If Iran is sufficiently weakened that it cannot meaningfully retaliate, Trump will have delivered a blow against a longtime adversary that will send a message to China, Russia and other global rivals that he will not shy from using military power when necessary.

President Donald Trump addressed the nation after the United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday. From the White House, Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The United States dropped bombs onto three Iranian nuclear sites late Saturday, in what President Donald Trump called "a spectacular military success." Before the smoke could clear, and even before Iran launched their own missile strikes on Israel to counter the U.