Israel pummeled Iran overnight Thursday, launching its largest-ever military operation against its regional rival and upending President Trump’s push for a nuclear deal with Tehran.
The U.S. quickly sought to distance itself from the strikes, which killed Iran’s top military leaders and targeted key nuclear facilities, but administration officials were reportedly briefed on the plans ahead of time.
Trump blamed Iran for the attack Friday morning, arguing its leaders failed to quickly strike an agreement to wind down its nuclear program.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.”
Earlier this week, Iran said it would target U.S. bases in the Middle East if “a conflict is imposed on us,” a move that could trigger a direct U.S. response inside Iran or against its proxies across the Middle East.
The U.S. would also face immense pressure to come to Israel’s defense in an escalating conflict.
Here are the key takeaways as Trump faces a perilous moment.
Israel targets nuclear sites, generals
Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear sites and took out several top military personnel, dealing a devastating blow to the Islamic Republic’s fighting force.
Israel was able to kill Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami, one of the most powerful military figures in the country, and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s military.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) also took out Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC’s Air Force, and Gen. Gholamali Rashid, the deputy commander-in-chief of Iran’s armed forces.
The overnight attack killed Ali Shamkhanim, an influential politician and a close adviser of Khameini. Shamkhanim was involved in the nuclear talks with the U.S. The strikes also killed two prominent Iranian nuclear scientists — Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi.
The IDF said 200 Israeli jets were involved in the operation, striking 100 targets with 330 different munitions.
Israel hit Iran’s aerial defense and long-range missile sites and dealt damage to the country’s nuclear sites.
Netanyahu said in a Thursday night video that Israel struck Natanz, Iran’s nuclear facility where the majority of the fuel is produced. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the watchdog agency based in Austria, confirmed that Natanz, which has two enrichment plants, has been damaged.
“The Agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country.” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said Thursday night.
Grossi added that the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, the second pilot enrichment plant positioned underground, “has not been impacted.”
Netanyahu promised Friday to continue the aerial attacks as long as necessary.
US distances itself from attacks
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement Thursday night as Israel began its waves of strikes on Iranian targets.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said.
“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” he added.
Trump publicly soured on the prospects of a nuclear deal with Iran after its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei berated the latest U.S. proposal earlier this month.
Last week, Trump warned, “time is running out on Iran’s decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly.”
However, Trump also said he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to hold off on an attack, with a sixth round of U.S.-Iran talks scheduled for this weekend.
The latest U.S. proposal would have phased out Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities over time, effectively ending its nuclear program, which Khamenei said was a non-starter.
Trump said Friday morning that Iran had missed his 60-day deadline to reach a deal.
“They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there,” he added. “Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”
It’s not entirely clear when the 60-day clock began. Trump reportedly issued the 60-day ultimatum to Iran’s leader in a letter in March, which means the deadline would have been sometime in May.
Iran promises ‘harsh’ response
Khamenei said Israel “should anticipate a harsh punishment” after the stunning attacks on Iranian soil.
In a statement, the Iranian government said Israel showed it “does not adhere to any international rules or laws and, like a drunkard, openly and brazenly engages in terror and ignites the flames of war before the eyes of the world.”
“Starting a war with Iran is playing with the lion’s tail,” it added.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, told Senate Republicans last week that Iran would look to launch a “mass casualty” event if Israel attacked nuclear sites, Axios reported.
The Jerusalem Post on Friday cited a senior Israeli source warning that Iran and Israel were headed for a month of “significant exchanging of missile-based blows.”
Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh issued an explicit warning to the U.S. on Wednesday.
“Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us … all US bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh told reporters.
Grossi, of the IAEA, warned earlier this week that Israeli strikes were unlikely to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities — and risked hardening Iran’s determination to build a nuclear bomb.
Israel said Iran launched 100 drones at Israel in its initial response to the strikes, but said the attack was thwarted by air defense systems.
Nuclear talks derailed – for now
Iranian officials have pulled out of a planned sixth round of nuclear talks with the U.S. on Sunday in Muscat.
Still, Witkoff still intends to have talks with Iranian representatives on Sunday in Muscat, Oman, a U.S. official briefed on the matter told The Hill on Friday.
The U.S. started nuclear negotiations with Iran in April. The two sides have held five rounds of talks so far, with three taking place in Muscat, Oman and the other two meetings in Rome, Italy.
Both said after the fifth round in Rome in late May that some progress has been made, but the two sides are still far from striking an agreement.
Trump was also facing dissent among Republicans that a new deal would look like the Obama-era deal he pulled out of in 2018. Iran hawks have long called for a more muscular approach to Tehran, while many in Trump’s MAGA base worry Israel’s strikes could pull the U.S. into another foreign war.
The main sticking point to a nuclear deal remains Iran’s insistence to continue enriching uranium, a red line for the U.S. and Israel, which claim Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Despite Iran withdrawing from talks, Trump continued to push a deal on Friday. The president has long said he would prefer to strike a diplomatic solution with Iran, and that the alternative might entail military force.
The main U.S. leverage in the negotiations is the potential lifting of the crippling sanctions Trump imposed during his first White House term after withdrawing from the Obama-negotiated Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
