Donald Trump authorized a bombing run targeting three nuclear sites in Iran after initially facing resistance from advisers concerned about US intervention. As Trump's standpoint evolved, some of his advisers pivoted to support a limited strike rather than prolonged involvement. The US executed strikes on Iran's key nuclear facilities—Natanz and Fordow, along with a site in Isfahan—though the effectiveness of the airstrikes remains uncertain. These actions are seen as emboldening hardliners in the US advocating for a tougher stance against Iran and supporting Israel's military actions.
Trump had been under immense pressure from Republican anti-interventionists not to engage in any action against Iran out of concern that the US might be dragged into a protracted engagement.
As Trump increasingly considered the prospect of strikes...advisers shifted their public arguments to suggesting the US could do a quick bombing run if Israel could do nothing further.
The strikes will inevitably be seen by some as a victory for hardliners in the US who have pushed for a tough stance on Iran.
The US strikes in the end were limited to Iran's nuclear uranium-enrichment sites, the facility buried deep underground that is seen as the most difficult to take offline.
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