The White House on Sunday released high-resolution images showing President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and key national security officials in the Situation Room as the United States executed coordinated airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. The photographs, released hours after the operation, underscored the gravity and historical weight of the moment, capturing tense deliberations and real-time updates during what is being described as one of the most consequential American military actions in the region in recent years.
This marked a dramatic turn in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. After days of intense deliberations, and well before his previously signaled two-week deadline to respond to Iranian attacks on U.S. assets and Israel, President Trump made the call to launch the operation—firmly aligning the U.S. with Israel in a rapidly escalating confrontation against Tehran. Analysts noted the decision signals a significant shift from prior U.S. restraint to direct involvement in a widening Middle East conflict.
Key members of the Trump administration were present during the decision-making and execution phases. Alongside President Trump and Vice President Vance were Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine. Intelligence and diplomatic heavyweights including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Marco Rubio monitored the strikes minute-by-minute. Also in the room were White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chiefs of Staff Dan Scavino and James Blair, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, NSC official Andy Baker, and White House Counsel David Warrington, among others.
In a televised national address, President Trump declared the strikes a success and issued a stark ultimatum to Iran: “The path forward is simple—peace or tragedy.” He warned that while the United States had no desire to pursue regime change, it stood ready to expand the campaign if Iran retaliated. “Our message is clear: if you threaten American lives, you will pay a decisive price,” he said. Trump confirmed that six GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs had been used to penetrate and destroy Iran’s deeply buried Fordow site—described by U.S. officials as the most fortified component of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. At the same time, a salvo of 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles struck key sections of Natanz and Esfahan nuclear facilities.
B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, the only U.S. aircraft capable of delivering the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, were deployed in the high-risk nighttime mission. Pentagon sources said the bombers took off from undisclosed bases and coordinated their movements to avoid detection by Iranian air defense systems. Despite Iran’s vast anti-aircraft network and hardened bunkers, early satellite assessments suggest the strikes caused significant damage to underground centrifuge halls and key infrastructure.
Iran’s response was swift. Within hours, multiple regions across Israel came under heavy fire as Tehran launched a retaliatory missile barrage, prompting Israel’s Home Front Command to instruct citizens to take immediate shelter. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that several incoming threats were intercepted by its Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems, though damage and casualties were still being assessed.
Meanwhile, diplomatic channels remained frozen. According to CBS News, the U.S. conveyed to Iranian officials via third-party intermediaries that it does not seek further escalation or regime change. However, the gesture has done little to ease tensions. Iranian state media condemned the strikes as an “act of war” and vowed to exact a “crushing response.” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei reportedly convened an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council to weigh the next steps.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Trump’s decision, calling it a “courageous and necessary” move to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “The world must understand that a nuclear Iran is an unacceptable threat—not just to Israel, but to global peace and stability,” he said in a televised statement released moments before Trump’s own speech.
Reactions within the U.S. Congress were divided. Some Republicans lauded the President’s decisive action as essential to deterrence and allied solidarity. Others—both Republicans and Democrats—criticized the lack of Congressional authorization and warned of potential blowback, including wider regional war, disruption of global oil markets, and the possibility of Iran accelerating its nuclear activities in defiance.
The latest strikes come on the heels of more than a week of intense cross-border fire between Israeli and Iranian-backed forces, leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced in both countries and neighboring Lebanon and Syria. While Israel maintains that it is acting to dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and prevent future threats, Tehran insists its nuclear program remains peaceful and warned that any further attacks will lead to “unpredictable consequences.”
As the world watches with bated breath, questions abound: Will Iran retaliate directly on U.S. assets? Can diplomatic backchannels still avert full-scale war? Or has the Middle East already entered an irreversible phase of open conflict?
