# Israel, and the USA as of June 21, 2025, strikes dozens of targets in Iran, including nuclear program

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** breaking-news\
**Created:** [June 13, 2025, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556 "2025-06-13T01:51:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 30

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**Author:** ![mplo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mplo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mplo)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/581 "2025-06-24T12:08:34Z")

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This is totally crazy! This could put Israel and the United States in danger.

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**Author:** ![mplo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mplo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mplo)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/582 "2025-06-24T12:11:04Z")

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If and when looks at the whole history of the United States, Donald Trump’s ascension into the Oval Office, and his dangerously irresponsible policies was a long time coming.

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/583 "2025-06-24T12:12:36Z")

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Keep this to breaking news please, this comment does not belong in this thread.

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**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/584 "2025-06-24T12:23:51Z")

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> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> Trump drops an F-bomb on live TV as his ceasefire falls apart.

So… Trump is learning that not everyone kow-tows to him and getting peace is harder than simply ordering it as one would order a meal from McDonald’s?

I am ROTFLMAO - except, of course, actual people are dying over this, and I care about my fellow humans, even when they’re acting worse than a homicidal troop of screaming, poo-flinging chimpanzees.

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**Author:** ![mplo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mplo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mplo)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/585 "2025-06-24T12:25:09Z")

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> **off topic post hidden by Puzzlegal**
>
> There are a number of reasons why 911 happened, in the first place.
> 
> A) G. W. Bush chose to ignore Clinton’s warning about the fact that 911 was about to happen, and tied Clinton’s and the FBI’s hands.
> 
> B) The United States government has spent so many decades controlling, or attempting to control how other countries are governed, and to insist that other governments tally up to United States’ government’s interests that somebody was bound to react, and it happened.
> 
> C) Since many other countries have been hit by terrorism in some form or other, the United States was bound to get hit sooner or later, and we did.
> 
> D) G. W. Bush deliberately tied the FBI’s hands, if one gets the drift.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/588 "2025-06-24T12:38:20Z")

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Moderating:

@mplo

I think you want this thread

> [@The 2025 Israel vs Iran and geopolitical implications thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2025-israel-vs-iran-and-geopolitical-implications-thread/1019829):
>
> (As two P&E threads have been closed for lack of content and as the MPSIMS thread is dedicated to breaking news, here is a proper, dedicated thread for P&E where posters can get into the intricacies of the conflict along with strong opinions about each of the players.) For context, on June 13th, 2025, Israel attacked Iran with airstrikes and drone strikes, hitting military infrastructure, high ranking commanders and a variety of targets related to Iran’s nuclear program. Iran has retaliated wit…

As you don’t seem to be able to avoid political speculation in this breaking news thread, you are now banned from it. Just from this thread. I think you can have the conversations you want in other threads, such as the one i linked.

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/589 "2025-06-24T13:04:24Z")

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> [@DETXL](#):
>
> But, right, agreed to your main point. Probably chief among them besides maybe first responders the IDF? The Air Force has always had an impressive ability to surge operations, but I don’t think they’ve conducted sorties at this tempo ([over a thousand in eight days](https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1936394722731229432)) since at least 2006, and that did not involve multiple 1,000-km missions. None of that is sustainable.

Yeah, both air force personnel and the airframes themselves could undoubtedly use a break.

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/590 "2025-06-24T13:26:14Z")

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> [@Alessan](#):
>
> There was an attack about half an hour before the ceasefire came into effect that killed 4 people in an apartment building in Beersheba, but that’s not what this is about - there was also a missile launched at 10:30 local time, three and a half hours after the ceasefire was supposed to have come into effect, which was intercepted before it reached Israel. That’s the violation Israel retaliated for.

Yes, here’s the timeline from Ynet:

_“בשעה 7:00 נכנסה הפסקת האש לתוקף. בשעה 7:06 שיגרה איראן טיל אחד לשטח ישראל ובשעה 10:25 שני טילים נוספים. הטילים יורטו או נפלו בשטח פתוח ללא נפגעים ולא נזק. בתגובה להפרות של איראן, חיל האוויר השמיד מערך מכ"מים סמוך לטהרן. בהמשך לשיחת הנשיא טראמפ עם ראש הממשלה נתניהו, ישראל נמנעה מתקיפות נוספות. בשיחה הביע הנשיא טראמפ את הערכתו העצומה לישראל - שהשיגה את כל מטרות המלחמה. כן הביע הנשיא את ביטחונו ביציבות הפסקת האש”._

You can machine translate my cite if needed, but what it says is:

30 minutes max before 7 - rocket hit Beer Sheva, kills 4  
7 am - ceasefire goes into effect  
7:06 - Iranian rocket goes out, seemingly fired late as part of a prior barrage.  
10:25 - two more Iranian rockets.

