And the Interesting Thing is on June 22

U.S. Strikes Three Nuclear Sites in Iran, Joining Israel in 10-Day Old Conflict as President Calls for Peace

The U.S. has entered the 10-day conflict between Israel and Iran, with American warplanes and submarines firing on three nuclear facilities in Iran: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

Here’s what we know this morning:

· The president announced the air strikes on Truth Social, posting “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. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!” In a subsequent post announcing an address to the nation, he wrote “This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR.”

· The president told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that U.S. forces struck Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility with “six huge bunker buster bombs. That was assumed by most observers when military sources confirmed that B2 bombers (the only planes that can carry a bomb of that size) had been involved in the attack. Only the U.S. is known to have the 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs needed to damage Iran’s Fordo nuclear enrichment facility, which is located 300 feet under a mountain.

· In a televised address, the president said that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities were “completely and totally obliterated,” adding that any future attacks would be “far greater and a lot easier.” “If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes,” Trump said. He did not provide any information on the timing of the raids, just two days after he announced that he would wait two weeks before any attacks to allow negotiations and diplomatic efforts to continue.

· In a press briefing this morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attacks were intended to "destroy or severely degrade," Iran's nuclear program. Operation Midnight Hammer targeted three nuclear facilities, Hegseth told reporters today, adding that the operation "did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people." "The United States does not seek war, but let me be clear, we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened," he added. "The President Trump said no nukes. He seeks peace, and Iran should take that path."

· Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the American airstrikes, thanking US President Donald Trump for bringing “peace through strength.” “President Trump and I often say peace through strength. First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.

· Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his nation “reserves all options” in responding to the attack on its nuclear sites by the United States. “The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” he said in a statement on X. He then addressed reporters at a conference in Istanbul, saying the “warmongering” White House will be “fully responsible” for the dangerous consequences of its actions. He called on the United Nations’ Security Council to convene an emergency session “to unequivocally condemn the criminal act of aggression by the United States against Iran and to hold the administration in Washington accountable for its violations of fundamental principles of the United Nations charter and of norms of international law.”

· Ian’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its response to the U.S. strikes on will cause deep regret. “Today’s act of aggression by the terrorist American regime has granted the Islamic Republic of Iran the legitimate right to act in self-defense, including through options that go beyond the delusional calculations of the aggressor coalition,” said an IRGC statement published on Iran’s state-affiliated news agency. “The invaders should expect responses that will cause deep regret,” the statement added.

· The president warned Iran on Truth Social that “ANY RETALIATION” made “AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” will be met with even greater force than what was unleashed today. He closed the post by saying, “THANK YOU! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.”

· Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization described the U.S. strikes as an act of “lawlessness based on the rules of the jungle” in a defiant statement that vowed the Iranian nuclear program would continue. “With the efforts of thousands of its revolutionary and motivated scientists and experts,” it would not let the attacks stop “development of this national industry.”

· Iran has called on the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting "without delay" to discuss the U.S.'s strikes on its nuclear facilities, which the Iranian ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saied Iravani, called a "blatant and unlawful act of aggression." In a letter sent overnight, Iravani called on the Security Council, of which the U.S. is a permanent member, to condemn Washington's strikes "in the strongest possible terms." He further called on the Council to "take all necessary measures" to ensure "that the perpetrator of such heinous crimes is held fully accountable and does not go unpunished."

· Russia condemned the U.S. strikes on Iran. In a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said “the irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, whatever the arguments it may be presented with, flagrantly violates international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council…We call for an end to aggression and for increased efforts to create conditions for returning the situation to a political and diplomatic track.” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Russia is a friend of Iran, and we have a strategic relationship. I will have serious consultations with the Russian president tomorrow.”

· China also “strongly” condemned the U.S. attack on Iran. “The actions of the United States seriously violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East, the spokesperson said.

