The White House has unveiled several images featuring President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other members of his national security team as they convened in the Situation Room during the strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday.
Alongside the president and vice president, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, White House Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were also in attendance.
Following the attacks, the president addressed the nation.
“A short time ago, the U.S. military executed significant precision strikes on three critical nuclear facilities within the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan,” he stated. “These names have been known for years as they developed this extremely destructive program.
“Our goal was to eliminate Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities and to halt the nuclear threat posed by the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. This evening, I can inform the world that the strikes were an extraordinary military success,” he concluded.
“For four decades, Iran has consistently proclaimed, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They have been responsible for the deaths of our citizens, amputating limbs with roadside explosives,” Trump stated. “That has been their expertise. We have lost over a thousand individuals, and countless others across the Middle East and globally have perished as a direct consequence of their animosity, particularly.”
Trump further asserted that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “completely destroyed” and that the nation has been cornered, necessitating a move towards peace.
“Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites have been entirely and utterly annihilated,” Trump remarked. “And Iran, the aggressor in the Middle East, must now pursue peace. Should they fail to do so, future assaults would be significantly more severe and considerably simpler.”
Trump’s remarks followed his announcement on Thursday, via Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, that he would determine whether to engage in military action against Iran within a two-week period, which now seems to have been a deliberate diversion.
“I have a direct message from the president, and I quote, ‘Given the substantial possibility of negotiations that may or may not occur with Iran in the near future, I will decide whether or not to proceed within the next two weeks,’” Leavitt stated during a White House briefing, quoting the president.
Trump had consistently urged Iran to come to an agreement regarding its nuclear program prior to initiating military operations against its nuclear sites. However, Iran withdrew from planned discussions with the U.S. on June 15 in Oman and refused to re-engage in negotiations in the subsequent days. On June 12, Israel executed preemptive strikes on Iran after intelligence suggested rapid advancements in Iran’s nuclear initiative.
Trump lauded the U.S. military for successfully carrying out the operation and praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his cooperation with the U.S. during the mission.
“I wish to express my gratitude and extend my congratulations to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We collaborated as a team, perhaps unlike any team has ever done before, and we have made significant progress in eliminating this dreadful threat to Israel. I also want to commend the Israeli military for the excellent work they have accomplished,” the president stated. “Most importantly, I would like to congratulate the brave American patriots who piloted those remarkable aircraft tonight, as well as all members of the United States military for an operation that the world has not witnessed in many, many decades.”]}
