Topline<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to signal his support for a regime change in Iran\u2014despite other administration officials insisting that the U.S. had no interest in such a thing\u2014 as he claimed the U.S. military strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities resulted in \u201cmonumental damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israeli soldiers inspect the site in Tel Aviv, Israel, struck by a direct missile strike launched … More from Iran on Sunday. (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)<\/p>\n
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. <\/p>\n
Timeline<\/p>\n
June 22, 10 p.m. EDTIn a post on his Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump claimed Iran\u2019s nuclear sites sustained \u201cMonumental Damage\u201d from the U.S. strikes, citing satellite images.<\/p>\n
The president added: \u201cObliteration is an accurate term…The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
9:30 p.m. EDTEarlier on Sunday, the president raised the prospect<\/a> of regime change in Iran, despite other officials in his administration insisting that the U.S. was not seeking such a thing.<\/p>\n In a post, Trump wrote \u201cIt\u2019s not politically correct to use the term, \u2018Regime Change,\u2019 but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn\u2019t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!\u201d<\/p>\n A short while later, Trump wrote<\/a> that the B-2 bomber pilots who struck Iran \u201chave just landed, safely, in Missouri.\u201d<\/p>\n 12 p.m. EDTIran launched about 40 missiles at targets in Israel, the Associated Press<\/a> confirmed, injuring 23 people, while the Israeli Air Force struck targets in four cities across Iran, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement on X<\/a>, dropping munitions on targets including command centers and missile launchers.Israel\u2019s strikes killed at least seven members of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps and two conscripts, The New York Times<\/a> reported, citing Iranian state-affiliated media.<\/p>\n 10 a.m. EDTVice President JD Vance told \u201cMeet the Press\u201d<\/a> the U.S. was \u201cnot at war with Iran, we\u2019re at war with Iran\u2019s nuclear program,\u201d adding the U.S. has \u201cno interest in boots on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East,\u201d Vance said, adding \u201cI understand the concern, but the difference is that back then we had dumb presidents, and now we have a president that actually knows how to accomplish America\u2019s national security objectives,\u201d taking an apparent swipe at former President George W. Bush, whom Trump has blasted for years over his handling of the invasion of Iraq.<\/p>\n Vance also responded to criticism<\/a> from members of Congress who condemned the administration for making the strike without seeking congressional approval, insisting that \u201cthe idea that this was outside of presidential authority, I think any real, serious, legal person would tell you that\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n 8 a.m. EDT\u201cThis mission was not, and has not been about regime change,\u201d Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference, calling the strike a \u201cprecision operation.\u201d<\/p>\n Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine announced the mission\u2019s codename was \u201cOperation Midnight Hammer,\u201d which involved strikes with massive ordnance penetrator bombs, Tomahawk missiles and a decoy operation.<\/p>\n Caine said the military was unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. bombers on the way into Iran or on the way out after dropping their payloads.<\/p>\n June 21, 10 p.m. EDTTrump addressed the nation in a brief speech from the White House, claiming that \u201cthe strikes were a spectacular military success.\u201d<\/p>\n He warned Iran against retaliating, saying the U.S. was prepared to strike more targets should that happen. \u201cThere will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n June 21, 7:50 p.m. EDTTrump in a Truth Social post announced the U.S. struck the \u201cFordow, Natanz, and Esfahan\u201d nuclear sites in Iran, noting \u201cA full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.\u201d<\/p>\n How Did The U.s. Conduct The Strike?<\/p>\n The strike was conducted by seven B2 Spirit bombers that took off from an Air Force base in Missouri overnight, Hegseth and Caine said Sunday. One of those bombers dropped two massive ordnance penetrators on a nuclear facility in Fordo at 2:10 a.m. local time, Caine said\u2014the first of 14 bombs dropped across Iran. Additionally, a submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at the nuclear facility in Esfahan around 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Caine said. Caine added the operation also involved launching more bombers to the Pacific as a decoy, which he called an \u201ceffort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n How Has Iran Responded?<\/p>\n Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the U.S. operation an \u201coutrageous, grave, and unprecedented violation of the fundamental principles of the charter of the United Nations and international law.\u201d Araghchi condemned Trump for what he called \u201cabusing our commitment to diplomacy\u201d and \u201cdeceiv[ing] his own voters\u201d after campaigning to end \u201cforever wars\u201d in the Middle East. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a 3 p.m. EDT emergency meeting at the behest of the Iranian government, the Associated Press<\/a> reported Sunday morning.<\/p>\n Crucial Quote<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican deterrence is back,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cWe will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n