US-Iran: Unclear what comes next after Donald Trump's riskiest foreign policy action as president
The news broke on Saturday evening as a sweltering heat belt settled across the central and eastern sections of the
United States
. A bombing strike had been launched on
Iranian
nuclear bunkers. US president
Donald Trump
would address the nation at ten o'clock that evening.
Only a few days earlier, on Wednesday, Trump had been puckish about his intentions towards Iran. 'I may do. I may not do it....nobody knows what I am going to do.'
Now, the world knew. When he spoke, flanked by vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth, it was in the knowledge that militarily, the immaculately planned bombing raid on the three key Iranian nuclear targets in Natanz, Isfahan and the most critical target in Fordow had been a glittering success.
Trump, with his customary gusto, announced Iran's nuclear capabilities had been 'obliterated'. The action ended the will-he-won't-he question mark over a president who had campaigned vociferously last year on a platform which would end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and restore peace in the Middle East.
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Instead, after opening his second term by issuing vague threats to claim Greenland and seeking to re-order global trade patterns with on-again-off-again tariff sections, Trump move decisively against Iran with a series of strikes. His administration insists those actions can usher in a new set of parameters through which White House negotiators can broker peace.
But even as Secretary Hegseth emphasised the military accomplishment of the Midnight Hammer operation, which was the largest B2 spirit bomber and the second longest B2 mission ever flown, the mission raised a blizzard of new questions.
The most obvious revolves around the uncertainty over how Iran, and the 86-year old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
will respond to the US act of aggression
, which complements the recent series of Israeli attacks that killed key Iranian generals and nuclear scientists.
The US has warned Iran against retaliatory attacks on its bases in the region, with general Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, warning that a counter-attack, or proxy attacks, would represent 'an incredibly poor choice' of response on the part of Iran.
Convincing Trump to withdraw from a deal was a diplomatic victory for Israel's prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Within hours, the domestic response to the attacks was sharply divided along political lines. Republican lawmakers, with the conspicuous exception of Kentucky's Thomas Massie, uniformly praised the decisiveness and success of the operation.
Democratic representatives emphasised that the depth of damage caused by the strikes had yet to be fully determined and warned that the decision greatly escalates the risk. Connecticut representative Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, stated on Sunday that Trump 'has just taken an enormous, enormous gamble. And if history matters – Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, gambles in the Middle East very rarely go the way you expect or even hope they might go.'
Perhaps the clearest indication of Trump's intentions were contained within his public rebuke days ago of Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, when he flatly declared 'she's wrong' in relation to her March testimony that Iran was not in the process of building a nuclear weapon.
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US-Iran: Nobody, including Trump, knows what will happen next
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On Friday, Gabbard contradicted her position in response to Trump's criticism, stating on social media: 'America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months.'
The strikes draw renewed attention to Trump's decision, in 2018, to withdraw from the nuclear agreement the US had entered into with Iran during president Barack Obama's administration in 2015.
Convincing Trump to withdraw from a deal was a diplomatic victory for Israel's prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who has spent decades issuing warnings to the effect that Iran is on the cusp of nuclear capability. The Israeli leader was arguably the one person more exultant about the US intervention on Saturday night.
Sceptics noted that for a full year afterwards, Iran remained in compliance with the terms of that shredded agreement. In 2020, Trump approved what was the boldest military action of his first term in office: the targeted assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the prominent military leader. That provocation drew a limited Iranian response, with missile launches at Iraqi bases where US forces were stationed. It remains to be seen how it will respond to what stands as Trump's boldest and riskiest foreign policy action as president.
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump says he is open to regime change in Iran
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Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on Sunday (Alex Brandon/AP) Iran can block oil being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, attack US bases in the region, engage in cyber attacks or double down on a nuclear programme might seem like more of a necessity after the US strike. Mr Trump, who had addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, returned to social media on Sunday to lambast Republican Congress member Thomas Massie, who had objected to the president taking military action without specific congressional approval. 'We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the 'bomb' right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)' Mr Trump said as part of the post on Truth Social. At their joint Pentagon briefing, Mr Hegseth and Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 'Operation Midnight Hammer' involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance. General Caine indicated that the goal of the operation — destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — had been achieved. 'Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' he said. An electronic billboard beams an image of president Donald Trump alongside the message 'Thank you, Mr. President' referring to the US involvement in the war between Israel and Iran (Bernat Armangue/AP) While US officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticised the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington was 'fully responsible' for whatever actions Tehran may take in response. 'They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,' he said at a news conference in Turkey. 'I don't know how much room is left for diplomacy.' China and Russia, where Araghchi was heading for talks with President Vladimir Putin, condemned the US military action. The attacks were 'a gross violation of international law,' said Russia's Foreign Ministry, which also advocated 'returning the situation to a political and diplomatic course.' A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading to 'a global level'. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies. His office said he talked on Sunday with Mr Trump about the need for Tehran to resume negotiations, but Mr Trump would have posted his remarks about regime change after their conversation. The leaders of Italy, Canada, Germany and France agreed on the need for 'a rapid resumption of negotiations.' France's Emmanuel Macron held talks with the Saudi Crown Prince and the Sultan of Oman.
