{"id":4126,"date":"2025-06-22T02:48:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T02:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/4126\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T02:48:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T02:48:10","slug":"now-is-the-time-for-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/4126\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Now is the time for peace’"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 The US military dropped six \u201cbunker buster\u201d bombs on Iran\u2019s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant Saturday night and two other key sites \u2014 with President Trump declaring the facility hidden nearly 300 feet beneath a mountain<\/a> is \u201ccompletely and totally obliterated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump announced the historic airstrikes days after Israel initiated extensive attacks<\/a> on Iran\u2019s nuclear infrastructure and military.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space,\u201d Trump posted on Truth Social just before 8 p.m. Saturday \u2014 marking the first-ever US strike on Iranian territory.<\/p>\n

President Trump speaking in the White House after announcing his that the US has bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran on June 21, 2025. Carlos Barria\/Pool via AP<\/p>\n

The United States bombed three suspected nuclear sites in Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cA full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president addressed the nation at 10 p.m. Saturday, saying from the White House that \u201cour objective was the destruction of Iran\u2019s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world\u2019s number one state sponsor of terror.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,\u201d Trump said, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran\u2019s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Trump in the White House\u2019s \u201cSituation Room\u201d during the bombing of Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities. The White House\/ X<\/p>\n

Vice President JD Vance looking on in the Situation Room. The White House\/ X<\/p>\n

The president said that \u201cfor 40 years, Iran has been saying, \u2018Death to America, Death to Israel.\u2019 They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs \u2014 that was their specialty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost over 1,000 people and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the latest on the US bombing of Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities:<\/p>\n

Trump said that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu \u201cworked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before\u201d to take out Iran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n

The commander in chief said time is of the essence for the Islamic republic \u2014 and warned of serious consequences if peace is not achieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many targets left. Tonight\u2019s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.\u201d<\/p>\n

A map of Iran\u2019s Fordow fuel enrichment plant \u2014 one of the three hit by US airstrikes. Merrill Sherman \/ NY Post Design<\/p>\n

Trump told Fox News journalist Sean Hannity shortly after the strikes that B-2 bombers dropped six 30,000-pound \u201cbunker buster\u201d bombs on Fordow and that the Natanz and Esfahan facilities \u2014 both already severely damaged by Israel \u2014 were hit with 30 Tomahawk missiles launched by US submarines.<\/p>\n

All three sites are located south of the Iranian capital and were key cogs in a nuclear program that the country\u2019s anti-American clerical leaders brazenly claimed was for electricity generation rather than laying the groundwork to develop nuclear bombs.<\/p>\n

The president spent days appearing to vacillate on joining Israel\u2019s air campaign and claimed Thursday he would make a decision \u201cwithin the next two weeks<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The US used \u201cbunker buster\u201d bombs to penetrate through to the underground facility. Merrill Sherman \/ NY Post Design<\/p>\n

A source close to the White House said Trump decided Friday \u2014 just one day after unveiling his two-week timeframe \u2014 to strike Iran with \u201coverwhelming force,\u201d with the US deploying six nuke plant neutralizing B-2 bomber jets to be on standby for a strike.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that US strikes targeting the Islamic Republic would \u201cresult in irreparable damage for them\u201d \u2014 though the precise plans for retribution by Tehran were not described.<\/p>\n

Trump spoke with Netanyahu, whose air force has established near-complete control over Iran\u2019s airspace, ahead of the strikes.<\/p>\n

Trump declared that Iran\u2019s facilities have been \u201ccompletely and totally obliterated\u201d after the US strike. REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations President Trump, your bold decision to target Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,\u201d Netanyahu said in a video statement.<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s act drew bipartisan praise and criticism \u2014 with supporters applauding the bold move to contain Iran\u2019s power and opponents arguing that he lacked congressional authorization to start a war.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe President made the right call, and did what he needed to do,\u201d House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeaders in Congress were aware of the urgency of this situation and the Commander-in-Chief evaluated that the imminent danger outweighed the time it would take for Congress to act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump in the Situation Room with Chief of Staff Susie Wile and United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine. The White House\/ X<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the correct move by @POTUS,\u201d tweeted Sen. John Fetterman<\/a> (D-Pa.), one of the first members of Congress to express a stance. \u201cIran is the world\u2019s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

But left-wing and libertarian members slammed the decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not Constitutional,\u201d tweeted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).<\/p>\n

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote: \u201cHe has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Secretary of State Marco Rubio looking on from behind Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The White House\/ X<\/p>\n

