Trump's Risky Iran Strike: Stealth Bombers, Fighter Jets, and Submarine Attack End Week of Uncertainty. The President's decision to launch a surprise military operation against Iran using stealth bombers, fighter jets, and a submarine, marks a dramatic escalation of US foreign policy in the Middle East. This decisive action follows days of speculation regarding potential US involvement in an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program
Trump's Iran Strike: A Risky Middle East Gamble with Unclear Endgame. President Trump's decision to launch airstrikes on Iran represents one of the most perilous foreign policy gambits in recent US history, potentially igniting a new Middle East conflict without a defined resolution. This unconventional military action, unfolding publicly on social media, raises serious concerns about the future stability of the region
Trump's unconventional path to the Iran strike: A social media-fueled decision that saw the president vacillate between diplomacy and threats against the Ayatollah, culminating in a US military attack. This risky foreign policy move, involving stealth bombers and submarines, potentially plunges the US back into Middle East conflict
Eleven Days of Escalation: A Timeline of the US-Iran Conflict. This detailed day-by-day account reveals the dramatic events leading up to the US military strikes on Iran, a decision with potentially devastating global consequences. All dates are in Eastern Time
Trump's Iran Decision: Military Strikes & the Middle East Crisis – The prelude to the US-led strikes on Iran began with the evacuation of US military families from the Middle East. President Trump, while attending a performance of "Les Misérables," acknowledged the troop movements, hinting at escalating tensions and the potential for conflict. This unsettling event marked the start of a dramatic 11-day period leading to a risky military operation with uncertain consequences
Trump's Iran decision: Was Israel's military buildup a prelude to a strike on Iran's nuclear program, or a negotiating tactic? With US-Iran talks imminent, the President's commitment to a diplomatic solution remained unclear, even as Israeli military preparations intensified
Israel's secret military operation against Iran was already underway, even as the world awaited President Trump's decision on US involvement
Surprise Tehran Attack: US Strikes Iranian Nuclear Sites. President Trump authorized a daring nighttime attack on multiple Iranian nuclear facilities and military leaders, escalating tensions in the Middle East. The unexpected assault, involving stealth bombers, fighter jets, and a submarine, followed days of speculation and Trump's public pronouncements. This risky military operation raises serious questions about the future of US-Iran relations and the potential for wider conflict
Israel said 200 warplanes took part in the first wave of attacks. More damage was done with drones that Israeli spies had smuggled into the country, destroying air defenses and missile launchers.
Israel launched a targeted military operation against Iran, described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as crucial to counter the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program. Despite Iran's claims of peaceful intentions, Israeli leaders cited an imminent threat necessitating immediate action. This operation unfolded amidst heightened US-Iran tensions and speculation of potential US involvement
Trump's Shifting Stance: From Diplomatic Resolution to Military Strike on Iran
Despite initially tweeting commitment to a diplomatic resolution with Iran, President Trump's rhetoric quickly shifted, culminating in a surprise US military attack. This risky foreign policy decision involved stealth bombers, fighter jets, and a submarine, raising concerns about a potential new Middle East conflict. The events leading to the strike unfolded unconventionally, largely playing out on social media, showcasing Trump's unpredictable approach to international relations
Israel's missile and drone strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities prompted Iranian retaliation. Many Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted by Israeli air defenses. President Trump, witnessing Israel's military response, adopted a more aggressive stance towards Iran, escalating the already volatile Middle East conflict
Trump's decision to join Israel in a military strike against Iran's nuclear program marks a significant escalation in Middle East tensions. His social media pronouncements highlighted the superior US military technology deployed, emphasizing Israel's significant arsenal and expertise in its use. This unconventional approach to foreign policy raises concerns about the potential for wider conflict
Despite initial military threats, President Trump prioritized diplomacy with Iran, offering a renewed opportunity for a nuclear deal. He urged Iran to negotiate, suggesting a "second chance" to reach an agreement, before ultimately authorizing a US military strike
Trump-Putin Call Amidst Canceled US-Iran Talks Following Israeli-Iranian Conflict. Following US airstrikes on Iran, President Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin, discussing the escalating Israel-Iran conflict and the subsequent cancellation of planned US-Iran negotiations
As Israel and Iran continued to trade strikes, Trump attended a military parade in Washington. It was the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, as well as his 79th birthday.
