Trump Strikes at Iran, Intervening into Middle East Conflict
President Trump has reportedly announced the bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran as of Saturday, June 21, 2025, joining Israel in the effort of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. While the United States had already declared their support for Israel, this bombing was their first direct military involvement in the war.
In the recent past, Israel had upped the frequency and magnitude of their attacks on Iran, escalating the decades-long conflict between the two nations. For instance, Israel launched a surprise strike on the Iranian capital of Tehran on June 13, 2025, with the following weekend being one of the deadliest periods since the conflict began. While Israel has been working to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities, Iran’s leaders have fundamentally opposed Israel’s existence since the 1979 Islamic Revolution due to ideological opposition.
A major component of the United States’ attack was breaching the Fordo nuclear site, buried 300 feet under a mountain. This site is one of two Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, with the other being the Natanz Nuclear Facility. B-2 stealth bombers dropped over a dozen GBU-57 bombs on the site, marking the first use of these “bunker buster” bombs. Because the U.S. is the only nation with these GBU-57 bombs powerful enough to reach the Fordo site, Israel has pressed the U.S. to carry out this move in the past.
“President Donald J. Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history, and it was a resounding success,” said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a press briefing. “Because of decisive military action, President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating- choose your word- obliterating, destroying, Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”
This attack came as a surprise for many, as the previous Thursday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, read off a message directly from the President. Trump’s statement said that he would make a decision in the next two weeks regarding whether or not he would strike Iran. However, it is evident that Trump had already begun military preparations, as Trump ordered the assault less than 30 hours after the statement. This quick decision has resulted in Democrats, such as senior Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, accusing Trump of bypassing Congress and potentially violating the Constitution.
Since announcing his consideration of striking Iran about a week ago, the emergence of Republican supporters and critics has revealed a divide in the party. While some critics have attempted to dissuade the act of bombing raids entirely, others have already accepted Trump’s determination and are focused on reducing America’s further participation in this conflict. With Trump now facing increased pressure from advisors and associates, questions arise about how party loyalty intersects with checks on executive power.
Although Trump reportedly notified top congressional Republicans prior to Saturday’s attacks, top Democrats only found out after the attack.
“Donald Trump and the Administration chose to ignore the Constitution, and so they’re going to have to come before Congress and explain their justification for an offensive military strike against Iran,” said Jeffries in a press conference. “… the Trump Administration intentionally decided to ignore the aggressive diplomacy that was available to it to try to address the Iranian nuclear threat and ignore the requirements of the Constitution.”
President Trump has stated that he is encouraging diplomacy with Iran and does not wish to send troops into combat overseas. However, his severe warning against any Iranian retaliation has heightened concerns that military conflict may escalate.
After his announcement on Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social, “ANY RETALIATION BY IRAN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.”
Articles:
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/21/nx-s1-5441127/iran-us-strike-nuclear-trump
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/22/world/israel-iran-us-trump
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9r4q99g4o
https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4227082/historically-successful-strike-on-iranian-nuclear-site-was-15-years-in-the-maki/
