What 

The United States of America, under the leadership of Donald Trump, bombed three of Iran’s nuclear facilities. This bombing took place on June 21, 2025, at around 6:40 PM ET. 

Where

The United States targeted Iran’s nuclear power facilities. The three targets were Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. 

Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant– Located in Qom, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Base. Operates as a nuclear, technology, and physics center under IAEA safeguards. According to NTI, this site was originally a tunnel facility. This facility was designed to hold eight IR-1 gas centrifuges (Used to separate gas molecules by spinning the molecules in a container) with 3,000 centrifuges. The facility was then converted into a research center, but it still had 1,044 gas centrifuges installed. 

Natanz Enrichment Complex- Located in Natanz, Iran, and operates as an enrichment complex. This facility has three underground buildings and six above-ground buildings. Two of the three underground buildings hold up to 50,000 centrifuges, posing the opportunity to make and store these gases at exorbitant rates. (NTI)

Isfahan Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Center- Located in Reshandasht, South East of Isfahan. This facility is a Nuclear Engineering Department, Metallurgical Engineering and Fuel Department, Chemistry Department, and Miniature Neutron Source Reactor Department, all in one. Iran also communicated a desire to build a new nuclear research reactor at this site. (NTI)

How

On Friday night, 8 U.S. B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base located in Missouri. These bombers flew towards the Pacific. However, these planes were a decoy to distract the Iranian government and military. Furthermore, Donald Trump stated that he would need two weeks to decide whether or not the U.S. would intervene in the conflict between Israel and Iran on Thursday, another possible decoy. Following the release of the decoys, seven more B-2s took off from Whiteman eastward. There was no communication between the bombers, nor with the ground crossing America and flying over the Atlantic. A U.S. submarine was used to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles, which were synchronized with the bombers. The Tomahawks flew over the Gulf of Oman and over South-East Iran

Why

The reason for the attack can be put in quite simple terms. The United States has viewed the conflict between Israel and Iran on a pedestal this whole time, and as a world leader, the United States holds certain responsibilities to help other nations in times of desperate need, and this qualifies as such. Iran has been unfairly attacked and left defenseless at times, with Iran acting as a bully of sorts. The attacks being made by Iran are aggressive and uncalled for in many circumstances, leading to Israel’s need for U.S. intervention. Targeting nuclear facilities gave the U.S. the ability to stop the progression of nuclear weapons development. This development could lead to Iran using these weapons against Israel or other countries (The Guardian). 

Consequences

The consequences for the United States will likely be minimal since their nuclear weapons facilities have now been obliterated. Without these weapons, Iran has no possible way to reach the United States. However, there will likely be consequences for Israel. There have already been ramifications for Israel. Iran launched missiles on the morning of June 22, 2025. These wounded 21 people, with a possible 4 casualties. There was serious damage to the city attacked. (CBS News)