Map of Iran showing locations of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan bombed by U. S. military under Trump’s orders

Yesterday, June 21, 2025, President Trump ordered and the U. S. military carried out aerial attacks on three nuclear facilities in Iran. The three facilities were in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, in the north central region of Iran. Using at least six 30,000 lbs “bunker buster” bombs, the U. S. essentially annihilated Iran’s nuclear bomb manufacturing capabilities.

Trump justified the attacks on the basis that, he claims, Iran was very close to developing a nuclear weapon, and that the U. S. has a commitment to assisting in the defense of Israel, the U. S.’s strongest ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the Middle East. Iran had bombed Israel in April, 2024, and again in October, 2024. Israel launched an attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this month. Since then, they have been going back-and-forth in bombing each other, thought a crucial difference is that Israel is targeting military facilities, while Iran is bombing residential areas and other civilian-rich targets, including even a hospital.

No one denies that Iran had the capability and was working toward developing a nuclear weapon. There is debate, however, on how close they were to that goal. Well, they ain’t close no more! Or are they? Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, wrote in a post on X earlier today that, “The enrichment of nuclear material – and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons – will continue [for Iran]. … A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.” So, it may that, while Trump’s destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities may have prevented them (for now) developing a nuclear weapon, that alone will not stop them from procuring a nuclear bomb.

Did the president have the authority to execute this attack? Some in Congress are saying he did not, that the strikes constituted an act of war, and only Congress has the authority to declare war. Some democrats are, of course, calling for Trump to be impeached. However, Democrats weren’t always so upset about a president taking military action against a country without seeking Congressional approval or a declaration of war. Bill Clinton, in August 1998, authorized cruise missile strikes by the U. S. Navy on a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan and a camp in Afghanistan, both in retaliation for the bombings of Ameican embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, where 224 people, including 12 Americans, were killed and over 4,000 people injured. No Congressional authorization was sought or received for this action. Barack Obama ordered military strikes against seven countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Syria, during his administration, not seeking or receiving Congressional authorization for any of them. Secretary of State at the time, Hillary Clinton, dismissed the idea that the Executive Branch required authorization from Congress to initiate these strikes, and that Obama’s administration would ignore a 60-day moratorium against unauthorized military actions imposed by Congress. Congress didn’t utter a whisper on the matter at the time. But now, of course, since it’s Trump, the Democrats want to impeach him for doing what Clinton and Obama did when they were president.

None of this means that I don’t think Trump should have received Congressional authorization for these strikes. I do. Just as I think Clinton and Obama should have back in their day. But wishing and hoping is one thing. Since Thomas Jefferson in 1801 ordered a blockade of Tripoli and attacks on the Barbary pirates, both of which constituted acts of war, all without Congressional authorization, presidents have had few qualms about taking military action without the benefit of Congress’ approval. All of them, of course, found justification in their Constitutional powers. Trump is saying that this strike on Iran was a one-off, and he plans no further military actions (for now). Since it was a one-off, it didn’t measure up to entering war, so he required no authorization. One wonders what the next step will be, since Iran is showing no signs of backing down against Israel (or the U. S.), and Russia figures someone will simply give Iran a nuclear warhead, thereby frustrating Trump’s goal of Iran never getting a nuclear weapon.

Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They are an unstable regime, and a morally bankrupt theocracy. Their goal is to destroy Israel. A nuclear weapon in the hands of the ayatollahs would wreak havoc on any hope of peace in the Middle East. The potential would be there to nearly eliminate Israel with one or two bombs. Since eliminating Israel has been a publicly-spoken goal of Iran for decades, and since the current war with Israel has demonstrated that they have no moral jitters about killing civilians, I’m not sure what would stop them from deploying a nuclear bomb or two on Israel, should they ever get them. Nothing, I suspect. Israel would be destroyed, and Russia, or whoever gave Iran nuclear weapons, would be responsible. The question is: do any of these dictatorships, or rogue nations, care about Israel not being destroyed? My guess? No, not at all. So, it really is imperative that Iran not get any nuclear weapons.

Given that, and given that many, many other presidents have assumed the authority to act militarily without Congressional authorization, I can’t say that I blame Trump for his action. His intention was to destroy Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon on their own in the near future. He apparently succeeded in that. What will happen if another country gives Iran a nuclear weapon? Will the U. S. and Israel work together to destroy Iran’s capability to launch that weapon, or even to destroy those weapons? No one knows. I wish it was realistic to presume that no other country would be so stupid as to give Iran any nuclear warheads, but it’s well within the bounds of possibility that some country will be that stupid.

Let’s hope and pray that the damage caused to Iran by the U. S. airstrikes will be such that the people of Iran may be emobldened to rise up and put down their very unpopular government. Let’s further hope and pray that, even if that doesn’t happen, somehow cooler heads will prevail, and a ceasefire or even a suspension of the war effort by both countries will be attained. We can only hope and pray. As ordinary folk and Christian believers, we have no other weapons in our store.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.