Skip to content 6/23/2025 Reviewing the Logistics of Removing Iran’s Nuclear Facilities and Contemplating a Path Forward. Jun 23 · 59 min ...more
6/23/2025 Reviewing the Logistics of Removing Iran’s Nuclear Facilities and Contemplating a Path Forward.
June 23, 2025 · 59 min
Contemplating Iran’s future after the U.S. destroyed their nuclear ambitions, Iran’s counter-attack on U.S. military bases, and possible plans by the Israeli Defense Forces to spur a regime change.
Series Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
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June 23, 2025 · 59 min · Washington Watch with Tony Perkins - Video
Contemplating Iran’s future after the U.S. destroyed their nuclear ambitions, Iran’s counter-attack on U.S. military bases, and possible plans by the Israeli Defense Forces to spur a regime change. ...more Show the full description Show less Contemplating Iran’s future after the U.S. destroyed their nuclear ambitions, Iran’s counter-attack on U.S. military bases, and possible plans by the Israeli Defense Forces to spur a regime change.
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In this video 0:00 Escalating Tensions: US-Iran Conflict13:17 Global Reactions and Domestic Concerns29:28 Strategic Insights and Future Implications
1:50 secretary Pete Hegseth made this clear.
1:54 This mission was not and has not been about regime change. The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by
2:06 the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self defense of our troops and our ally Israel.
2:13 Before Iran's counterattack, president Trump had warned that Iranian retaliation would be met with force greater than what was witnessed in the initial US strikes. His
2:25 administration has further emphasized that its response hinges on whether US military bases are targeted. Now with Iran's missiles raining down on American installations, global tension
2:37 is surging. How will the US respond? As we wait for those updates, 2 horrific attacks have desecrated sacred spaces and
2:48 claimed innocent lives. In Damascus, Syria, a suicide bomber linked to the ISIS terrorist organization unleashed chaos on Mar Elias' church during a Sunday
3:00 service. As families prayed and worshiped, the attackers sprayed gunfire before detonating an explosive vest. At least 25 were killed with dozens more injured.
3:12 But tragically, the horrors don't end there. Across the globe, a chillingly similar act of violence unfolded at Crosspoint Community Church in Michigan on the same day.
3:25 A gunman, Brian Browning, rammed his truck into the church and opened fire on worshipers, including children attending vacation bible school. The only death reported was the gunman
3:37 himself, whose mother attends that church. Browning was fatally shot by the church's security guard in a move that ultimately saved the lives of everyone in the congregation. From
3:48 Damascus to Michigan, communities now mourn as they cling to resilience in the face of unimaginable fear and loss. We are praying for all of those affected.
4:01 Christians worldwide face not only physical persecution, but also legal challenges. Louisiana, for example, had a law requiring 10 commandments be posted in public
4:13 school classrooms. However, on Friday, the fifth US circuit court of appeals unanimously struck down that law, claiming it was unconstitutional. It's been about a year since
4:24 Louisiana governor Jeff Landry signed it into law, and reportedly, the state plans to appeal, potentially taking the case to the Supreme Court. And those are today's headlines. I'm Sarah
4:36 Holliday. Up next is Washington Watch with Tony Perkins. We're back tomorrow with more stories that matter.
4:52 From the heart of our nation's capital in Washington DC, bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and sound bites into conversations with our nation's leaders and
5:04 newsmakers, all all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now.
5:10 This was a complex and high risk mission carried out with exceptional skill and discipline by our joint force. Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate
5:22 that all 3 sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction. That was air force general Dan Cain, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, discussing operation Midnight
5:34 Hammer. US targeted strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Welcome to this June 20 third edition of Washington Watch. I'm your host, Tony Perkins. Thanks for tuning in. Well, coming up on today's program,
5:46 how complex was the US mission to neutralize Iran's nuclear capabilities? We'll be joined by retired Air Force General Rob Spaulding, a former b 2 stealth bomber pilot
5:58 and vice wing commander for insight into the operation's execution. And yesterday, Iran warned it reserved the right to retaliate against the US.
