Headline Roundup • June 23rd, 2025
Iran Strikes: Illegal and Risky or Making the World Safer?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump involved the US in the Israel-Iran conflict on Saturday, striking three targets in Iran in an effort to eliminate its nuclear program.
How The Media Covered It: Voices across the spectrum were hesitant about the strikes, saying it could start a decades-long regional war, but others said his strikes made the Middle East safer. In general, those on the right were more likely to support the strikes, while the left opposed them, but there was notable opposition within the MAGA movement.
From The Right: Noah Rothman (Lean Right) at National Review (Right) and The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board (Lean Right) said that Trump's actions made the world safer. “Iran’s proxies will be less able to make trouble in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Gaza. The Sunni Arab states want a new era of economic development, and Iran could join them if it chooses. Perhaps the Iranian people will get a say,” the editorial board wrote.
From The Left: An opinion in the Washington Post (Lean Left) read, “Trump has marched America onto the slipperiest slope in the world. Three previous presidents considered striking Iranian nuclear targets, but none did so. That’s because no American military campaign in the region has turned out well, dating back to the 1980s.” The Guardian (Left) said, “In rejecting diplomacy and choosing war, not only in breach of international law but at the behest of a country pursuing annihilation in Gaza, the US has delivered a resounding blow to the architecture of global affairs.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) called Trump's strikes grounds for impeachment since they came without congressional approval.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Getty
It happened. Despite intense advocacy by voices of restraint inside and outside the administration, President Trump has joined Israel’s conflict with Iran by launching targeted air and cruise-missile strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities — at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The move carries immense risks, potentially plunging the United States into yet another costly, dangerous quagmire in a region that is less important to Washington than foreign-policy elites would have you believe. But guided the right way — and with a bit of luck — it is possible to keep...
Donald Trump was predictably quick to claim victory following the illegal US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities: “Completely and totally obliterated,” he crowed. Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and sycophants at home rushed to fawn over his “courageous” and “brilliant” decision. The most senior US military official, Dan Caine, offered a more muted assessment: it was “way too early” to know the full outcome despite severe damage. We cannot yet know whether the blow has ended Iran’s nuclear aspirations – or will spur it to pursue the bomb. It may be...
President Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s three most significant nuclear sites on Saturday helped rid the world of a grave nuclear threat and was a large step toward restoring U.S. deterrence. It also creates an opportunity for a more peaceful Middle East, if the nations of the region will seize it.
“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Mr. Trump said Saturday night. He made clear Iran brought this on itself. “For 40 years, Iran has been saying ‘death to America,’ ‘death to Israel.’ They’ve been...
AllSides Picks
Headline Roundup
US, Iran Exchange Strikes After Iran Downs US Helicopter Over Hormuz
June 10th, 2026
Red Blue Translator
Arab Spring
