U.S. strikes Iran's nuclear facilities

Axios

22-06-2025

The U.S. military conducted air strikes on Iran 's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on Sunday morning local time, President Trump announced.
Why it matters: Trump's decision to intervene directly in support of Israel's effort to dismantle Iran's nuclear program marks a historic escalation in the Middle East.
It's an intervention fraught with risks and uncertainty — one that Trump and many of his predecessors had sought to avoid, including through diplomacy with Iran.
The attack, which came on the ninth night of the unprecedented war between Israel and Iran, could provoke retaliation from Tehran against U.S. troops and military installations across the region.
Behind the scenes: Trump met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Saturday evening.
An Israeli official said Israel was notified by the Trump administration in advance of the U.S. strikes in Iran.
Another senior Israeli official told Axios that B-2 stealth bombers were used for the strike.
What they're saying:"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," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
"A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," he continued, referring to Iran's most fortified uranium enrichment facility.
"There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!"
Driving the news: In the days leading up to the strike, Trump and his team became increasingly convinced that diplomacy had run its course — and that military action would be necessary to eliminate Iran's nuclear program.
The president publicly announced on Thursday that he would make a decision "in the next two weeks" to give Iran a final chance to negotiate, but preparations for a strike accelerated over the weekend.
Multiple B-2 stealth bombers — capable of carrying 30,000-pound "bunker-busters" — were detected heading west across the Pacific on Saturday, as speculation mounted that the U.S. would strike Fordow.
Trump had publicly questioned Israel's capacity to take out the underground facility on its own, saying Friday: "They can break through a little section, but they can't go down very deep."
Behind the scenes: Trump, whose "America First" base has been deeply divided on whether to join Israel's war, has remained steadfast in one position: Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
He made a last-ditch push to avoid U.S. intervention last week, exploring a backchannel meeting with Iranian officials in Istanbul, brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Trump was willing to send White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President Vance — or even attend the talks himself if necessary.
But the effort collapsed when Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was in hiding over fears of Israeli assassination, couldn't be reached to authorize the meeting.
Since then, Iran has refused to engage directly with the U.S. unless Israel halts its attacks. Trump, now convinced no deal is possible, appears to have moved ahead with the military option he once hoped to avoid.