6:08 Even though Iran reserve is full and legitimate right on the international law to defend itself against this blatant US aggression and its Israeli proxy.
6:21 The timing, nature, and the scale of Iran's proportionate response will be decided by its armed forces.
6:30 That was Iranian ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeed Irvani. Earlier today, Iran followed through, launching both short and mid mid range ballistic missiles
6:42 at US's the US's largest airbase in the Middle East located in Qatar. But retaliation may not be limited to overseas. The Department of Homeland Security is sounding the alarm. Over
6:54 1500 Iranians were apprehended entering the US illegally during the Biden administration, with almost half of those being released into the US. Officials are concerned these illegals could be part
7:06 of Iranian terror cells here in the US. We'll talk with North Carolina congressman Pat Harrigan in just a moment.
7:14 History will record that president Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime, the world's most dangerous weapons. His leadership today has created a
7:26 pivot of history that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.
7:33 That was Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the Israeli people following the US strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. We'll get an on the ground report from CBN Middle East Bureau chief Chris
7:45 Mitchell from Jerusalem a little later in the program. But before I bring in our first guest, let me remind you that Washington Watch is made possible by people like you who support the work of Family Research
7:57 Council. This program receives no government funding, only contributions from listeners like you. And right now through June the thirtieth, your gift will have double the impact thanks to a 1500000.0
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8:32 of Family Research Council. Following US strikes on Iran Iran's nuclear facilities, president Trump indicated that he
8:40 is open to the idea of regime change in Iran. However, many members of his cabinet have since clarified that this is not the goal of the strikes. Still, is regime change in Iran possible? And what are the
8:52 likeliest results from these strikes? May we see escalation as we've seen earlier today. We're here to discuss this and more congressman Pat Harrigan, who serves on the House Armed
9:04 Services Committee. He also serves as a member of the US also served as a member of the US military, deployed as platoon leader in Afghanistan. He represents the tenth congressional district of North Carolina.
9:15 Congressman Harrigan, welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for joining us.
9:20 Tony, always great to be with you. Thanks for having me.
9:23 So your response to, the weekend strikes against, Iran's nuclear facilities?
9:29 I'd say, wow. What a turn of events. Right? I mean, a week and a half ago, we thought Iran was gonna come to a nuclear deal. They obviously had no intention of doing that. President Trump, gives
9:41 an ultimatum after Israel decides to come in and attack and kinda shift the the thought paradigm of Iranian leadership. They just completely push that off to the
9:53 side. Don't take any single diplomatic off ramp, and then president Trump makes the bold move over the weekend of of deciding to just remove their nuclear chip,
10:05 from the table and completely change the nature of the discussions. Obviously, Iran retaliated, but that retaliation was very much scripted, as I think we all know at this
10:17 point. And now they are looking at taking the diplomatic off ramp. You know, America is just in an incredibly strong position right now. Israel's in a strong position. Iran is obviously in a very weak position.
10:29 Putin's got his hands up his head on his desk, and Xi's probably got his hands up wondering what on earth he can possibly do. But right now, this is a huge win in the direction of the good guys, and
10:40 that's exactly what we needed in this country.
10:43 Alright. You mentioned a diplomatic off ramp. What's that look like?
10:47 Well, I think Iran said that they wanna come to the table today. And and, you know, why why wouldn't they? They have no other cards, that they can possibly hold here other than just get completely blown into
10:59 oblivion by by Israel, picked apart and and systematically taken out of power. And that's fundamentally what Israel has the capability to do. That's what they've been doing over the last week and a half. At this
11:11 point, the Iranian regime is looking at the strengths that they have to bring to the negotiating table, and they really don't have any. And so I think they're looking at an existential crisis with their
11:22 continued existence in power, or, you know, they're gonna they're gonna fall on their sword and and die on the hill, and I don't think that they're gonna wanna do that. And so I I imagine that Iran and
11:34 and the negotiations that will play out over the next several weeks, should be fruitful for our side.
