Timeline of events that led to US joining war in Iran as Trump 'goes dark'
Donald Trump made the shocking decision to wade into the conflict between Israel and Iran on Saturday night (21 June), launching strikes in Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan in Iran.
Describing the attacks as a 'spectacular military success', Trump was not shy in sharing details of the planned strikes, as the country's B-2 stealth bombers released bombs on Iran's primary nuclear facility.
The decision was made after Iran was accused of building its own nuclear weapons.
Following the bombings, Trump took to Truth Social, confirming: "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
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"All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordo."
He thanked the 'great American Warriors' involved in the mission on social media and urged that 'NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!'
Iran foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated that it was 'outrageous' and that the US' actions 'will have everlasting consequences'.
The move has left the world shocked - so what happened in the lead-up to the bombings?
Friday 20 June
Trump gives himself 'two weeks' to decide on bombings
On Friday afternoon, Trump flew on Air Force One to a fundraising event in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he claimed on the runway that two weeks would be the deadline he'd set himself.
Many thought this meant that the idea of a strike was off the table, for now at least, after the president's words less than 48 hours prior to the bombings.
Assessing the threat of Iran
Trump spoke with a number of his top advisers, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine.
They believed that Iran would get a nuclear bomb within weeks, and the team assessed the chances of a successful strike, report MailOnline.
Saturday 21 June
Trump goes 'dark'
As the weekend dawned, it was noted that the Trump administration had gone 'uncharacteristically dark', steering clear of social media more than normal, while the president didn't speak to groups of reporters as he usually would.
Reports suggested that Iran was not willing to talk to Trump, after officials reached out to the Middle Eastern nation earlier that day.
4:30pm
Trump helicoptered from Bedminster to Morristown Municipal Airport, refusing to speak to press on the plane.
6:01pm
Trump's Marine Helicopter touched down at the White House, giving onlookers a thumbs up and a fist-pump.
6:03pm
Just two minutes later, he entered the White House in silence, heading to the West Wing to reconvene with his team in the Situation Room.
Waiting here were all four of Trump's top advisers.
The US is then said to have reached out to Israel to confirm that an attack on Iran was on the way.
Trump decides to strike multiple bases
While Fordow was the main target, Trump also made the decision to fire 30 Tomahawk missiles from US submarines from 400 miles away at sites based in Natanz and Isfahan.
It was said that the waning moon in Iran also played a part in his decision to order the bombings sooner rather than later, as it would provide cover for the B-2 bombers.
Reports hit the Situation Room, confirming that the mission had been a success, leading to the president's now infamous message on social media.
10pm - Aftermath
Trump addressed the nation in a speech that would last under four minutes following the attacks.
The president branded Iran as 'the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terror' and 'the bully of the Middle East', threatening future attacks that would be more severe.
He also stated: "A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
"Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terror.
"Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated."
Trump also gave thanks to Caine in particular, before claiming: "There is no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight."
How did the Iran-Israel conflict actually begin?
Relations between Iran and Israel have been tense for a long time, but last week, Israel escalated hostility after it launched a large-scale attack on nuclear targets in Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were 'a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival', claiming Iran 'could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time'.
Several nuclear development sites in Iran were targeted along with some senior military personnel during Israel's bombing attack, with Iran responding by saying Israel 'started a war'.
This has sparked several retaliatory missile exchanges between the two Middle Eastern countries in the days since.
Iranian state media threatened to strike military bases and ships belonging to the UK, US and France if those countries help Israel defend against retaliatory missile strikes, saying there would be 'grave and far-reaching consequences' if these countries got involved.
In response, Trump went on to insist that should Iran strike any American bases it would face 'the full strength and might of the US armed forces'.
And it looks like he's followed through on that threat with this weekend's strikes on Iran.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Iran
Joshua Nair