In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, President Donald Trump ordered US forces to bomb three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 21, 2025, marking America’s direct entry into the Israel-Iran conflict. The unprecedented strikes targeted Iran’s most critical nuclear infrastructure, including the heavily fortified underground Fordow facility.
Massive US Military Operation Targets Nuclear Sites
The US has struck three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, US President Donald Trump announced on social media. The US used bunker-buster bombs on two nuclear facilities (Fordow and Natanz) and fired more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles on a third (Isfahan), according to Air Force Chief Dan Caine.
Seven B-2 bombers flew for 18 hours from the United States into Iran to drop 14 bunker-buster bombs, with the U.S. launching 75 precision-guided munitions in total. The Iranians were caught completely flat-footed, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman.
Trump’s Strategic Gamble Enters Israel’s War
Trump’s direct intervention marks a historic escalation in the Middle East, as Saturday’s attack marks the first act of direct military involvement by the U.S. in the rapidly escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. The strikes included the heavily-fortified Fordo nuclear site, which is located roughly 300 feet under a mountain about 100 miles from Tehran.
President Donald Trump said “there are many targets left” in Iran if talks failed to end the war with Israel, while calling on Iran to forgo any retaliation, saying the government “must now make peace” or “future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier”.
Iran Retaliates with Missile Attack on US Base
Iran responded swiftly to the US strikes, launching a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on June 23, 2025. Iran had issued threats to retaliate against the United States after U.S. bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities, and loud explosions and flares were reported over Qatar’s capital, Doha, as Qatar condemned the Iranian attack.
Iran Threatens Escalation and NPT Withdrawal
“Iran’s response is likely not just limited to military retaliation. NPT withdrawal is quite likely,” according to Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group. In the days before Trump gave the final order for the attack, Iran sent a private message to the president that it would respond to such a move by unleashing terrorist attacks on U.S. soil carried out by sleeper cells operating inside the country.
Damage Assessment and Strategic Impact
While US President Donald Trump claimed the sites were “totally obliterated,” US officials have cautioned that damage assessments are just beginning. The strikes represent a significant blow to Iran’s nuclear program, targeting facilities that were central to Tehran’s uranium enrichment capabilities.
International Concerns Mount
Iran has said “several times” that if the US “joins this war and attacks their nuclear facilities, they will retaliate against US forces in the region, against US interests”, according to CNN analyst Barak Ravid. The international community is closely monitoring the situation as both nations appear on the brink of broader military confrontation.
Looking Ahead: Diplomatic vs Military Options
The bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites represents Trump’s biggest foreign policy gamble, with the potential to either force Iran to the negotiating table or trigger a wider regional war that could involve multiple nations and destabilize global energy markets.