Trump had sought a deal with Iran to abandon its nuclear program and authorized his Mideast special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead five rounds of high-level direct talks with Iranian leaders beginning in April \u2014 but Tehran balked at a deal, as well as Trump\u2019s further demands for disarmament after Israel began its strikes on June 13.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu initiated the war arguing that Iran was extremely close to developing nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Friday that negotiations with the US wouldn\u2019t happen \u201cuntil Israeli aggression stops\u201d and the country\u2019s mission to the UN said that \u201c[n]o Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump ran for president three times on an platform of opposing American military entanglements in the Middle East \u2014 slamming his predecessor George W. Bush for invading Iraq in 2003 and knocking Barack Obama\u2019s role in Libya and Syria \u2014 and he insisted Friday that any attack on Iran would be limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last thing you want to do is ground force,\u201d the president said one day before the bombing mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran has no choice but to sue for peace at this point,\u201d a source close to the Trump administration told The Post after the attack Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have no defensive military capability and no allies to help them \u2014 the Russians, Chinese and North Koreans have told them they\u2019re on their own. Peace is the only option for Tehran and they haven\u2019t faced a resolute leader from the US in 45 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine making a good luck gesture during the strike. The White House\/ X<\/p>\n

The source said it was a \u201cbold move by President Trump, just like he did against [ISIS leader Abu Bakr] Baghdadi [in 2019] and [Iranian Gen. Qasem] Soleimani [in 2020] in his first term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel began its attack on Iran last Friday by taking out its top nuclear scientists and military officials responsible for the country\u2019s nuclear enrichment program.<\/a><\/p>\n

As the two nations continued to trade deadly and destructive blows, Trump unleashed an open threat<\/a> to Tehran to give up its nuclear program or else he\u2019d seek a \u201creal end\u201d to the Iran-Israel conflict.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CIA Director John Ratcliffe in the Situation Room during the Iranian strikes. The White House\/ X<\/p>\n

He also revealed that the US knows \u201cexactly\u201d where Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding out \u2013 but is letting him live \u201cfor now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khamenei, at least publicly, balked at Trump\u2019s demands that he concede defeat, with a spokesperson for Iran\u2019s foreign ministry warning that US involvement would trigger \u201call-out war in the region<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US President threatens us,\u201d Khamenei wrote on X. \u201cWith his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn\u2019t frightened by such threats\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t wise to tell the Iranian nation to surrender. What should the Iranian nation surrender to?\u201d the ayatollah asked. \u201cWe will never surrender in response to the attacks of anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about the ayatollah\u2019s response, Trump responded: \u201cI say good luck.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president announced the strikes on Truth Social. TruthSocial\/@realDonaldTrump<\/p>\n

Trump also reposted an account stating that \u2018Fordow is gone\u2019 TruthSocial\/@realDonaldTrump<\/p>\n

Unlike Israel, the US military has guided 30,000-pound \u201cbunker buster\u201d bombs that could more effectively collapse underground nuclear facilities \u2013 averting a potential incomplete demolition of sites by Israel, which has been dropping 2,000-pound bombs sourced from America.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the only ones that have the capability to do it, but that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m going to do it \u2014 at all,\u201d Trump said about the possibility of the US taking out the site, adding that he\u2019s \u201cthinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remained open to possibly meeting with the Iranian delegation in DC, saying they reached out about coming to the White House, but noted that it\u2019s difficult for them to leave given Tehran is under Israeli fire.<\/p>\n

Trump also claimed Iranian officials blew through a 60-day deadline to strike a deal.<\/p>\n

The strikes were carried out using B-2 bombers. Mike Mareen \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The Israeli Air Force began conducting a new wave of airstrikes in western Iran later Wednesday, which was met with retaliatory missiles being launched from Tehran.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aircraft are striking operatives who are attempting to return and take munitions from the sites that were previously targeted,\u201d said IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur message to them is clear: If you try to restore the terror capabilities in the area, you will be targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin has apparently offered to mediate between Israel and Iran amid the escalating conflict \u2014 but Trump rejected the move.<\/p>\n

Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the US, publicly warned of a \u201csurprise\u201d Thursday or Friday. <\/p>\n

He suggested, without divulging any detail, that a potential attack on Iran would make Israel\u2019s infamous Hezbollah pager detonation operation<\/a> in Lebanon last year \u201clook simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just say the world will understand how serious we are about stopping Iran\u2019s capabilities \u2014 and not just in Gaza or southern Lebanon,\u201d Leiter told Merit TV on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve pulled off a number of surprises. When the dust settles, you\u2019re going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday, that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON \u2014 The US military dropped six \u201cbunker buster\u201d bombs on Iran\u2019s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant Saturday night…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[3356,5229,69,83,99,71,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-4126","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-airstrikes","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-iran","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-israel-iran-conflict","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-newyork","17":"tag-newyorkcity","18":"tag-ny","19":"tag-nyc","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa","26":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114724739687898784","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}