The White House shared images of the Situation Room during this weekend’s US strike on Iran, marking the country’s direct entry into the war in support of Israel. In the pictures shared on X, senior officials from the Trump administration can be seen, including secretary of state Marco Rubio, vice president JD Vance, and defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
The United States officially entered the Israel-Iran conflict by launching airstrikes on three of Iran’s key nuclear facilities. American B-2 stealth bombers targeted Fordow, Natanz, and a third site near Isfahan in an overnight operation that US President Donald Trump confirmed in a national address from the White House. He said the goal was to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and halt what he described as a nuclear threat from the “world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror.” Trump warned that future attacks would be “far greater and a lot easier” if Iran refused to make peace and return to diplomatic talks.
Iran confirmed that the three sites were hit, with officials stating the bombings occurred around 2:30 am local time on Sunday. Trump claimed the sites were “completely and totally obliterated,” but Iranian sources provided limited details. A local official from Qom, near Fordow, told Iran’s Tasnim news agency that parts of the Fordow nuclear facility had been bombed. Iran has so far avoided directly attacking US forces in the region, but its leaders have repeatedly warned that any American involvement in the war would trigger retaliation.
The strikes mark a significant shift in Trump’s foreign policy. Despite pledging to avoid foreign conflicts, Trump authorised the attacks after days of mixed signals. US and Israeli officials said the goal was to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb by targeting its most secure and fortified nuclear sites. The airstrikes come after more than a week of fighting between Israel and Iran, which began on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iranian infrastructure and military targets. Iran responded with missile strikes and showed interest in returning to nuclear talks, but the situation has now escalated.
Following the US involvement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for denying Iran access to nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, the US State Department has started evacuating Americans from Israel, with Ambassador Mike Huckabee urging citizens in Israel and the West Bank to request evacuation via cruise ships, commercial airlines, or government-operated flights.
Trump described the mission as “historic” in his posts online and urged Iran to “end this war.” However, it’s still unclear whether the US plans more attacks or sees this as the end of its involvement. Iran has warned of retaliation and already launched drones in response, while global leaders have voiced concern. The big question now is whether this marks the end of a chapter or the beginning of something much bigger in the Middle East.
Also read: Netanyahu backs Trump’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites; says ‘it will change history’
