In an address to the nation, Trump said “there will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran” if they do not seek a peaceful resolution.
Despite publicly giving a two-week timeframe for a decision on whether the United States would engage Iran militarily, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday evening he ordered the targeting and destruction of three sites key to Iran’s nuclear weapons development program.
Nuclear research and development sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were struck by bunker buster bombs dropped by long-range B-2 stealth bomber planes and a barrage of thirty Tomahawk missiles. The bunker buster munitions, formally called GBU-57, is a GPS-guided weapon developed to reach targets buried as much as 200 feet below ground and each bunker buster weighs 30,000 pounds.
In a late-night address to the nation, Trump called the strikes “a spectacular military success”, calling Iran “the bully of the Middle East” and said Iran’s capability to enrich nuclear material has “been completely and totally obliterated.”
Trump pressed Iran on seeking peace, warning that potential future operations “would be far greater and a lot easier.”
The American operation follows a series of Israeli attacks on Iranian military targets over the past week. In video message after the operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the attacks and Trump’s resolve. Netanyahu said, “Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,” and that the United States “has done what no other country on earth could do.”
Both of Pennsylvania’s senators praised the military operation. Senior Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, said “this was the correct move” and that Iran “cannot have nuclear capabilities. Meanwhile, Fetterman’s Republican counterpart, Sen. Dave McCormick argued Iran did this to themselves, saying the attack “is the result of the Iranian regime’s failure to make a deal.”
Members of Pennsylvania’s delegation in the House were not as unified, with some Democrats blasting the operation.
Rep. Chris Deluzio from Pennsylvania’s 17th District bluntly posted on X: “Congress did not authorize this war” while Democratic Rep. Summer Lee called Trump’s order “outside of his authority” and “illegal”, saying eliminating Iran’s nuclear capabilities “brings us closer to war, not peace.”
Republicans from Pennsylvania largely praised the move, with freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan simply posting an image of the American flag on X.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said Trump made “the right call”, saying “peace through strength is how we lead.” Fitzpatrick also praised the military personnel involved.
Fellow Republican Rep. Guy Reschenthaler praised Trump for the strike, calling Iran a “direct threat to our national security and our allies in the region.”
Without adding any direct comments, Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia re-posted a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries who criticized Trump for misleading the country and risking “American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war.”
Similarly, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan reposted statements from other Democratic lawmakers criticizing Trump for “direct military action…without Congressional approval.”
Republican Rep. Dan Meuser called the strikes “justified and necessary” after Iran refused to follow Trump’s “good-faith diplomatic effort.”
