Overview:
In a high-stakes escalation, President Donald Trump announced a major U.S. military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Precision strikes hit three key sites—Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—aimed at dismantling Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities. The action, following recent Israeli airstrikes, triggered swift condemnation from China, Russia, and the United Nations, and a retaliatory missile attack from Iran. As global powers respond and American lawmakers weigh in, the world braces for the potential fallout of a new era in Middle Eastern conflict.
Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the U.S. carried out a strike on three Iranian nuclear sites.
Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan each receives bombs in precision military strikes with the objective of “destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity.”
“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strike is spectacular military success,” President Trump saying. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
The strikes involved 125 aircraft, 24 Tomahawks and a decoy, according to Pentagon officials. While there isn’t an official assessment of the damage, all three sites faced severe damage. The three sites that hit represent the core of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
Fordo
Of the three sites, Fordo considers the most important in Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. It is the site of a high-grade uranium enrichment facility. It is located 300 feet below a mountain and is protected by significant defenses.
The U.S. was able to attack Fordo using “bunker-buster” bombs known as the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators. The bombs are brought by a B-2. A total of 14 MOPs targeted two nuclear areas. This was the first operational use of the “bunker-buster.”
The attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities follows the decision from Israel to carry out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear targets on June 13. Israel’s goal is to destroy the Iranian nuclear program.
Following the strikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement of his own.
“President Trump is a strong leader of the free world. He is a great friend of Israel, a friend like no other,” Netanyahu said. “In my name and on behalf of all the citizens of Israel, on behalf of the entire Jewish people, I thank him from the bottom of my heart.”
President Trump issued a warning to the Iranian government while addressing America yesterday.
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” President Trump said. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”
“There will either be peace for Iran, or there will be tragedy far greater than we have witnessed in the last eight days,” Trump said. “If peace does not come, we will go after these other targets with precision and speed.”
International Response
Early Sunday morning, Iran launched around 30 missiles in response to the attacks. Four missiles made it through the Iron Dome defense system, causing injuries and extensive damage, according to the IDF.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that “the U.S had placed itself at the forefront of aggression by directly attacking peaceful facilities.”
The IGRC vowed there would be a response to the U.S and that military bases in the region have “doubled their vulnerability.”
The U.S. attack was strongly condemned by China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the action violates the United Nations Charter.
The attack was also condemned by Russia, which has a strategic partnership with Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he would travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Additionally, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, warned that the strikes represent a dangerous escalation in the region.
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” Guterres said in a statement reported by Reuters.
American Politicians Reponses
Among American politicians, the response to the attack has been mixed. President Trump did not seek congressional approval before deciding to strike.
“President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East,” Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an avid Trump supporter, also criticized the attack. “This is not our fight,” she is saying on X.
A focal point of President Trump’s campaign in 2024 is that during his first term, he claims no new wars to start. Now, President Trump has decided to attack.
President Trump on Thursday originally said he would decide within the next two weeks whether he wanted to strike Iran.
“This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR,” President Trump said on Truth Social.
