Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Monday, June 23, 2025. This is USA Today's The Excerpt.

Today we take a look at what exactly this weekend strikes on Iran might mean. Plus, we talk about

killer bees, and there's a new NBA

champion. A spokesperson for Iran's central military headquarters said earlier today that the U.S.

attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces

and called President Donald Trump a gambler for joining Israel's military campaign against Iran.

Trump ordered airstrikes on three nuclear targets in Iran over the weekend.

Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace.

If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

Bombs and missiles launched from U.S. warplains at nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan,

and Natanz.

For more on what the move might mean more broadly and the response around the world, I spoke

with USA Today, Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page.

Susan, as always, I appreciate you joining me.

It's great to be with you.

So just starting here, I mean, politically, what was President Donald Trump's aim in launching

these attacks? And do you think he succeeded on that front?

Well, militarily, it looks like it was a success. We'll need to wait a little before they

have a better assessment of exactly the state of Iran's nuclear program. Politically, it's

more complicated. President Trump ran three times for president

denouncing endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and advocating an America-first foreign policy.

And with this action, he has engaged in another war in a volatile region with the consequences yet to unfold.

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