Letters from an American - June 21, 2025

Episode Date: June 22, 2025

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June 21, 2025. At 7.50 this evening, Eastern Time, President Donald J. Trump posted on social media, We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran airspace. A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American warriors. There is not another military in the world that could have done this. Now is the time for peace.

Thank you for your attention to this matter." Then he posted a statement saying, I will be giving an address to the nation at 10 o'clock p.m. at the White House regarding our very successful military operation in Iran. This is an historic moment for the United States of America, Israel, and the world. Iran must now agree to end this war. Thank you." Then he posted an American flag. Just after 10 o'clock tonight, flanked by Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio,

and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump spoke briefly to the nation. He said, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime, Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. 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. Tonight I can report to the world that the by the world's number one state sponsor of terror.

Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier. For 40 years, Iran has been saying, death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people,

blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over a thousand people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate. In particular, so many were killed by their general, Qasem Soleimani, whom Trump ordered assassinated in 2020.

I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue. I wanna thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before. And we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done. And, most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines

tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that so. I also want to congratulate the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Raisen Cain, spectacular general, and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this

attack. With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill.

Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There's no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close. There's never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago. Tomorrow, General Kaine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will have a press conference at 8 a.m. at the Pentagon. And I want to just thank everybody, and in particular God. I want to just say we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them.

God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel. And God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you. In the Atlantic, foreign affairs scholar Tom Nichols noted, President Donald Trump has done what he swore he would not do, involve the United States in a war in the Middle East.

Letters from an American was written and read by Heather Cox Richardson. It was produced at Soundscape Productions, dead in Massachusetts. Recorded with music composed by Michael Moss. Thanks for watching!