US Launches Massive Strikes on Key Iranian Nuclear Facilities, Escalating Regional Conflict

Under US law, only Congress has the power to formally declare war. However, as Commander in Chief, the President can deploy US troops and conduct military operations without a formal declaration.

RMN News Political Desk
June 22, 2025 

NEW YORK – The United States has completed a “very successful attack” on three of Iran’s nuclear sites, including Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan, President Donald Trump announced, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Trump stated that a “full payload of bombs” was dropped on Fordo, a critical enrichment plant located deep within a remote mountainside. Israeli officials confirmed they were in “full coordination” with the US in planning these strikes.

The targeted sites are central to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Fordo, a secretive uranium enrichment site south of Tehran, is believed to be deeper underground than the Channel Tunnel. Experts consider its depth a challenge for most weaponry, with only the US possessing a “bunker buster” bomb large and strong enough to potentially destroy it.

US officials confirmed the use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which weighs 13,000kg (30,000lb) and can penetrate approximately 18 meters of concrete or 61 meters of earth before exploding. While Fordo’s tunnels are thought to be 80-90 meters below the surface, making success not guaranteed, the MOP is considered the only bomb capable of coming close. Two MOPs were reportedly used for each target struck.

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The current air war between Iran and Israel has lasted over a week, beginning with a surprise Israeli attack on dozens of Iranian nuclear and military targets on June 13, aimed at dismantling what Israel claimed was a nuclear program soon capable of producing a bomb. Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful and retaliated by launching hundreds of rockets and drones towards Israel.

President Trump has long opposed Iran possessing a nuclear weapon, despite a US national intelligence assessment in March that Iran was not building one. Prior to the strikes, the US and Iran were engaged in nuclear talks, and Trump had initially given Iran two weeks for substantial negotiations, though this timeline was significantly shortened.

The extent of the damage to the nuclear enrichment facilities and any casualties from the US attack remains unclear. However, the deputy political director of Iran’s state broadcaster claimed that Iran had evacuated these three nuclear sites “a while ago,” suggesting they “didn’t suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out”. In the broader conflict with Israel, Iran has reported more than 200 people killed and over 1,200 injured. Following the US strikes, Israel has heightened its public security restrictions across the country, including prohibitions on educational activities, gatherings, and workplaces.

Despite being significantly weakened by Israel’s prior attacks on its military bases and regional proxies, Iran is still capable of inflicting “considerable damage”. Iranian officials have warned the US against involvement, stating it would suffer “irreparable damage” and risk an “all-out war” in the region.

Iran has threatened to target US military assets across at least 19 regions in the Middle East, including the US Navy’s 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain and the critical shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz, which transports 30% of the world’s oil supply. Attacks on other sea routes or assets of nearby countries perceived to be aiding the US could also destabilize global markets and cause the war to spill over across the entire region.

Under US law, only Congress has the power to formally declare war. However, as Commander in Chief, the President can deploy US troops and conduct military operations without a formal declaration, as seen with Trump’s 2017 airstrikes in Syria. While some lawmakers are attempting to limit Trump’s ability to order strikes on Iran through a war powers resolution, such measures may be more symbolic than substantive. The US strikes carry significant risks for President Trump, who had previously styled himself as a “peacemaker” and campaigned against “stupid endless wars” in the Middle East, potentially leading to party dissent.