The Iranian government is assessing how to respond after US forces launched a series of coordinated bombings on Saturday (21) against the three Iranian nuclear facilities, marking a major escalation in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The strikes aimed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, according to US officials. President Trump said in a Truth Social post on Saturday night that the US attack was “very successful”.
In early June, Israel began bombing nuclear facilities and other sites across Iran. The two countries have exchanged deadly strikes since then, and US forces helped intercept missiles and drones fired at Israel. But the US had not directly joined Israel’s offensive until Saturday’s surprise attacks.
Iran’s Foreign Minister called the US military operation an “outrageous, grave, and unprecedented violation” of the UN Charter and international law.
Here’s what you need to know about the US attack on Iran and what could happen next.
1. The US is now directly involved in another Middle East conflict
The mission, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” began at midnight on Friday (20), when a group of B-2 stealth bombers took off from an Air Force base near Kansas City, Missouri, according to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine, who briefed reporters on Sunday (22).
Some bombers flew west as decoys, while the other aircraft that would ultimately strike Iranian nuclear facilities flew east. Those B-2s dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on multiple targets at the Fordo and Natanz facilities between approximately 6:40 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Bunker-buster bombs are a type of munition that can penetrate deep into the ground before exploding and are designed to strike fortified underground targets.
Around 5 p.m. on Saturday, 10 a.m. (Eastern Time), as the bombers entered Iranian airspace, a submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles against the Isfahan nuclear facility.
The mission involved more than 125 aircraft and resulted in the launch of 75 precision-guided weapons at the three sites, officials said. And they emphasized that the strike targeted Iran’s nuclear program, not its armed forces or its people.
2. Iran warns that the US is responsible for the “dangerous consequences”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denounced the attacks during a press conference in Istanbul on Sunday, calling them a violation of the law. “Washington’s warmongering and lawless administration is uniquely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression,” he said.
Araghchi added that Iran “reserves all options to defend its security interests and its people,” but did not specify what the country’s response would be.
Several high-ranking Israeli politicians welcomed the strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump in a video message, while Knesset opposition leader Yair Lapid said Trump and the US military “made the world a safer place”.
There was a muted response from several European leaders, who continued to call for diplomacy between Iran, Israel, and the US.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran “must never develop a nuclear weapon” and urged the country to continue negotiations.
But UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed” by the US use of force, calling the US strikes a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the brink – and a direct threat to international peace and security”.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, calling it “irresponsible” and a “grave violation of international law”.
3. Republicans largely backed Trump’s decision, while many Democrats were skeptical
Back in the US, top congressional Republicans expressed support for the military operation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump “made the right decision and did what needed to be done,” while Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that Iran “rejected every diplomatic path to peace”.
However, many Democrats accused Trump of bypassing the Constitution by ordering the military to strike Iran without first seeking congressional approval.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called the strike “a clear violation of the Constitution, which explicitly grants Congress the power to declare war”.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, said on Meet The Press that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the US before the attack. “I’d say that when there’s a clear and present danger to American citizens, to the United States, to the homeland, the commander-in-chief has the right to act,” he said.
“That wasn’t the case here, and I think certainly for the 40,000 troops in at least six Middle Eastern countries — we have a lot of bases in the Middle East — those troops are now at greater risk,” Kelly added.
While the reaction among politicians largely fell along partisan lines, it wasn’t exclusive. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, stated that Congress “has the exclusive authority to authorize war” and should have been called back from recess before the strike.
4. Trump floats the idea of regime change
The Trump administration continues to try to determine exactly how effective its strike was in degrading Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon.
“Final battle damage assessments will take some time,” Caine said, “but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites suffered extremely severe damage and destruction.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Sunday that the three sites — Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz — were hit in the strike. The extent of damage to the underground Fordo site “could not be immediately assessed,” the agency said, adding that Natanz and Isfahan suffered additional damage from the US bombings after previously being hit by Israeli forces.
Two independent experts who analyzed commercial satellite imagery told NPR that the country’s nuclear program is far from destroyed, adding that Iran likely still possesses stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
The IAEA also stated that Iranian authorities reported no increase in radiation off-site after Saturday’s bombings and that no health impacts were expected for people outside the three sites.
Another open question is whether Iran will retaliate against the US in response to the strike — and what form that retaliation might take.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday afternoon, Trump raised the possibility of regime change in Iran. “It’s not politically correct to use the term ‘regime change,’ but if the current Iranian regime can’t Make Iran Great Again, why wouldn’t there be regime change??? MIGA!!!”
Source: npr.org