‘The enemy gets a vote' - Trump sets off uncertainties, including how Iran will hit back

US B-2 bomber aircraft were involved in the US operation attacking Iran's nuclear programme sites, the New York Times reported. Photo / US Department of Defence, AFP
President Donald Trump has claimed a 'spectacular military success' in destroying three sites in Iran; we'll see if that's true.
What is clear is that he has pushed America into a war with Iran that he acknowledges may escalate.
Beyond doubts about the legal basis for bombing Iran, I

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RNZ News

16 minutes ago

• RNZ News

How Trump quietly made the historic decision to launch strikes in Iran

By Kevin Liptak , Jeremy Herb and Kristen Holmes , CNN President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance are pictured in The Situation Room on June 21. Photo: The White House via CNN Newsource By the time President Donald Trump was milling about his golf club in New Jersey the planes were about to be in the air. To onlookers at the club, Trump showed little anxiety about his decision to authorise airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities that could have profound ramifications both on US national security and his own presidential legacy. The B-2 stealth bombers carrying 30,000-pound bunker busters were preparing to take off at midnight from their base in Missouri, destined for Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Another set of planes was heading west, a deliberate attempt at misdirection as Trump demanded complete secrecy for his momentous decision. As Trump escorted the chief executive of OpenAI Sam Altman around an event for new members being held in one of the clubhouse's dining rooms, he was loose and - at least in public - in an easygoing mood, people who saw him said. "I hope he's right about the AI," Trump joked at one point, gesturing to his guest. A day later, Trump was in the basement Situation Room at the White House, wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat as he watched the strikes he had approved days earlier, codenamed "Operation Midnight Hammer," play out in real time on the facility's wall of monitors. "Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success," he said a few hours later during late-night remarks from the White House Cross Hall. "Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier." The decision to go ahead with strikes thrusts the United States directly into the Middle East conflict, raising worries about Iranian reprisals and questions about Trump's endgame. It came after days of public deliberation, as Trump alternated between issuing militaristic threats against Iran on social media and holding private concerns that a military strike could drag the US into prolonged war. Yet by Thursday (US Time), the same day he instructed his press secretary to announce he was giving Iran two weeks to return to the negotiating table before deciding on a strike, allies who spoke to him said it was clear the decision was already made. Speaking on NBC Sunday, Vice President JD Vance said Trump retained the ability to call off the strikes "until the very last minute". But he elected to go ahead. Administration officials went to great lengths to conceal their planning. Deferring the strike decision for a fortnight appeared in keeping with the mission's attempts at diversion - a tactic designed to obscure the attack plans, even though Trump held off giving a final go-ahead until Saturday (US Time), according to senior US officials. By the end of the week, US officials had come to believe Iran was not ready to return to the table and strike a satisfactory nuclear deal after Europeans leaders met with their Iranian counterparts on Friday (US Time), two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Trump's two-week public deadline lasted only 48 hours before he took one of the most consequential actions of his presidency. The operation began at midnight ET Friday, with the B-2 bombers launching from Missouri on an 18-hour journey that was the planes' longest mission in more than two decades, defence secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Sunday morning (US Time) Pentagon briefing. "This is a plan that took months and weeks of positioning and preparation so that we could be ready when the president of the United States called," Hegseth said alongside chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Dan Caine. "It took a great deal of precision. It involved misdirection and the highest of operational security." A B-2 Spirit multi-role bomber conducting air refuelling operations with a KC-135 Stratotanker over the Pacific Ocean. Photo: US Department of Defense / AFP Discussions about potential options for American strikes on Iran began in earnest between Trump and members of his national security team during a weekend retreat at Camp David in early June, where CIA Director John Ratcliffe briefed Trump on US assessments that Israel was prepared to imminently begin strikes. The options for Trump to join Israel in its campaign had been drawn up in the months beforehand, with the president's advisers having already worked out differences among themselves over what options were on the menu for him to decide from. In the week before he made the final call for US stealth bombers and Navy submarines to target three Iranian nuclear sites, Trump held briefings each day with his national security team in the basement Situation Room to discuss attack plans - and to weigh the potential consequences. Trump came to the secret talks with two principal concerns: that a US attack be decisive in taking out the highly fortified sites, including the underground Fordow enrichment facility; and that any action he took did not pull the US into the type of prolonged, deadly war he promised to avoid as a candidate. On the first point, officials were confident in the US bunker-busting bombs' ability to penetrate the facility, even though such an action hadn't been tested previously. Caine said on Sunday (US Time) the initial assessment showed "extremely severe damage and destruction" to Iran's three nuclear sites, though he noted it would take time to determine the ultimate impact to the country's nuclear capabilities. (Iranian officials downplayed the impact of the US strikes to their nuclear facilities on Sunday.) But on the second question of a prolonged war, officials could hardly promise the president that Iran's reprisals - which could include targeting American assets or personnel in the region - wouldn't draw the US into a new quagmire. "As the president has directed, made clear, this is most certainly not open-ended," Hegseth said on Sunday (US Time). "Doesn't mean it limits our ability to respond. We will respond if necessary." The uncertainty seemed to give Trump pause, and throughout the week he said in public he hadn't yet made a decision, even if behind the scenes it appeared to Trump's advisers that his mind was made up. Trump departed his Bedminster golf club on Saturday afternoon (US Time) and returned to the White House for a scheduled "national security meeting" - travel that was unusual for the president on a weekend but was previewed on his daily scheduled released the day prior. The US conveyed to Iran through back-channel discussions that the strikes Trump ordered on Saturday would be contained and that no further strikes were planned going forward, according to two people familiar with the discussions. But Trump's public message on Saturday night (US Time) after the strikes - warning of "far greater" future US attacks if Iran retaliates - underscored the unpredictable period he is entering in the Middle East. This handout satellite picture provided by Maxar Technologies and taken on June 22, 2025, shows damage after US strikes on the Isfahan nuclear enrichment facility in central Iran. Photo: AFP / Satellite Image Maxar Technologies In April, Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran on a potential nuclear agreement, warning Tehran to strike a deal within 60 days - by mid-June. At the same time, Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on attacking Iran so he could give talks the time and space to show progress. A first round of talks was held in mid-April between the US and Tehran in Oman, led by Trump's foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Despite optimistic notes sounded following the conversations, there was little progress toward an actual nuclear deal. On June 8 - less than a week before Trumps' 60-day deadline was set to expire - he huddled with his advisers at Camp David, where he was presented with potential options on Iran. The next day, Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone. Several weeks earlier, Netanyahu had told a group of US lawmakers that Israel was going to strike Iran - and he was not seeking permission from the US to do so. Sixty-one days after Trump's ultimatum, Israel launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear programme and military leaders. "Iran should have listened to me when I said - you know, I gave them, I don't know if you know but I gave them a 60-day warning and today is day 61," Trump told CNN's Dana Bash after the Israeli strikes began. But senior Trump officials also initially distanced themselves from the attack, issuing statements that Israel took unilateral action and the US was not involved. As Israel continued its military campaign in Israel, Trump travelled to Alberta, Canada, for a G-7 summit, only to return to Washington early "because of what's going on in the Middle East," the White House said. Trump spent much of the past week meeting in the Situation Room with his national security team to review attack plans and their potential consequences. On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement dictated by Trump: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." But there were signs that diplomacy was not moving forward. Witkoff made attempts at meeting his Iranian interlocutor Araghchi with little luck. And Trump had been leaning toward joining Israel's military campaign in private discussions with senior staff even during Witkoff's diplomatic efforts. After European leaders met with Iran's foreign minister on Friday (US Time) in Geneva, US officials felt it appeared the Iranians would not sit down with the US without Trump asking Netanyahu to stop Israel's attacks - something Trump was not willing to do, sources said. That afternoon, on his way to his New Jersey club, Trump told reporters that his two-week timeframe was the "maximum" amount of time, and he could make up his mind sooner. Ahead of the strikes, the US gave Israel a heads up it was going to attack. Netanyahu held a five-hour meeting with top Israeli officials that lasted through the US strikes, according to a source familiar with the meeting. Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone again afterward, and the Israeli prime minister praised the US attack in a video message, saying it was carried out "with complete operational coordination between the IDF and the United States military." The US had also notified some Gulf partners that it was ready to strike Iran within the coming days, but it did not specify targets and time frame, according to a source familiar with the matter. The message was delivered verbally, the source said, and there was a meeting at the White House where some of these Gulf partners were told. Trump and his team were in contact with top congressional Republicans before the strikes, but top Democrats were not told of his plans until after the bombs had dropped, according to multiple people familiar with the plans. Hegseth said on Sunday (US Time) that congressional leaders were notified "immediately" after planes were out of Iranian airspace. The operation began at midnight Eastern Time Friday into Saturday morning. Caine said that B-2 bombers launched from the US, some headed West as a decoy while the rest "proceeded quietly to the East with minimal communications throughout the 18-hour flight." The unprecedented US operation involved seven stealth B2 bombers. All told, over 125 aircraft were involved, including the B2s, refuelling tankers, reconnaissance planes and fighter jets. At approximately 5pm ET, Caine said, a US submarine "launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets" at the Isfahan nuclear site. And shortly after, at approximately 6:40pm ET, or 2:10am local time, the lead B-2 bomber plane launched two bunker-buster bombs at Fordow nuclear site, Caine said, and the "remaining bombers then hit their targets". Those additional targets were struck, Caine said, "between 6:40 p.m. ET and 7:05 p.m. ET". The US military then "began its return home", Caine said, noting no shots were fired by Iran at the US on the way in or out. After US planes had left Iranian airspace, Trump revealed the attack to the world on his social media platform, Truth Social. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan," Trump wrote, adding that "a full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow." - CNN

