[Text/Observer Network Liu Chenghui] "How did Trump quietly decide to launch a historic strike on Iran?" On June 22, CNN reported details of the decision-making process and action for US President Trump's authorization to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.
The report described that during the operation, the US military deployed seven B-2 stealth bombers as well as more than 125 various aircraft including reconnaissance planes and refueling aircraft. Several B-2 bombers deliberately flew westward to divert external attention and cover the true attack fleet.
The report also mentioned that when Trump publicly claimed he would make a decision within "two weeks," he had actually already finalized the plan. Vice President Vance revealed that Trump could cancel the strike "until the last moment," but he ultimately chose to proceed.
"The US military adopted a misleading strategy."
On the evening of the 20th Eastern Time, while Trump was leisurely enjoying himself at his golf club in New Jersey, the aircraft tasked with the strike mission were already prepared for takeoff, executing an operation codenamed "Midnight Hammer" (Operation Midnight Hammer).
The B-2 stealth bombers carrying 30,000 pounds (about 13.6 tons) of heavy penetration bombs took off from bases in Missouri, targeting Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Meanwhile, another group of aircraft flew westward, which was part of Trump's deliberate misleading strategy to keep the operation completely confidential.
American aviation enthusiasts discovered the takeoff of US Air Force tankers on the flight tracking platform Flightradar24.
In order to execute this mission, the US military unprecedentedly mobilized seven B-2 stealth bombers, with over 125 aircraft involved in total, including aerial tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, and fighter jets.
At around 5:00 PM Eastern Time on the 21st, an American submarine launched more than twenty "Tomahawk" cruise missiles at the Isfahan nuclear facility.
Subsequently, at around 6:40 PM Eastern Time (2:10 AM local time in Iran), the first B-2 bomber dropped two penetration bombs on the Fordow nuclear facility. The remaining bombers then hit their targets, with strikes continuing until 7:05 PM Eastern Time.
After the aircraft left Iranian airspace, Trump first publicly announced the operation on his social platform "Truth Social."
Defense Secretary Hengseth said at a Pentagon press conference on the morning of the 21st that the operation began at midnight on the 20th Eastern Time. The B-2 bombers took off from Missouri and completed an over 18-hour flight mission, the longest such mission in over 20 years.
April 30, 2025, White Man Air Base in Missouri, USA, a B-2 stealth bomber from the 509th Bomb Wing takes off from White Man Air Base. Visual China.
Although the US military operation may have far-reaching effects on US national security and Trump's presidential legacy, others at the golf club seemed not to notice any anxiety from Trump regarding authorizing the strike on Iran.
When Trump went to the club restaurant with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to attend a new member event, witnesses said that at least in public, Trump appeared relaxed and composed.
"I hope he is right about artificial intelligence." Trump joked while pointing at Altman.
A day later, Trump wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap sat into the Situation Room underground in the White House to watch the progress of the "Midnight Hammer" operation live on the wall-mounted large screen.
A few hours later, he announced that "this air strike has achieved tremendous military success."
The decision to conduct the air strike directly involved the United States in the Middle East conflict, raising concerns about Iran's retaliation and Trump's ultimate objectives. In the days prior, while Trump issued strong threats on social media, he privately expressed concerns that military strikes might drag the US into a prolonged war.
Despite Trump's repeated public statements suggesting no decision had been made, officials generally believed he had already made up his mind. According to allies who interacted with Trump, by the 19th, the day he claimed he would decide within "two weeks" whether to strike Iran, he had already reached a decision.
He left Bedminster Golf Club on Saturday afternoon to return to the White House for a scheduled National Security Council meeting. Trump's unusual weekend schedule was included in the president's agenda a day in advance.
Vice President Vance told NBC in an interview on the 22nd that Trump "could cancel the strike until the last moment," but he ultimately chose to proceed.
US government officials went to great lengths to keep the operation confidential. Delaying the announcement of the decision for two weeks was also part of the plan to confuse perceptions. Senior officials revealed that Trump officially approved the operation on the 21st.
"This is the result of months and weeks of deployment and preparation to ensure we can act immediately when ordered by the president," Hengseth said. "It is an extremely precise mission involving misleading tactics and top-level operational confidentiality measures."
"Trump Worried About Two Major Issues in Striking Iran"
In fact, as early as the weekend meeting at Camp David in early June, Trump and the National Security Team began seriously discussing options to strike Iran. At that time, CIA Director John Ratcliffe reported to him that Israel was preparing to launch an attack.
Relevant strike options had already been prepared. Disagreements among Trump's advisors had been resolved beforehand, providing the president with specific actionable options.
A week before finally deciding to deploy stealth bombers and naval submarines to attack three nuclear facilities, Trump held briefings with the National Security Team in the Situation Room every day to discuss the strike plan and its consequences.
It was reported that Trump was concerned about two major issues: one, the strike must destroy highly fortified nuclear facilities, particularly the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow; two, avoiding being drawn into a long-term war that he had vowed to avoid during his campaign.
In terms of the first issue, officials expressed confidence in the US bunker-buster bombs, although such strikes were unprecedented. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kane said on the 22nd that preliminary assessments indicated that the three nuclear facilities had suffered "extremely severe damage," but the final impact on Iran's nuclear capabilities still needed time to evaluate.
US military GBU-57 "Bunker Buster" giant penetrating bomb Visual China.
Meanwhile, Iran downplayed the impact of the attack. Manan Raeisi, representative of Qom Province in the Iranian Parliament, told reporters in an interview that he had "reliable intelligence" indicating that the Fordow nuclear facility located deep in the mountains of Qom Province had not suffered serious damage, mainly affecting the above-ground portion, which could be repaired.
There were also high-ranking Iranian political figures who claimed that the US had informed Iran in advance of its actions and stated that it had no intention of "full-scale war."
As for concerns about potential long-term wars, officials could not give the president any guarantees, as Iran's retaliation was unpredictable.
CNN cited two sources familiar with the matter as revealing that the US had secretly discussed conveying the following message to Iran through back channels: Trump ordered the air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, and this operation will be limited in scope, with no further plans for future air strikes.
However, Trump warned in his speech late on the evening of the 21st that if Iran retaliated, the US would launch "even stronger" attacks, indicating that the situation in the Middle East was entering a highly uncertain phase.
At the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the 22nd, Russia and China strongly condemned the US air strike, and Iran engaged in heated exchanges with representatives of the US and Israel.
The Iranian representative harshly condemned the US-Israeli attack as "naked aggression," severely violating the Charter of the United Nations and fundamental principles of international law. The Israeli representative insisted that striking Iran's nuclear facilities was a necessary "just action," portraying "a nuclear-armed Iran as a death sentence."
The Russian representative criticized the US for taking action without authorization from anyone, reminiscent of the Iraq War in 2003. The US once again fabricated excuses to impose suffering on the people of the Middle East.
This article is an exclusive piece by Observer Network, unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7518970958330217011/
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