On June 22, local time, US forces launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. On June 23, US President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform "Truth Social" that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire. During his election campaign, Trump had promised voters that the US would not get involved in any more Middle Eastern wars. However, throughout the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, Iran has been deceived by the US at least three times.
Deception 1: Negotiating while attacking
On June 13, Israel suddenly launched an attack on Iran, resulting in the deaths of several senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists. This occurred during negotiations between Iran and the US, during which Iran showed no sign of military action.
Israel claimed that before initiating the attack, it had fully coordinated with the US. The Israeli military stated that the operation's targets were "Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and military capabilities." Since April, multiple rounds of indirect negotiations between the US and Iran over Iran's nuclear program had yielded no progress. The sixth round of talks was originally scheduled for June 15.
Deception 2: From "two weeks" to "two days" – sudden direct intervention
On June 19, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump would decide within "the next two weeks" whether to order US military strikes on Iran. However, on June 21, Trump posted on "Truth Social" that the US had already completed strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. In less than two days, the US military launched a sudden attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Deception 3: Misdirection and false military intelligence
At midnight on June 20 (Eastern Time), the US military disclosed that six B-2 bombers had taken off from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, heading to Guam in the western Pacific. However, the US later admitted that, in reality, seven B-2 bombers had flown across the Atlantic and launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Following the bombing, all US aircraft returned safely.
On June 23, Trump stated that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire. However, after his announcement, reports of Iranian missile attacks and the deaths of Iranian nuclear scientists continued to surface.
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