At this point the IDF went to retaliate, Trump sent his tweets, Bibi and Trump had a conversation and came to an understanding, and the jets just destroyed some symbolic targets and came home.

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**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/591 "2025-06-24T17:53:58Z")

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Well, IDF Homefront Command has officially ended the state of emergency, reopening schools and places of employment. So it seems that as far as the Israeli government is concerned, this round of combat is over.

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**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/592 "2025-06-24T20:10:52Z")

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NYT is saying the US strike only set Iran’s nuclear program back by a few months. According to US intelligence, Iran could have put a bomb together in 3 months before the start of hostilities, and the attacks have only delayed their program by 6 months.

> **[Strike Set Back Iran’s Nuclear Program by Only a Few Months, U.S. Report Says](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us/politics/iran-nuclear-sites.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes)**
>
> Classified findings indicate that the attack sealed off the entrances to two facilities but did not collapse their underground buildings.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/593 "2025-06-24T21:00:07Z")

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From the other thread, i note that government officials are denying that bit of news:

> [@The 2025 Israel vs Iran and geopolitical implications thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2025-israel-vs-iran-and-geopolitical-implications-thread/1019829/178):
>
> White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement: “This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community.

(@Railer13 is quoting CNN, but the quote tags are messed up.)

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**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/594 "2025-06-25T19:18:54Z")

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These estimates of delay and production timelines are like blindfolded scientists describing an elephant by touching various appendages… no one has sufficient intelligence information to do more than hazard a guess.

Even a uranium gun type device requires complex machining and isn’t suitable for missile delivery.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/595 "2025-06-25T19:45:06Z")

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At this point, even Iran probably doesn’t know how much damage was done.

Of course, when they do know, nobody else will be able to trust what they say, but at this point, they’re not even lying.

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**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/596 "2025-06-25T19:51:27Z")

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Depending on how tyrannic their government has become and how bad the damage is they may not even know for quite some time, if they have devolved to a “kill the bearer of bad news” stage nobody will dare tell the ayatollah the bad news.  
Better to lie and live for a few months, a year, heck, may be ~~the horse will learn to sing~~ the centrifuges will be repaired on time…

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/597 "2025-06-25T19:51:32Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> At this point, even Iran probably doesn’t know how much damage was done.

If the entrances collapsed, as pretty much everyone agrees, then yeah, even the Iranians wouldn’t know.

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/598 "2025-06-25T19:55:13Z")

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> [@Babale](#):
>
> If the entrances collapsed, as pretty much everyone agrees, then yeah, even the Iranians wouldn’t know.

I’d think there would be some kind of communication ability from the facility to the outside world. It not people maybe some cameras. And it probably can generate its own power to keep all the things running. Just guessing though.

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**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/599 "2025-06-25T19:58:07Z")

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Also one would think that they added a couple of side doors beside the main entrances, perhaps at the end of a long shaft. Not wide enough for trucks to move but enough for a person to escape from/inspect the facility in case the main doors were suddenly destroyed by superpowers carelessly dropping bombs.

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**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/600 "2025-06-25T20:03:13Z")

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> [@Babale](#):
>
> If the entrances collapsed, as pretty much everyone agrees, then yeah, even the Iranians wouldn’t know

The Iranians buried the entrances in the days leading up to the attack. This was in response to Israeli commando teams supposedly attempting to breach the complex by land. I believe it was deliberate misinformation by Israel. The MOP bombs targeted ventilation/access shafts as a weakness in the complex design.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/601 "2025-06-25T20:56:06Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> At this point, even Iran probably doesn’t know how much damage was done

They would know how much enriched uranium and how many centifuges were removed and loaded on trucks before the bombing.

> **[Images show "unusual" activity at Iran nuclear site before strikes](https://www.google.com/share.google?q=h3aMfHAJRL6YVt9RQ)**
>
> "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," President Donald Trump said on Saturday.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/602 "2025-06-25T21:02:30Z")

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I’m kinda amazed Israel didn’t keep 24/7 surveillance on Fordo and other nuclear sites.

If the WHOLE point was to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions then you’ve got to know Iran would work hard to save what they could. If Israel had air dominance they should have had drones, at the least, over those places absolutely non-stop. And, I would hope, some strike aircraft not too far away that could be called on to blow up any equipment trying to leave those sites. Or use the drones if they have some missiles.

No doubt that is hard to do but that’s the main job. How they didn’t get that right I am not sure unless Iran was just really, really fast at shutting things down and moving stuff the instant the first attacks happened (I’d think it would take a fair amount of time to arrange all the transport and get all the stuff that needs saving packed up and moved).

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