In the night between June 21 and 22, the United States launched a shocking military strike on three underground nuclear facilities in Iran, deploying seven B2 stealth bombers that dropped 14 massive bunker-buster bombs, along with several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from US submarines. The operation, dubbed “Midnight Hammer,” aimed to completely destroy key sites of Iran’s nuclear program. While the Pentagon claimed the strikes may have only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months, CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that the facilities were seriously damaged and would take years to rebuild. This assessment was backed by coordination with Israeli intelligence, further strengthening the White House’s claims about the strategic significance of the attack.
Reactions in Tehran were furious and nationalistic. The Iranian parliament unanimously cut cooperation with the IAEA, calling the US strike a barbaric violation of international law. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard responded with a controlled rocket attack on the US base Al Udeid in Qatar, with six rockets hitting the target and others intercepted, causing no casualties. The Iraqi cabinet reported additional drone attacks on US bases in Iraq, indicating Iran’s continued strategy of indirect confrontation.
The international community remains divided. The United Nations held an emergency Security Council meeting, where Secretary-General Guterres warned of the danger of escalation and called for calm and dialogue. NATO praised the US decision, while European countries expressed concern over potential disruption of the nuclear order. Trump used the strike as political capital, bolstering his image as a decisive leader, but Congress remains split, with calls for hearings and criticism over the lack of legal procedures.
This strike sends a strong signal to global powers, especially China and Russia, urging restraint. Iran has implicitly set the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a red line for the US. Russia, facing the war in Ukraine and reduced export capabilities, is closely monitoring the situation, while Iran, due to sanctions, has not received advanced Russian air defense systems, which is now a major handicap. This strike marks the beginning of Trump’s version of realpolitik, with unpredictable moves that will shape the Middle East and global geopolitical balance in the years to come.
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