11:41 In that it, it'll be fruitful for them. And I think in that it could spare their regime. I think a little more time and we could see the toppling of that regime, could we not?
11:53 It's very possible. I mean, the the terms regime change have been thrown around over the last week and a half. But I will tell you there's 2 different types of regime change. There's 1 that I'd be completely for, and
12:03 there's 1 that I'm 100 percent totally against. The type that comes from an internal upwelling, within a population 50 years of sponsoring terrorism
12:16 and oppression and, you know, being behind this incredibly militant form of Islam, we're done with that. Obviously, that that would be fantastic. But the other type of regime
12:27 change where we effectuate that regime change, if we have not learned anything from the last 25 years of the global war on terror, the color revolutions that we've sponsored, any of the interventions that we've had in
12:38 the Middle East is that forced regime change just does not work. And oftentimes, the devil that we don't know ends up being a lot worse than the devil that we do know. And so keeping a very narrowly tailored
12:50 focus on what our key strategic objectives are with respect to Iran is absolutely key and paramount. President Trump has kept that in focus from the very first day that this kicked off,
13:02 going all the way back to before when he gave Iran 60 days, to come to the table and make a deal. And I expect that he'll continue to keep it in focus. He will absolutely put America first, and and we're gonna start
13:14 seeing the benefits of that absolutely fantastic decision making that our president has, and leadership that our president has shown.
Global Reactions and Domestic Concerns
13:24 Pat, I would agree with you. I think that's well stated. We an internal uprising that would replace that regime has staying power, and it's more likely to bring in something that's
13:35 reflective of the people, and and it has to be ripe. I think we may be at that point. It's different than what we've seen. Even in in in Syria, that regime change was a little more forced
13:47 from the outside. I think we could see something from the inside. But I wanna ask you this question, congressman. You mentioned Putin. You mentioned Xi. Russia is reaching out, having conversations
13:59 with Iran. Could they play a factor in, the resolution here or whatever the outcome may be?
14:07 I personally never took seriously Putin's offer to help negotiate some sort of de escalation between Iran and Israel and the United States. I don't think that that was ever real.
14:19 I think Putin and Xi very much have their hands up in the air right now. This is a 5 alarm fire for them. They are witnessing the strategic weakness of 1 of their greatest allies in the
14:31 axis in the new axis of evil. And so, no, this is a significant emotional event for both Russia and China. It significantly complicates their desire to perpetuate,
14:42 chaos around the globe that ultimately degrades everything that we believe and stand for in the west. And and and this is not a good development for them, which means it's a great development for
14:54 us.
14:55 You you didn't mention Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea. He he's gotta be he's gotta be considering his moves at this point. Does he not?
15:06 Well, he seems to move as part of a block. And I think very much if he's paying attention, he finds himself in a very similar position to Iran. Isolated, shelled out to dry. I
15:18 mean, really, where was Russia and China when Iran needed them most? They weren't there. And I I think that's very telling about what type of alliances on the other side of our ally base. It
15:30 is a fractured 1. It is 1 that is regionally capable but not globally capable. And I think that this would these would be wise notes for Kim Jong Un to take as he
15:42 decides what his next steps are moving forward.
15:45 Let let's pivot now. Former special forces, you fought these these terrorists on foreign soil. There's concern, alarms being raised by Homeland Security, that during the
15:57 Biden administration, you know, at least 1500 were apprehended at the border, Iranians trying to come into the country. We don't know how many got through undetected, but half of those 1500 were released
16:09 into the country. Is there concern of, potentially, Iranian terrorist cells operating in the US?
16:17 Yes. There's absolute concern. And I think that you've got to look not just at the known Iranians that came across the border. You have to look at all the known godaways that occurred during the Biden administration. You
16:28 gotta understand there was 1500000.0 known godaways. That's the government number. Some estimates say that that number really should be more like 2000000.