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The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
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Trump warns ‘bully' Iran to make peace quickly ‘or we'll be back' after US destroys hidden nuke base in huge blitz
DONALD Trump warned 'Middle East bully' Iran to make peace quickly after the US yesterday smashed its most fortified nuclear facility to smithereens. Advertisement 10 US President Donald Trump warned Iran to make peace quickly after the US smashed its most fortified nuclear facility to smithereens Credit: White House 10 Six GBU-57 mega-bombs changed the landscape of the site where scientists were feared to be close to perfecting a nuclear weapon 10 Trump warned of even bigger attacks to come if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's rogue regime dared to retaliate Credit: Getty Before and after pictures showed six But last night the world held its breath as There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Donald Trump In a surprise attack, it launched Operation Midnight Hammer, involving 125 US military aircraft including seven B-2s. Advertisement READ MORE ON IRAN CONFLICT Some headed into the Pacific as a decoy while the B-2s went directly to Iran, according to US air force chief General Dan Caine. Just before they entered Iranian airspace, more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from a US submarine at the Isfahan site. Other deception tactics were used before 14 bunker buster bombs were dropped on two target areas, with Fordow said to be wiped out. In a televised address, Mr Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Breaking 'If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier. 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Trump's shock Iran strikes take us to bring of global conflict and will strengthen Axis of Evil alliance, experts warn 'Remember there are many targets left. 'Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. Advertisement 'But 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. 'There's no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight.' Advertisement No sign of backing down However, there were claims that Iran had evacuated its nuclear sites. Hassan Abedini, deputy political director of the state broadcaster, said Iran 'didn't suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out'. Britain was not involved in the strikes and not asked to help, but was informed ahead of time. 10 Advertisement Mr Trump and Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu have vowed to continue military strikes unless Iran axes both its nuclear and ballistic missile building plans. But And the spectre of global escalation loomed as Iranian officials warned they will be meeting Russian ally Vladimir Putin to plot a response. Russia 'strongly condemned' the US bombings, calling them 'irresponsible' and a 'gross violation of international law'. Advertisement Its Foreign Ministry added in a statement: 'It is already clear that a dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security.' 10 Airmen with one of the bombs in an earlier exercise Credit: AP 10 US Armed Forces head General Dan Caine Credit: Getty 10 US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the US blitz as an 'incredible success' Credit: Getty Advertisement Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi dubbed the strikes outrageous and warned they would have 'everlasting consequences'. He went on to boast of the 'strategic partnership' between Iran and Russia and announced he was flying to Moscow to see Putin today. Putin puppet and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stoked tensions further by making a veiled threat to give Iran nukes. He said: 'A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their nuclear weapons.' Advertisement 10 Iran has supplied Moscow with thousands of military drones to strike US and Ukraine in return for help from Putin's atomic boffins. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer's Government continued to sit on the fence last night and repeated calls for both sides to de-escalate. Trump had an option to launch the historic B-2 mission from the joint US-UK base in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean — 3,000 miles from Iran. Advertisement The people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction. Security-General Antonio Guterres But they flew more than 6,000 miles direct from the US as the President would've been obliged to ask Russian and Iranian ally China called the US attack a 'serious violation of international law' yesterday as global battle lines were drawn. Sources said the 86-year-old was in a reinforced bolthole in Tehran's Lavizan suburb. Advertisement 10 Trump vowed to continue military strikes unless Iran axes both its nuclear and ballistic missile building plans Credit: The Mega Agency 10 B-2 stealth bomber arrives back at base in the United States Credit: AP The UN Security Council met yesterday — following a request by Iran — and said the US attack 'marks a perilous turn'. Security-General Antonio Guterres added: 'I have repeatedly condemned any military escalation in the Middle East. Advertisement 'The people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction.' He added that 'diplomacy must prevail'. Yesterday morning, Iran launched waves of revenge hits on Israel. Explosions and damage was reported in northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, Ness Ziona, Rishon LeZion, with 86 people treated for injuries and trauma. Advertisement Israeli officials said 240 residential buildings were damaged and 9,000 citizens are homeless following Iranian attacks over the past ten days. Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a statement as Europe pleaded for peace last night. They said: 'We have consistently been clear Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security. "We call upon Iran to engage in negotiations. Advertisement 'We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region.'
