MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump shocks the world by striking Iran, cementing himself as a president of war; and how Tehran will respond to US strikes on its nuclear sites remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Belarus looks to build relations with the United States. These stories topped Monday's newspaper headlines in Russia.
Defying voices inside the United States telling him not to, Donald Trump decided ultimately to give the order to bomb Iran. The White House called Operation Midnight Hammer a success, without giving any guarantees, however, that Washington would stop there, and not step deeper into the Israeli-Iranian war. While protests are being held worldwide, it’s unlikely that these will translate to any practical action against the United States. Meanwhile, in the US, calls are being made to impeach Trump for reneging on his election pledge to be a president of peace, not war. For Russia, this u-turn in White House policy may mark the end of Trump’s peacemaking efforts on the Russia-Ukraine track.
At a joint news conference with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called the US strike "an incredible and overwhelming success." However, Caine was a bit more cautious, saying that the damage done to Iran has yet to be assessed.
