Donald Trump thundered “no more wars” to cheering crowds in 2024. Yet, on 21 June 2025, US jets obliterated Iran’s nuclear sites. Has he sold a lie to his voters? His iron stance on Iran’s nukes begs a hard look. The Middle East’s tinderbox needs but a spark.
Trump’s 2024 campaign was blunt: America’s done with endless conflicts. He boasted of exiting Syria, avoiding new wars. “I’m not looking to go to war with Iran”, he said in October 2024. His pledge was clear: No more endless fights.
Still, Iran’s nuclear programme obsessed him. “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon”, he insisted in 2024, calling it a “personal insult” if Iran got a nuclear weapon during his presidency. He urged Israel to “hit the Iranian nuclear first”. A one-off strike fits his rhetoric, not a full war.
Saturday’s strikes were huge. B-2 bombers dropped 75 weapons, including bunker-busters, on Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan. Tomahawks were launched from submarines. Trump called it a “spectacular success”. Pentagon reports say Iran’s programme took “severe damage”. No US troops landed.
As for measurable results, Former CIA officer Mick Mulroy says Iran’s nukes are set back two to five years. Iran’s know-how survives, though. For now, this was a surgical hit, not an invasion. But the Middle East does not play nice. Trouble could follow.
Trump’s past shows restraint. In 2020, he killed Soleimani – no war came. In 2019, he cancelled an Iran strike, saying, “I’m not looking for war”. Sanctions, not soldiers, were his weapon. In 2024, he floated a new deal but warned, “Iran missed a chance”. Force was always an option. The 2025 strikes echo this. He has been consistent.
Critics shout “liar”. They say his “no wars” vow was fake, citing his tariffs and now strikes. His base – Senator Rand Paul, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene – hates Middle East wars. The MAGA movement pushes for non-interventionism, opposing Ukraine aid and even NATO expansion. Trump knows a long fight would lose them.
Trump’s move was about stopping Iran’s nukes, not seizing its land, or, as it appears, toppling its regime. Iran’s response is the danger. Tehran vows missiles, proxy attacks, blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Trump warned, “Retaliation will face far greater force”. His 2024 words – “we have to make a deal because the consequences are impossible”- show he gets the risk.
Has Trump lied? Not yet. His campaign allowed strikes to stop Iran’s nukes. The 2025 attack matches his words: A hard hit, no ground war. If he avoids escalation, he’s true. But Iran’s next move could break his promise.
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