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Trump announces attacks on Iranian nuclear sites as US joins Israel-Iran conflict
President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, as America joins Israel's conflict against Iran.
The decision to directly involve the U.S. comes after more than a week of strikes. The U.S. joined the conflict on the side of Israel, which had hoped to destroy Iran's nuclear program once and for all.
The repercussions from the strikes could be dire — a much wider regional conflict could be on the horizon. Israel had also been working to destroy the country's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities.
"We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home."
"Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he concluded. He later added that he would be addressing the nation at 10 p.m. EDT to discuss the attacks.
Israeli officials previously said that American stealth bombers and a 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb that only the U.S. has offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to Iran's nuclear program. They were buried deep underground.
Israel's military warned on Saturday that it's ready for a lengthy war with Iran, as the U.S. military was seen moving multiple B-2 bombers westward.
Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday that U.S. military involvement in the conflict "would be very, very dangerous for everyone," and the prospect of a wider war has many worried. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, added that the U.S. striking Iran could "result in irreparable damage for them."
The Houthis said on Saturday that "Washington must bear the consequences for the attacks." They said previously that they would continue attacks on American ships in the Red Sea if the country attacked Iran.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-W.V.) slammed the bombing and penned on X, "This is not constitutional."
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, warned that the U.S. had already begun "assisted departure flights" from Israel for the first time since the invasion by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the Israeli retaliation in Gaza.
Israel's military said it struck an Iranian nuclear research facility overnight and killed three senior Iranian commanders in pursuit of its goal to destroy Iran's nuclear program. That came just over a week after two other very similar strikes.
In Isfahan, where Iran's primary nuclear facility is, smoke could be seen rising near a mountain. The province's deputy governor for security affairs, Akbar Salehi, confirmed that Israeli strikes damaged the facility, according to The Associated Press.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the attack as well and said it was the same facility targeted over a week ago on the war's first day. It was "extensively damaged," but there isn't any risk of off-site contamination — which is the reason attacking nuclear facilities is prohibited under the Geneva Convention and considered a war crime.
It's not clear if that has changed following the U.S.'s strikes on the facilities.
Iran retaliated by launching drones and missiles at Israel, but there were no reports of any significant damage. Iran hasn't yet officially acknowledged Saturday's attacks from the U.S.
According to an Israeli military official, the Israeli military has taken out over 50% of Iran's launchers. "We're making it harder for them to fire toward Israel," he said.
Israeli military chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin later said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the army to prepare for a "prolonged campaign" against Iran.
US military moves B-2 bombers west
The B-2 bombers that appeared to be moving west took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Friday night, according to flight tracking data obtained and reviewed by
CNN
.
On Saturday, the planes were flying over the Pacific, and they appeared to be headed toward Guam.
B-2 bombers are the only planes capable of carrying the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which experts highlighted as the only type of bomb that could potentially destroy Iran's secretive underground Fordow nuclear facility, which is located a couple of hundred miles east of Tehran.
Israel's strikes have so far impacted the facility in Natanz in the Isfahan province, but they haven't been able to reach the Fordow facility. It's also believed that only the American bombs can penetrate or do any sort of significant damage to the facility and that none of the weapons Israel has are adequate.
Each B-2 bomber can reportedly carry two of the "bunker buster" bombs, which each weigh 30,000 pounds.
Trump spent the majority of last week in the Situation Room, reportedly reviewing attack plans and quizzing officials about the potential consequences of each one.
The president indicated a two-week timeline for a decision on whether or not to involve the U.S. military in the conflict between Israel and Iran. Saturday seemed to be the day he made his decision, involving the U.S. in the conflict.
