Just days before Donald Trump gave the go-ahead for air strikes, Iran had already signaled exactly how it would respond if the U.S. attacked. Reports suggest Iran made its position very clear ahead of the military operation.
On Saturday, President Trump officially authorized a major strike on Iran. In response, the U.S. deployed 125 aircraft which flew more than 7,000 miles to hit three critical nuclear facilities in Iran. The action was taken following Trump’s direct orders.
In a national address delivered after the strike, Trump told the public: “The US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear assemblies in the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.”
“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.”
In addition to the strikes, President Trump issued a strong warning to Iran, cautioning them not to strike back. He stated that any form of retaliation would be met with even greater force than what was seen over the weekend.
But as tensions grew, Iranian officials had already spoken about their potential response to an American airstrike. These remarks were made before the attacks on their nuclear facilities actually happened, according to insiders.
Donald Trump ordered the US military to attack Iran over the weekendTasos Katopodis/Getty Images
According to a report by NBC News, Iran delivered a stark warning to Trump, threatening to unleash sleeper-cell terrorism inside the United States if the country was attacked. This warning reportedly came through an intermediary during last week’s G7 summit in Canada.
Sleeper cells are individuals, spies or terrorists—who live under the radar in countries like the U.S. They typically lead quiet lives and hold regular jobs, but remain ready to act when given orders. That’s how The Independent explains it.
Given this alarming possibility, authorities in New York have reportedly raised their security alert levels and are remaining extra cautious.
New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, spoke out and said: “There are no notable threats directly to the city, but you always want to be conscious of lone wolves.”
As a precaution, New York Police are reportedly stepping up their presence in areas closely connected to Jewish and Persian communities, as well as busy tourist spots like Times Square, according to NBC.
Mayor Adams also added: “We want to make sure no lone wolf attacks happen at those locations.”
Mayor Adams went on to reassure the city’s residents that local authorities are actively increasing safety efforts to keep people protected.
Meanwhile, political leaders from around the world have begun sharing their views on the growing conflict. Among them is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who publicly encouraged Iran to return to diplomatic talks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned about how it would retaliate if the US attackedOffice of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images
The UK Prime Minister held a phone call with Trump on Sunday evening after the strike on Iran. According to Downing Street, both leaders agreed that Iran should never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and urged Tehran to resume diplomatic negotiations.
“The leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East and reiterated the grave risk posed by Iran’s nuclear programme to international security.” Downing Street stated.
“They discussed the actions taken by the United States last night to reduce the threat and agreed that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.”
“They discussed the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and to make progress on a lasting settlement.”
“They agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days.”
Israel launches attack
Even though tensions between Israel and Iran have been brewing for years, things escalated significantly on June 13. On that day, Israel launched a full-scale military operation targeting Iranian military and nuclear locations, resulting in the deaths of nuclear scientists and top military officials.
Israel defended the attack by arguing that Iran was dangerously close to developing a nuclear weapon. That, they said, was the driving reason behind the strike.