The Spinoff

33 minutes ago

• The Spinoff

NZDF rescue aircraft on standby as Middle East crisis deepens

New Zealand is preparing for a possible evacuation of citizens from Iran and Israel, while government ministers call for restraint, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. Iran promises 'everlasting consequences' for US bomb attacks Iran has lashed out at the United States following yesterday's dramatic attack on three of its nuclear facilities, calling the bombing the first salvo in 'a dangerous war' and a 'barbaric violation' of international law. On Twitter/X, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned of 'everlasting consequences' and said Tehran 'reserves all options' in responding to the strikes on Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. The International Atomic Energy Agency said there has been 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after the airstrikes. The US attack, carried out with long-range B-2 bombers and massive 'bunker buster' bombs, was announced by Donald Trump on Truth Social, followed by a brief speech from the White House in which he claimed Iran's 'nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated'. The airstrikes came after more than a week of Israeli attacks on Iran's military infrastructure and amid growing pressure on Trump to take a harder line. Iran's response will determine whether the conflict expands further across the region. NZ prepares evacuation mission New Zealand's official response has been cautious. 'Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action,' said foreign minister Winston Peters, adding that this was the 'most serious' crisis he had dealt with, reports Glenn McConnell in The Post (paywalled). Prime minister Christopher Luxon, speaking just hours before the airstrikes, stressed that 'negotiation and diplomacy' were essential, rather than 'more military action that's going to make the region more destabilised and cause more catastrophe and more human suffering'. Peters and defence minister Judith Collins announced on Sunday that an NZDF C-130 Hercules and consular personnel were being sent to the Middle East to assist in the evacuation of New Zealand citizens once airspace across the region reopens. Approximately 180 New Zealanders remain in Iran and Israel, with vanishingly few options to safely leave. New Zealand diplomats in Tehran have already left via a road convoy of diplomats from across the world into Azerbaijan, north of Iran, reports Thomas Manch in The Post (paywalled). Nato summit plans disrupted by Middle East crisis This week's Nato summit in the Netherlands is now overshadowed by the spectre of war in Iran. According to a report in Politico, world leaders had planned to present a new pledge to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, giving Trump a major victory. Now the strike on Iran, just days before the summit, is likely to dominate discussions and potentially splinter consensus. Luxon is currently in Belgium and will attend the summit to represent New Zealand, which is a Nato partner, not member. He said New Zealand would continue to 'advocate our values' and said the right response to the crisis in the Middle East 'cannot be more military action'. Luxon's somewhat 'unlucky' China trip The escalation in the Middle East caps off a fraught fortnight for the PM, whose first official trip to China was beset by geopolitical tension and some unfortunate timing, notes RNZ's Craig McCulloch. 'Luck was not on Christopher Luxon's side', he writes, pointing to news of the Cook Islands funding row – in which China plays a key role – becoming public 'right on the eve of Luxon's big sit-down with President Xi Jinping'. The long weekend back home was more bad timing, with 'all travelling media [noting] the paltry audience interest in the stories filed as they landed on the afternoon of the public holiday Matariki'. While Luxon will no doubt hail the China trip as a success, differences between the two nations remain. One example is the status of the new China Eastern route via Auckland, which Chinese officials have described as the Southern Link, an important step in China's controversial Belt and Road Initiative that finally connects China with South America, reports Thomas Coughlan in the Herald (paywalled). Luxon rejected that characterisation, calling it a 'commercial deal' between the airline and Auckland Airport. Agreeing to disagree likely works for both sides, writes Coughlan. 'China gets to proclaim New Zealand's support for a BRI project, while New Zealand can tell BRI-sceptics like the US that it's just a flight.'

RNZ News

43 minutes ago

• RNZ News

Foreign Minister Winston Peters on US strikes on Iran

The United States says it has devastated Iran's nuclear programme, after its military bombed three nuclear sites on Sunday. The American military action comes only days after the US President Donald Trump said he was still deciding whether to step into the conflict between Israel and Iran. Foreign Minister Winston Peters spoke to Corin Dann. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.