Gathered around a mahogany conference table in the West Wing of the White House, US President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet discussed the conflict in Iran.
It wasn't the first meeting Mr Trump had held over the increasing tensions in the Middle East, but this one was different.
On the other side of the world, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers operated by the US military were dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites.
The US president and his inner circle had gathered to watch the mission play out.
Disposable cups and blurred binders
The historic meeting was captured in a series of photographs published by the White House, giving the public a rare glimpse inside the fabled Situation Room.
Wearing a bright red baseball cap, emblazoned with his campaign slogan 'MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN', Mr Trump moved around the room with a stony face.
Colourful highlighters, thick binders, half-empty water bottles, and disposable cups were scattered across the tabletop.
Cabinet members intently watched a screen outside the camera's frame.
The room was a who's who of Mr Trump's most trusted.
When the president was seated at the head of the table, Vice-President JD Vance was quite literally his right-hand man. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was to Mr Trump's left.
The two officials' prominent places at the table perhaps underscore the depth of their influence as Mr Trump deliberated for days whether to strike Iran.
But the president was not always seated.
At points, Mr Trump stood behind his top aide, Susie Wiles, as General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke.
CIA director John Ratcliffe had a binder and papers in front of him, although his documents appeared to be blurred, certainly for security reasons.
In other photos, one can spot Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Andy Baker, and White House counsel David Warrington.
Senior administration officials not considered principals were also there. In the back of one photo is Dan Scavino, the president's omnipresent deputy chief of staff.
Mr Trump is always in sharp focus whenever he is pictured, even as other officials in the foreground — like Mr Hegseth or Mr Vance — are softly blurred.
Left off the guest list?
For political pundits, perhaps the most interesting information to be gleaned from the scenes is who was not there.
Since the conflict broke out, disagreement had brewed within the Trump administration over whether the US should join Israel's attacks on Iran.
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said in March that the US had no evidence of Iran developing nuclear weapons.
When asked about her comments on Friday, "She's wrong".
In a subsequent post on X, Ms Gabbard said her March testimony was taken out of context "as a way to manufacture division".
But in the series of Situation Room photos, Ms Gabbard can't be seen around the table, fuelling speculation that she is on the outs with the president.
Some US-based journalists have reported Ms Gabbard was in the room, citing White House sources.
A place for historic turning points
The Situation Room was created in 1961 on the order of president John F Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs military invasion, aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro's communist government, failed due to a lack of current information.
It serves as the primary location for presidents to meet with national security advisors, discuss secret operations, and work through international security strategies.
Despite its name, the meeting place is more of an operational suite than a single room.
Once described by then-secretary of state Henry Kissinger as "uncomfortable, unaesthetic and essentially oppressive", it occupies much of the West Wing's lower floor, extending into the berm underneath the White House's outdoor pool.
Access is tightly controlled and generally restricted to the president's intelligence and military advisors.
These are the rooms where history happens.
It was where Mr Trump monitored the operation that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019; where president Barack Obama and his team watched the raid that took down al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in 2011; and where president Lyndon Johnson went over Vietnam War plans in the 1960s.
Now, a new entry can be added to the Situation Room's storied history: the moment the US bombed Iran.
ABC/AP
