By Matt Peterson
President Donald Trump took the U.S. into war with Iran on Saturday, raising the specter that the nation would return to the bloody Middle East entanglements of the early 2000s.
U.S. planes dropped bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran, Trump said on social media. "A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," Trump wrote on his Truth Social. Fordow is buried deep underground and is thought only to be vulnerable to special bombs carried on B-2 stealth bombers. Aviation spotters had seen aircraft moving toward the Middle East early in the day.
The extent the damage wasn't immediately clear. The planes are out of Iranian airspace and safely on their way back home, Trump said, adding that he would address the nation at 10 p.m.
"This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!" Trump added on Truth Social.
The attacks occurred while major markets are closed. Stocks have fallen and oil prices have risen lately as investors braced for the possible attack. Trump had said Thursday he would decide on whether to join Israel's attack within two weeks. On Saturday, he apparently had judged diplomacy had failed.
For a decade, Trump had portrayed himself as a peacemaker. One of his breakout political moments came during a Republican primary debate in 2015. Trump excoriated President George W. Bush for the Iraq war in front of the president's younger brother Jeb. "Obviously, the war in Iraq was a big fat mistake," Trump said.
"We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East, " he said.
Trump has long insisted he was the only president never to take the U.S. to war. That claim always overlooked major U.S. military operations during his first term in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan as well as smaller commitments in North Africa and elsewhere.
But with the attack on Iran, Trump puts himself squarely into a decadeslong line of U.S. presidents who have ordered the military into combat in the Middle East.
In doing so he faces risks both abroad and at home.
Trump has said repeatedly that Iran cannot be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon. That will require eliminating Fordow. It may take multiple bombing runs to destroy the site, and it will be difficult to assess how much damage has been done without viewing the site in person -- a dangerous task at the best of times, and all but impossible now.
Much of what the outside world knows about Iran's nuclear facilities comes from reports by the International Atomic Energy's inspectors. It is unlikely they will ever be allowed to return.
Iran's missiles and drones have killed more two dozen Israeli citizens. Now, facing a vastly more powerful military, Tehran's theocratic regime is likely to turn to asymmetric tools of warfare to inflict pain on the U.S. hoping to punish Washington for its role and deter further involvement.
Should it retaliate with force, its first steps may be below the level of mining the Strait of Hormuz or attacking Saudi Arabia's oil facilities. "Iran will try to take out Iraqi oil production," said Matt Gertken, chief strategist at research firm BCA.
The U.S. and Iran may get attempt further negotiations. But once it is clear those efforts are fruitless, "there's no holds barred," Gertken said. The possibility of a spiraling Middle East war is likely to keep energy prices high and equity markets off-balance for some time.
In the U.S., Trump is likely to face questions from his political allies. Influential conservative broadcaster Tucker Carlson posted an interview on X on Wednesday in which he questioned the wisdom of attacking Iran. "I think that we should be very careful about entering into more foreign wars that don't help us when our country is dying," Carlson said.
Trump in an Oval Office press conference Wednesday insisted his MAGA political movement would stay with him. "My supporters are for me. My supporters are America First," Trump said. He said Friday Carlson had called and apologized to him.
The president needs political capital to continue advancing his agenda. Congressional Republicans are still divided over the tax package Trump campaigned on, and any erosion of his influence in the party could damage the bill's prospects.
Trump also promised that cheap energy would help beat inflation. Oil prices have soared since Israel's recent campaign against Iran. That comes as the Federal Reserve warns it won't cut interest rates until it understands how Trump's tariffs will affect prices. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 also drove up energy prices, accelerating the inflation that ultimately forced Democrats out of office.
To be sure, Iran has long menaced Israel and the U.S., and its paramilitary proxies in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq have killed thousands of civilians. Trump's unwillingness to allow the regime a nuclear weapon is a goal shared by his fiercest political adversaries. If successful, eliminating Iran's nuclear program would be a major step toward making the world a more peaceful place.
But that is a big "if." U.S. presidents have turned to air power repeatedly in the Middle East only to find that bombs from above cannot achieve political goals. Even an attack as carefully planned as Israel's campaign may only be able to set back Iran's nuclear program, not destroy it entirely.
Meanwhile, there is little sign that Trump is following a long-term strategy that resolves the difficult issues raised by the disastrous U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Among those are the famous Pottery Barn rule attributed to late Secretary of State Colin Powell: "You break it, you own it."
Trump now owns the Iran war, whatever it costs.
Write to Matt Peterson at matt.peterson@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 21, 2025 20:30 ET (00:30 GMT)
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