IRNA confirmed damage at the Fordow site, and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that air defense systems had been activated around Isfahan, where explosions were also heard. However, Iranian officials said that the underground facilities of Fordow nuclear site has not been damaged, and the damage is above ground.

Despite the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency issued a statement saying the country would continue its nuclear program and that the strikes “have not broken Iran’s resolve.”

“ANY RETALIATION BY IRAN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT. THANK YOU! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES” pic.twitter.com/vhTb5uNuCB

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 22, 2025

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also confirmed that following the attacks on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including the heavily fortified Fordow facility, no increase in off-site radiation levels has been detected at this time. The agency added that it will continue to monitor the situation and provide further assessments as more information becomes available.

Experts warn that the U.S. attack on Iran could provoke Tehran into increasing missile attacks on Israel and attacking U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Iran has also warned that it could retaliate by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, strategically important waterways in the world due to its critical role in global energy security.

Israel’s role and reaction

The Israeli government, which had been conducting airstrikes on Iranian territory for over a week, welcomed the U.S. action. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump in a video statement on Sunday morning:

“Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.” Netanyahu also added that he and Trump had “worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before.”

Global concern over escalation

The international community reacted with alarm. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the U.S. strikes a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge,” and warned that diplomacy, not force, was the only path to lasting peace.

“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos,” Guterres said in a statement. “There is no military solution. The only hope is peace.” Iran’s neighbors and major powers like Russia and China have yet to issue full statements. At the same time, diplomatic channels in Europe were reportedly scrambling to de-escalate the situation.

Military readiness and fallout

The Pentagon has not released full details about the operation, but experts say that only the U.S. military’s fleet of B-2 stealth bombers can deploy the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) used in the attacks. These bombs can penetrate up to 60 meters of reinforced concrete and were developed specifically for targeting hardened nuclear facilities like those found in Iran.

The U.S. currently has between 40,000 and 50,000 troops stationed across the Middle East, many of whom are now expected to be placed on high alert. Israel has elevated its military posture to the highest levels, with the defense ministry canceling all “educational activities, gatherings, and workplaces, except for essential sectors.”

Questions over Trump’s strategic direction

Critics have raised questions about Trump’s motives, noting that he ran in both 2016 and 2024 on a platform of non-intervention and promised to avoid costly foreign wars. Some insider reports also suggest that Vice President JD Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were opposed to U.S. involvement.

Gabbard has also voiced skepticism about Iran’s nuclear intentions, arguing there was no hard proof Iran had restarted its weaponization program.

Though President Trump emphasized that the strikes were a means to force Iran to the negotiating table, Tehran’s vow to retaliate and continue its nuclear activities suggests the opposite.

Iran’s regional allies, including Hezbollah and various Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, may now become activated, sparking fears of a multi-front war that could pull in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and the Gulf states.

For now, the world watches with bated breath. The next move belongs to Tehran, and it will determine whether this weekend’s airstrikes remain a strategic blow or open new doors into a much wider war.