16:37 But let
16:37 me put this into perspective for you. During president Biden's tenure, we had a wide open southern border policy. That means if you showed up at a port of entry and you wanted to claim economic asylum, you wanted to
16:49 claim political asylum, whatever you want, and you were going to get released into this country. So think about what it means when the border patrol chases you down, not at a known port of entry, and you are actively
17:01 running away from them when you know that if you get apprehended by them, you're just gonna get released into the United States of America. Put that into perspective. What does it mean that to the intent of those 1.5 to
17:12 2000000 individuals that are running around our country right now? They are absolutely up to no good. How many of them are affiliated with Iran or any of their proxies is an unknown number. It is a
17:24 huge strategic risk for the United States of America right now, which is why president Trump's policies of getting illegal aliens out of this country is so important.
17:33 Pat, we just have about a minute left. Let me just tell me if I'm right or wrong. When we see how quickly, over the last year that Iran, has basically, their
17:45 bluster has been, the curtain has been pulled back on their capabilities. I I would say their terrorist activity is more of a threat, than what we've seen them in
17:57 terms of a national their national security and their capabilities.
18:02 I wouldn't disagree on the surface, Tony, but I always think that we should have great respect for the capabilities of our adversaries. 1 of the worst things that you can do is underestimate the capabilities of your
18:13 adversaries. And I don't think that we should do that in this point in time. I think that keeps us very level headed and even keel. It prevents us from getting prideful about the successes that we have had, and it lets
18:24 us focus on the vulnerabilities that we need to address in order to provide for the safety of the American people.
18:30 Alright. Pat, thanks so much for, joining us. Always great to, to see you.
18:35 Thanks for having me, Tony.
18:37 Happy to be there. Pat Aragon from North Carolina. Alright. When we come back, we're actually gonna talk about the details of the, significance of this strike with a retired b 2 bomber pilot.
18:49 So don't go away.
18:49 We're back after this. Hi, everyone. This is pastor Jay Johnston, national prayer director with the Family Research Council. I wanna invite you to join our 21
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21:54 Welcome back to Washington Watch. Thanks so much for, tuning in on this Monday. Alright. The US has targeted strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities has been held by president Trump and defense secretary Pete
22:06 Hegseth as a huge success. Information from the Trump administration suggests the strike not only hit its target but also retained the element of surprise during the operation. So here to discuss
22:17 the strategic aspects of this strike is retired Air Force Brigadier General Robert Spalding. He flew b 2 stealth bombers and served as the vice wing commander of the squadron.
22:29 General Spalding, welcome to Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
22:34 Thanks. Great to be on the show.
22:36 So general Kane, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, described the mission as complex and high risk. Can you walk us through it?
22:46 Yes. We've been training for this for over 10 years. You know, there's tremendous amount of operations, maintenance, logistics that goes into it over 30 hours, in the air, 6 or 7 air refueling.
22:58 So it's very complex. You have all kinds of support aircraft. But that being said, this is our business, what we train to do, and, you know, it's executed flawlessly.
23:10 What effect do you believe that, I mean, we're we're still waiting for the reports in terms of the, devast the damage done to the nuclear facilities.
23:22 The early indications are it was successful. What do you think this will do in terms of setting back the nuclear ambitions of Iran?
23:32 Well, assuming our intelligence was correct, and I believe it was, the the centrifuges at Fordeaux have been destroyed, which means that even though they have 60 percent enriched uranium,
23:44 essentially, they can't get to highly enriched uranium that they could use for, a nuclear weapon. So I think it's, we stopped them at 60 percent, which means that, you know, essentially, they can't create a bomb.
23:57 Now this, the the Pentagon says the strike was carried out without any known detection from Iran. Walk us through that process. How, you know, you you would think they could just take off, but there
24:09 was a lot of stealth involved in flying these stealth bombers.
