Overview

• The US military executed Operation Midnight Hammer on June 21–22, striking Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan with 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
• President Trump hailed the strikes as a “spectacular military success” intended to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment, which had reached about 60 percent purity.
• MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough defended the decision on Morning Joe, saying any president, including Hillary Clinton, would have felt compelled to act against Iran’s near-weapons-capable program.
• Washington Post columnist David Ignatius observed that three prior administrations developed similar strike plans but pulled back over uncertainties and cautioned that the regional fallout remains unclear.
• Former National Security Advisor John Bolton praised the operation as decisive, while analysts warn that its long-term effect on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and Middle East stability is still undetermined.