The United States appears to be taking advantage of the current global uncertainty. The attack proves that the bipolar international system, which collapsed after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, has yet to find a replacement. The US is currently the only military power unmatched by any new emerging power. This is a characteristic of a unipolar system, where there is only one power whose strength surpasses that of other nations (a superpower), and because of this power, the superpower can take unilateral actions.
Amidst the exchange of ballistic missiles between Israel and Iran, the US launched an attack on Iran’s nuclear development centers. The US initiated an operation named Midnight Hammer, involving 125 US military aircraft, targeting three nuclear facilities in Iran: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. The attack successfully hit its targets on Saturday night (June 21, 2025) between 10:40 p.m. and 11:05 p.m. Tehran time and early Sunday morning between 2:40 a.m. and 3:05 a.m. Tehran time (BBC, June 23, 2025).
The bombers took off from Missouri, US, and flew for 18 hours. Seven B-2 Stealth bombers were specifically assigned to drop bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities. At the same time, 24 cruise missiles were also launched by US submarines at nuclear facilities in Isfahan. A total of 75 high-precision weapons were used in the operation.
Image 1 Nuclear facilities attacked by the US
Source: BBC, June 23, 2025.
The US took action without serious concern that a third party would defend Iran against US actions that violated international norms regarding the country’s sovereignty.
The US action was also seen as betraying the ongoing diplomatic process between the US and Iran regarding Iran’s nuclear facilities. Suspicions arose that the US deliberately exploited the uncertainty caused by the Israel-Iran conflict to take a shortcut to crippling Iran’s nuclear development capabilities, including for peaceful purposes.
The objective of the US operation is clearly in line with one of the objectives of Israel’s attack on Iran, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often announced through various media outlets. Israel explicitly wants to cripple Iran’s nuclear development capabilities, as well as its ability to build ballistic missiles and replace the Iranian regime, which has always been anti-Israel.
The US attack further undermines the pillars of global multilateralism. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2025, the United Nations Security Council has struggled to agree on a resolution regarding countries that violate the principle of state sovereignty. The UN General Assembly has issued a UN resolution, but in reality, the UN resolution remains too weak to secure humanitarian aid routes or facilitate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The UN, as the most legitimate multilateral institution, also appears paralyzed in responding to the conflict between Israel and Hamas that has been ongoing since Israel invaded Hamas in October 2023. The UN Security Council and the UN are unable to produce a truly binding agreement for the conflicting parties to end the war that has killed more than 50,000 people and injured hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza.
International norms appear to have been disrupted by the US through various initiatives that appear partisan. Following the US attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities, the US initiated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. On Monday afternoon, US time, June 23, 2025, President Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and hoped that the ceasefire would be permanent.
CNN reported on the ongoing negotiations, with Qatar acting as a broker to mediate between Israel and Iran. It was stated that Israel would agree to a ceasefire if Iran ceased its missile attacks on Israel.
In this context, it appears that the US indeed wants the destruction of nuclear facilities to be carried out before the ceasefire is implemented by Israel and Iran. Alternatively, there may have been a behind-the-scenes agreement between the US and Israel to force Israel and Iran to immediately implement the ceasefire.
Written by: YP Hermawan
Source: BBC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5QD6oBM8tg
References:
BBC, “What we know about US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites,” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9r4q99g4oCNN, “Trump says there is a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran,” https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-us-strikes-06-23-25-intl-hnk
