President Donald Trump ran on the boast that he would be the Middle East’s “peacemaker and unifier.” Yet late Saturday, he greenlit Operation Midnight Hammer, sending seven B-2 Spirit bombers and more than 75 precision weapons against Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan enrichment complexes—the first direct US strikes on Iranian soil in nearly half a century.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped … Now is the time for peace,” he posted on Truth Social once the last aircraft cleared Iranian airspace, framing devastation as a prelude to diplomacy.
In his January inaugural address Trump pledged to “measure our success not only by the battles we win but by the wars we never get into,” preluded with a campaign promise to “prevent World War Three.” Following Israel’s attack on Iran and the subsequent retaliation, Trump released a threat last week that he would decide on military action “within the next two weeks,” a public clock that in practice expired after just 48 hours.
The road to WW3
CNN transcripts show the president and his national security team began planning in early June at Camp David, weighing how to collapse Fordow without repeating Iraq-style regime change. By June 18, unsheltered aircraft were quietly flown out of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and US warships slipped from Bahrain—standard “prudent precaution” measures when strike orders are pending.
Pentagon briefers said the mission used the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000-pound bunker-buster, for the first time in combat. One set of B-2s flew east from Whiteman AFB; another flew west as decoys. In all, 125 aircraft, a cruise-missile-firing submarine, and multiple refuelling tracks delivered the largest B-2 strike package since 2001.
“Iran’s fighters did not fly, and its SAM batteries never saw us,” Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine boasted.
Washington insists the operation was “limited to Iran’s nuclear program,” yet the proliferation risk it sought to curb remains opaque. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported no radiation spikes but conceded it cannot verify what lies beneath Fordow’s 80 metres of rock.
Former Canadian defence minister Jason Kenney praised the US strikes, calling them “the right thing” and thanking American and Israeli forces for “protecting global peace and security.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney struck a more measured tone, acknowledging the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program while emphasizing the need for restraint.
“While US military action taken last night was designed to alleviate that threat, the situation in the Middle East remains highly volatile,” Carney said. He called on all parties to return to the negotiating table, adding that de-escalation should extend to other conflict zones including Gaza.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry released a carefully worded statement expressing “deep concern” over the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. While it did not directly condemn Washington’s actions, the Kingdom reiterated its opposition to any violations of Iranian sovereignty and urged “maximum restraint” from all sides.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran as reckless acts of “state terrorism,” likening them to the spark that ignited World War II. In a strongly worded statement, Erdoğan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging the entire region toward “chaos, fire, and bloodshed” to fulfill what he called “Zionist ambitions,” and defended Iran’s right to retaliate under the principle of self-defense.
He also criticized the West’s double standards on nuclear transparency, pointing out that Israel—unlike Iran—is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty yet faces no scrutiny.
Pushback
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reportedly hiding in a hardened bunker, has dispatched his foreign minister to Moscow seeking deeper Russian backing.
The Iranian leader has already warned Trump at last week’s G7 summit that it would activate sleeper-cell attacks inside the US if its nuclear sites were struck, prompting a nationwide security alert and a DHS warning of a “heightened threat environment.”
Iran’s foreign minister condemned the US strikes as a “grave violation of the UN Charter” and warned that “all options” remain on the table, as he flew to Moscow for urgent consultations with President Vladimir Putin.
The visit comes amid escalating rhetoric from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who claimed the strikes caused only minor damage and that “a number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with nuclear warheads.” He added that Iran’s regime has emerged politically stronger, while the US and Israel face growing global backlash and regional instability.
The White House, meanwhile, used back channels to assure Iran that no follow-on raids are planned—a pledge undercut hours later when Trump mused on social media that “regime change” might be necessary to “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.”
Repercussions
Iran’s parliament responded by endorsing a plan to close the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil chokepoint through which roughly 20% of seaborne crude flows daily. The measure just awaits final approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the threat as “economic suicide,” yet real-time shipping data already shows crude tankers rerouting away from the Gulf. Brent crude surged past $81 a barrel—its highest level since January—as traders priced in supply disruption risk, with energy analysts warning a full closure could send oil past $110 and trigger a global inflation spike.
In diplomatic channels, the escalation quickly spilled into the halls of the United Nations. Russia, China, and Pakistan submitted a draft Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire across the Middle East, restoration of full IAEA inspections, and restraint by “all permanent members.” US officials reportedly privately acknowledge the resolution will be vetoed but argue that it frames a false equivalency between lawful non-proliferation enforcement and Tehran’s escalation.
Interestingly, Pakistan has formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting his “stellar statesmanship” in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during their most serious military escalation since 1971.
Trump, referencing the move on Truth Social, claimed he wouldn’t receive a Nobel “no matter what I do,” even with the Iran-Israel conflict.
The missing uranium
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council the agency has no visibility on Iran’s near-bomb-grade stockpile. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that most 60%-enriched uranium had been removed from the site days earlier.
Washington, however, concedes it does not know where the uranium now sits. Until inspectors regain access, both claims are unverifiable.
A senior Israeli official told Axios that if a nuclear deal follows the US strikes, it could mark “the end of the story” for Iran’s program—but warned that if Tehran rebuilds, Israel will strike again, as it has in Syria and Lebanon.
Despite the fanfare surrounding the strikes, even Israeli officials are hedging their assessments. Netanyahu has allegedly said the full extent of the damage remains unclear, while Israeli intelligence figures suggest that Natanz may have been “completely wiped out,” and that Tehran has lost its fastest path to a bomb.
However, Netanyahu also reportedly claimed that it has intelligence on the enriched uranium supply that was removed.
Iran, for its part, claims the affected sites are already being rebuilt and that nuclear activity will resume “with greater power,” reinforcing fears that the strikes may have delayed rather than destroyed the program.
Information for this story was found via MSNBC, CNN, Time, and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
