Attack Ceremony: The US attacked Iran

The United States has hit three Iranian nuclear facilities, Donald Trump said. American planes attacked Fordo, Netense and Isfahan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that this bombing "will change history." Meanwhile, Tehran, which had evacuated its nuclear facilities, requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

American arrival

"All planes are returning home safely. Congratulations to our great American warriors. There are no other military men in the world who could do this," US President Donald Trump wrote on the Truth Social network. He also added that "now is the time for peace."

If Tehran does not make peace, "future strikes will be much worse," the American leader warned.

The day before, the US Air Force attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities. According to the American leader, one of the planes involved in the bombing dropped a "full load of bombs" on the Fordo uranium enrichment plant. Facilities in Netenza and Isfahan were also attacked.

American B-2 planes dropped at least six 15-ton bunker buster bombs, and submarines fired about 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Trump said that the goal of the United States was to "stop the nuclear threat" that came from the "main sponsor of terrorism."

"For 40 years, Iran has been saying, 'Death to America, death to Israel,'" the president said. According to him, the Iranian attacks have killed more than a thousand Americans and "hundreds of thousands [of people] in the Middle East and around the world." "I decided a long time ago that this would not continue," he concluded.

Washington has now officially joined the Israeli military operation against Iran.

According to Axios, this American bombing was a "historic escalation in the Middle East."

United front

The US president said that there are still "many targets" in Iran, but key facilities have been "completely and completely destroyed." He thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that the countries "worked as a team."

The head of the Israeli government confirmed that the United States and Israel acted in "full coordination" and completed the work begun by the IDF to destroy Iranian facilities.

In his opinion, the American strike on Iran will "change history." Meanwhile, the Israeli army has tightened restrictions on the public, banning gatherings on the streets and the operation of most businesses.

According to CBS, Washington contacted Tehran to announce plans to launch exclusively targeted strikes, rather than regime change in Iran.

How Iran reacted

Tehran reported that the nuclear centers had been evacuated even before the US strikes, and there were no signs of radiation leakage yet. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran called the attacks a violation of international law, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that the United States "committed a gross violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations." According to him, Tehran reserves all possibilities to protect its sovereignty, interests and people.

The Foreign Minister believes that the United States was also involved in planning Israel's initial attack on Iran.

Tehran has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) Yahya Saria stated in an interview with Al Jazeera :"We will escalate and expand the scale of the conflict until this aggression stops."

World reaction

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities "a dangerous escalation in the region and a direct threat to peace and security." In his opinion, the conflict can quickly spiral out of control, and the risk of such an outcome is only growing.

Otherwise, this scenario will lead to catastrophic consequences for the civilian population and the region, as well as for the whole world, the Secretary General is convinced. "There is no military solution. The only way forward is through diplomacy," Guterres said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Democratic minority in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, demanded that Donald Trump explain to Congress and the Americans how his decision will affect the country's security.

According to Schumer, no president has the right to "unilaterally drag the country into something as serious as a war" without having a clear strategy. The senator believes that strength and determination are needed to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions and its "aggression in the region." The leader of the democratic minority is confident that the risks of a full-scale and prolonged war have increased dramatically. Senator Jack Reed, a member of Schumer's party, called the attack a "massive gamble."

Some Republican senators also opposed it. Tom Massey, who previously initiated a bill limiting the president's authority to conduct an operation against Iran, wrote on social media that the attack was contrary to the American Constitution.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and called them a dangerous escalation of the Middle East conflict.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said that the existence of power does not give the right to use it in violation of international rules.

Colombia's foreign ministry called on the United States and Iran to "urgently return to the path of negotiations."

The Mexican Foreign Ministry also called for a diplomatic dialogue.

What do the experts think

Andrey Ontikov, an orientalist, publicist, and author of the Telegram channel Eastern Gate, believes that there is still no fundamental shift in the Israeli-Iranian confrontation.

— In 2020, the Americans bombed Baghdad airport and killed one of the leaders of the IRGC, Qassem Soleimani. In response, they received demonstrative attacks with near—zero effect on one of their bases in Iraq," the expert recalled in an interview with Izvestia.

In his opinion, it is now interesting how Tehran will behave.

— If he runs to make a deal on the terms of the United States, he will bring shame upon himself. If it hits American bases in the region, it will give the American leader the opportunity for a full—fledged intervention," the expert believes.

He added that there is another option — Iran can pretend that nothing special happened and continue its retaliatory attacks on Israel.

— The first reaction from Tehran shows that it is following this path. But let's see what happens next. At some stage, questions about Netanyahu may arise within Israel itself, and now not only from the left, but also from his allies in the far—right camp, the analyst is sure.

Ontikov added that if the leftists traditionally blame Netanyahu for the military operation in the Gaza Strip and for reaching an impasse, "he also went to Iran."

— The far-right will say that the Israeli prime minister is weak and insufficiently assertive, since he cannot solve the problem either in Gaza or in Iran. I wonder how Netanyahu will get out," the political scientist concluded.

Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, noted in his Telegram channel that "the trap that Donald Trump may now fall into is simple but effective."

"If Iran retaliates against American facilities now, the United States will automatically have to get involved in military operations further. If they do not respond or respond sluggishly, formally, the Israeli leadership and its American Neocon allies will increase pressure on the White House: the Iranian regime must be finished off while it is weak and replaced with a convenient one. Otherwise, the issue cannot be considered resolved. Will he be able to (and willing to) Trump to resist this