24:14 Well, it's operational security, making sure that you don't, tip your hat, in with any of the things that you're doing at the base to let the adversary know what's going on. There's so
24:26 much collection now because of, smartphones, which, you know, track, all your data. So it's really complex, and complicated in terms of creating that diversion, but I
24:38 think they they handle it flawlessly.
24:40 Now president Trump, has characterized the strike as a defensive action. That's garnered some criticism. How great do you think the threat that Iran posed to the
24:52 US based upon what you know?
24:56 Oh, it's incredible. You know, they have not only the intent, but soon we're gonna have the capability to kill a lot more Americans than they've already killed. You know, we talk about if we strike,
25:08 their nuclear facilities that they may attack us. They've been attacking us. They've been killing Americans. We know this. We'll be having, you know and and they've been doing it either directly or through their proxies.
25:20 And so it's not something that we have to imagine. If they had a bomb, you know, they they have threatened to use it against both Israel and America.
25:28 Now their proxies, as you mentioned, have been degraded significantly over the last year since October the seventh and their engagement with, Israel. What what capacity
25:40 do we know that Iran still retains to strike back at the US? We saw the, short and mid range, missile attack, today. What what other capacities
25:52 do they still have?
25:54 Well, they still have missiles, but as you saw, they they they, let the Qataris in. Sounds like us know that they were gonna launch a strike. So what they wanted to do is look, bold
26:06 and strong in front of their population, but ultimately, they gave prewarning so that their their launches would be ineffective. So, you know, that's pretty much all they have now, and even that is
26:18 not effective because of, Iron Dome and the Patriot Batteries that we have, like, you know, around our facilities in the in the region. So I think, you know, they're going to be limited in terms of what they can do
26:29 damage wise. Now they could create terrorist attacks here in the United States. That's not an existential threat, but certainly something we should be concerned about.
26:37 Do do you I was just talking with congressman Pat Harrington about, about that that, you know, we, we we have reports from Homeland Security that, over
26:49 700 Iranians who were detained at the border were released into the United States during the Biden administration. In some ways, they're very effective at, terrorist
27:01 activity. More so I would think than than than fighting a head to head war with the United States.
27:08 Right. And that's what makes a nuclear weapon so, dangerous in the hands of the Iranians. You know, they've they've shown, a proclivity to use whatever they can to
27:20 kill Israelis and Americans. And and quite frankly, having them have a weapon like that means that, you know, it could literally be used at any time. And so I think that, was
27:32 a danger the president was unwilling to allow to continue.
27:36 Any, concern as Russia has apparently alluded to providing, support to Iran, might they give them weapons that they could use?
27:49 Well, you
27:50 know, again, we go back to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is essentially what the Russians were doing or Soviets at the time, sending nuclear weapons into Cuba, and that,
28:02 ended up in a standoff when, Kennedy was president. And so I think the the the Russians know very well that, giving nuclear weapons to the Iranians would be tantamount, particularly if they got
28:14 used to, inviting nuclear war war on Russia itself, which it does not want.
28:21 What other installations of the US, overseas could be at risk?
28:27 Well, I think any, installation can be at risk for a terrorist attack. And, you know, as you know, many Iranians came across our southern border, but there's also, Iranians throughout Europe. You know, we have a base in
28:39 Turkey. We have, bases all over the Middle East. So, you know, I think, really, there's no place on Earth right now that, we don't we can't let our guard down for,
28:51 Iranian backed terrorists to to try and attack us.
28:56 General, we just have about 30 seconds left, but, ultimately, is it gonna require a regime change to remove this threat?
29:06 I don't think so. The the regime, whether it changes or not, I think the important thing here is we wanna take away the capability to do massive harm, and and that's what nuclear
29:18 weapons can do. And I think the president did exactly that.
29:22 Alright. General Spalding, thanks so much for, joining us today. Appreciate your, insights.Show more
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