And the interesting thing is, after days of infighting within the president’s MAGA movement, many who were publicly calling for the president not to directly engage with Iran, quickly got in line and supported the strikes. “Let us join together and pray for the safety of our U.S. troops and Americans in the Middle East,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) posted on X. “Let us pray that we are not attacked by terrorists on our homeland.”

Greene has been an outspoken critic of foreign intervention, previously attacking the Trump administration for its hawkishness following campaign promises to end wars.

“Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war,” Greene wrote less than an hour before the president announced the strikes. “This is not our fight.”

Matt Gaetz, former U.S. Rep. turned Newsmax propagandist, who earlier in the week interviewed the aforementioned Marjorie Taylor Greene in which they both opposed American intervention, definitely understood the assignment. Following the announcement of the attacks, he pivoted and toed the president’s line that the bombing will bring peace.

“No regime change war,” he tweeted. “Trump the Peacemaker!”

"Iran gave President Trump no choice," Charlie Kirk, a MAGA influencer and leading voice against intervention and “forever wars” miraculously found religion, posting on X. "Iran decided to forego diplomacy in pursuit of a bomb. This is a surgical strike, operated perfectly. President Trump acted with prudence and decisiveness."

Not all conservatives were on board. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the president’s most consistent Republican foil in the House (who also coauthored a House resolution last week that would require the president to obtain congressional approval before military actions in Iran), took to X to declare that the strikes were “not constitutional” because Congress was not consulted, nor authorized military action. In a subsequent tweet, he further flushed out his thinking: “When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that’s an act of war. I’m amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in DC (and their social media bots) to say we aren’t at war… so they can make war.”

Democrats Response to the Attacks on Iran

Congressional Democrats are criticizing the President’s airstrikes in Iran without congressional approval, with at least a few arguing it is grounds for impeachment.

Progressive Democrats were among the most vocal critics. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned the strikes on X as a “grave violation of the Constitution,” calling them “clearly grounds for impeachment” due to the lack of congressional authorization.

Representative Ro Khanna, who co-sponsored a War Powers Resolution with Rep. Thomas Massie, echoed this sentiment, urging Congress to reconvene and vote to prevent further unauthorized military action. “Stopping Iran from having a nuclear bomb is a top priority, but dragging the U.S. into another Middle East war is not the solution. Trump’s strikes are unconstitutional and put Americans, especially our troops, at risk. Congress needs to come back to DC immediately to vote on Rep. Thomas Massie and my bipartisan War Powers Resolution to ensure there is no further conflict and escalation.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a statement, “Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise. The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way. President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force, and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East… Congress must be fully and immediately briefed in a classified setting. Donald Trump shoulders complete and total responsibility for any adverse consequences that flow from his unilateral military action.”

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees and the author of a Senate war powers resolution that would require congressional authorization prior to any U.S. military force against Iran, posted on social media: “The American public is overwhelmingly opposed to the U.S. waging war on Iran. And the Israeli Foreign Minister admitted yesterday that Israeli bombing had set the Iranian nuclear program back “at least 2 or 3 years.” So, what made Trump recklessly decide to rush and bomb today? Horrible judgment. I will push for all Senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war.” In a subsequent tweet, he wrote: The Bush Administration lied to America about Iraq’s nuclear program to rush us into war in 2003. Have we learned nothing from that disastrous episode?”

A smaller group of centrist and pro-Israel Democrats offered cautious support. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania praised the strikes, stating that “Iran, as a leading sponsor of terrorism, must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.”

And the interesting thing is, the so-called “Gang of 8,” made up of the House and Senate majority and minority leaders and the chair and ranking member of the House and Senate intelligence committees, were not all briefed on the airstrikes before they were launched—a significant breach of protocol. The Trump administration reportedly briefed top Republicans before the strikes, but not top Democrats who are also part of the Gang of Eight. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), the ranking members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees respectively, were not briefed until after the strikes had occurred. Senator Warner has since called for President Trump to appear before Congress to explain the reasoning behind the strikes and the strategy going forward

That’s all for today. See you back here again tomorrow!