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Late at night on Saturday, June 21, President Donald J. Trump addressed the nation regarding what would later be named “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a bombardment of Iranian nuclear facilities that enlisted the firepower of more than 125 American warplanes, submarines and surface vessels.
On June 19, Trump stated that he would decide “within the next two weeks” whether the United States would launch a military strike against Iran or not. The president’s warning exacerbated domestic tensions amidst the already rising hostility between Israel, Iran and their regional allies, following bombings from Israel on Iranian territory, which were framed as a “preventive” measure following reports of uranium enrichment in Iran.
Not long after the president’s two-week notice, the United States Air Force’s “Doomsday Plane,” officially named the E-4B Airborne Command Center, touched down in Washington D.C. Built to withstand gunfire, explosions and even nuclear attacks, the Doomsday Plane acts as a moving Pentagon during times of war or high stress. Its arrival in the nation’s capital, coupled with the ongoing clash between Israel, Iran and other neighboring Arab nations, made many Americans nervous, both on the mainland and overseas. The aforementioned grace period of 14 days went mostly unused, as he made his decision only 48 hours later, prompting the green light for Operation Midnight Hammer.
In this mission, the United States began with a diversion maneuver at midnight on June 21, sending B-2 bombers from the Whiteman Air Force base to fly into Iranian airspace. Many aircrafts acted as decoys and distractions as other planes and support vehicles struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites: Isfahan, Natanz and Fordo.
According to Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a U.S. Navy submarine bombarded the Isfahan Facility, about 276 miles away from the capital city of Tehran, with more than two dozen Tomahawk land-attack missiles by 5 p.m. EST.
By 6:40 p.m., the leading B-2 bombers involved in the mission deployed two GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrators – also known as “bunker busters” – on the underground nuclear facility of Fordo, just over 60 miles away from Tehran. Two more of these bunker busters targeted Natanz, Iran’s largest uranium enrichment center, which was already under Israeli attack. In total, 14 GBU-57 MOPs were dropped on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, in an attack that lasted about 25 minutes, according to Gen. Caine.
In his subsequent address to the United States, Trump stated, “I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
After this strike, President Trump declared that Iran “must now make peace.” If Iran chooses to retaliate, Trump said that “future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” which to many around the world did not sound like words of peace.
Considering that this attack came much sooner than anticipated and with little to no forewarning to the American people, or even other government officials, these bombings left many confused about what might come next.
As if the past two days have not been abrupt enough, President Donald Trump announced via TruthSocial on June 23 that, between Israel and Iran, there will be a “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE…” — see the full tweet below for details and timeline. This sentiment has not been corroborated by Israeli or Iranian government and military officials.
Navigating Propaganda and Misinformation
In the wake of major military activity, people may become overwhelmed by half-truths, fear and humor that is mistaken as fact. Sometimes, false information is even spread deliberately online to generate engagement. The following section aims to address common questions and ease any anxieties that have arisen over the past few weeks.
Claim #1: This is the start of World War III
Although it has spun into a massive meme that has people, admittedly, a bit scared, this strike on Iran is not the start of World War III. This is what would be called a “flashpoint,” not all-out war — at least not yet. Flashpoints, according to Merriam-Webster, are points “at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action.”
For this to be a world war, it would have to be on a global scale, involving multiple major world powers and spanning across various geographical regions. Although some consider Israel to be a major world power, it is only technically a major power in its area because of its status as a beneficiary of the United States. NATO was also not involved in this action, leaving the sole culpability to the United States and Israel.
Global powers like China and Russia have expressed verbal support for Iran and have warned the United States against getting more involved in the Middle Eastern conflict. However, they have yet to express any desire to escalate the situation or support Iran in any actionable means.
Claim #2: Iran is going to nuke or bomb the United States.
This is currently physically impossible. Iran does not harbor any weapons or aircraft that can reach the United States mainland. It is said that Iran is preparing missiles for possible retaliatory strikes on American bases in the region, according to U.S. intelligence officials.
Iran is not currently in possession of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The longest-reaching projectile that Iran currently holds is the Sejil medium-range missile, which cannot reach the mainland United States.
Iran would only be able to reach the U.S. through auxiliary firepower offered by allies, but as I mentioned previously, no other countries have offered actionable support through weaponry or resources to build these weapons.
Claim #3: Iran has weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
No. They do not. As I mentioned earlier, their highest-powered ballistic weapon is the Sejil mid-range. Iran has had the facilities to enrich uranium, for what many thought were nuclear weapons, but has never actually made one. Arab countries “owning weapons of mass destruction” has long been a point of rhetoric to explain the war on terror.
It is factually incorrect and rhetorically questionable to continue to claim that Iran specifically has WMDs.
Claim #4: Donald Trump is ushering in an era of peace, as he has already made a ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel.
Incorrect. As mentioned previously, President Trump had posted on Truth Social claiming that Iran and Israel have come to a ceasefire, but neither nation has corroborated that statement.
In fact, President Trump has rebuked both parties after Israel had broken the supposed ceasefire by striking a radar site just north of Tehran about eleven minutes after the ceasefire was purportedly agreed upon. “They don’t know what the f*** they’re doing,” said Trump.
Israel has even denied breaking the supposed ceasefire.
Claim #5: If another ceasefire were to be more firmly set in place, Israel and Iran would both uphold it.
Very unlikely — but not likely to be at the fault of Iran.
Aside from the alleged ceasefire violation mentioned in the previous claim, Israel is not new to breaking ceasefires, even those imposed by President Trump.
In his first month of office, President Trump brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas alongside Qatar and Egypt. However, several weeks later, Israel would break the ceasefire and continue its offensive strikes on occupied Palestine.
Although the future actions of Israel are not foreseeable at this time, we can infer from past offensive actions that Israel is not likely interested in upholding a ceasefire agreement of any kind.
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Although these are uncertain times, please note that this is a developing story, and updates will be provided as they become available.