The muscular display of American military might — tanks, troops, paratroopers and a 21-gun salute — played out in the nation’s capital as the potential for a new conflict loomed.
Trump spent the day talking up his reputation as a peacemaker, encouraging Iran and Israel to “make a deal” similar to how he had brokered an end to fighting between India and Pakistan.
“Many calls and meetings now taking place,” Trump wrote on social media. “I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”
Iran’s health ministry said 224 people had been killed by Israeli strikes at this point in the conflict. Reports also emerged that Trump had rejected an Israeli plan to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. officials viewed the idea as dangerously destabilizing.
Trump flew to Canada for the annual Group of Seven summit, which gathers the world’s most powerful democracies. He would not be there long.
Israel claimed it had achieved “aerial superiority” over Tehran, allowing its warplanes to operate freely in the skies above Iran’s capital. One of the strikes hit Iran’s state-run television, abruptly stopping a live broadcast. Netanyahu said Israeli strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program a “very, very long time.”
However, the extent of the damage was unclear, and U.S. and Israeli officials believed only American planes with specially designed “bunker buster” bombs had the capability to destroy nuclear sites buried deep underground.
After a single day at the G7 summit, the White House abruptly announced that Trump would leave early on a red-eye flight to Washington to meet with his national security team.
Trump demanded Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” in a post on social media and he told reporters aboard Air Force One that he wanted “a real end” to the conflict, not just a ceasefire.
He expressed frustration with Iranian leaders for failing to reach an agreement. “They should have done the deal. I told them, ‘Do the deal,’” he said. “So I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”
Trump also brushed off assessments from U.S. spy agencies that Iran hadn’t decided to build a nuclear weapon. He insisted they were “very close.”
The sun had not yet risen when Trump arrived at the White House. He took part in a meeting in the Situation Room, but did not appear publicly.
With little clarity on next steps, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters that “I’m here to take questions, not necessarily answer them.”
By this point, there was no question that Trump was considering joining Israel’s attacks on Iran. “I may do it, I may not do it,” he said that morning. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
The president spoke to reporters while overseeing the installation of a massive new flagpole on the South Lawn of the White House, toggling back and forth between chatting up construction workers in hard hats and sizing up the Iranian nuclear threat.
Later, in the Oval Office, Trump again suggested that the U.S. might get directly involved to thwart Iran’s atomic ambitions. “I’m not looking to fight,” he said. “But if it’s a choice between fighting and having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do.”
On Capitol Hill, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the Pentagon was presenting Trump with military options.
It was a federal holiday — Juneteenth — and much of Washington took the hot, steamy day off, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt scheduled a briefing nonetheless.
She entered the briefing room to deliver a message from the president: He would decide within two weeks whether to become directly involved in Israel’s war on Iran.
Trump has long been known to toss out “two week” deadlines for actions that never materialize, so the statement left people guessing on his next move.
Trump convened another meeting of his national security advisers and then flew to his golf club in New Jersey, where he attended a political fundraiser in the evening. He talked to reporters briefly en route, long enough to say his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was “wrong” when she previously said that the U.S. believed Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon.
Around midnight, the U.S. military operation began in secret: B-2 stealth bombers taking off from a base in Missouri. They headed east, over the Atlantic Ocean, refueling from airborne tankers along the way. It would take them 18 hours to reach Iran. A decoy flight went west, toward the Pacific.
Trump returned to the White House from New Jersey around 6 p.m. Less than an hour later, American ordinance began exploding in Tehran.
More than two dozen Tomahawk missiles were fired from a U.S. submarine. Fighter jets scanned for Iranian interceptors. The stealth bombers dropped 14 bunker buster bombs, marking the first time that the 30,000-pound weapon had been used in combat.
Trump announced the strikes on social media, saying it was a “very successful attack and “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!” In a brief national address from the White House, the president threatened to attack Iran again if there was any retaliation.
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
“There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,” he said.
Source: Original Article