On Monday’s episode of The View, co-host Joy Behar openly criticized President Donald Trump’s recent strike on Iranian nuclear sites, questioning both the timing and the secrecy of the operation.
Her comments sparked pushback from ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl, who joined the panel to provide additional context.
Behar opened the discussion by highlighting what she saw as a contradiction: “So on Thursday, the White House said that Trump was going to make a decision on Iran in the next two weeks… And then less than 48 hours later, this attack was underway. So what changed and what was he actually trying to accomplish here?”
Karl responded by clarifying the timeline. “The two weeks measure was clearly a little bit of a head fake,” he said. “All indications are he didn’t actually make the decision to so-called pull the trigger until Saturday… and then the attack commenced.”
The View's ABC chief Washington correspondent Jon Karl to keep the liberal ladies on the rails while they discuss the U.S's strikes on Iran.
Moderator Joy Behar huffs about Trump not waiting 2 weeks.
Karl notes that it was a "head fake" and that the Iranians "were not engaging at… pic.twitter.com/i9QzoKhk6H— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) June 23, 2025
According to Karl, the delay was a deliberate posture to allow for diplomatic maneuvering, but ultimately, Trump acted when it became evident Iran would not budge. He suggested that the president had been hoping for a dramatic breakthrough, similar to his high-profile engagement with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, but pivoted when it became clear that diplomacy was going nowhere.
Behar, however, took issue not only with the timing but also the operational secrecy. “So, why did he keep it a secret — a surprise version?” she asked, implying that the lack of forewarning to Iran might have been provocative or unnecessarily aggressive.
Karl pushed back. “It was absolutely a diversion,” he explained. “All indications were that the B-2s were flying toward Guam… They wanted to have some element of surprise.”
Despite the criticism, national security analysts maintain that the element of surprise is often essential in precision strikes to maximize effectiveness and minimize risk to American forces. The Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities reportedly sustained heavy damage in the Saturday operation, a fact confirmed by U.S. military leadership the following day.