Trump Launches Airstrikes on Iran

Under the orders of President Donald Trump, U.S. aircraft attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran in the early hours of Sunday, June 22nd. Key targets were the Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility, and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre. At minimum, all three suffered serious damage as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, which Trump hailed as a “spectacular military success.”

U.S. Air Force stealth bombers dropped a heavy payload on the three sites, backed up by a Navy submarine barrage of Tomahawk missiles. They were also supported by decoy aircraft approaching Iran from a different direction. The U.S. strikes followed Trump’s recent displays of public willingness to back Israel against the Islamic Republic—in contrast to his wavering European Union allies. The targeted attacks complement previous Israeli self-defence measures against Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme.

The international response has been to call for restraint on both sides, with the Iranian theocratic regime promising retaliation.