Trump announces US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United States has launched airstrikes targeting three nuclear facilities in Iran, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

The coordinated bombing campaign, aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program, targeted the heavily fortified sites of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

According to the Associated Press, US President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the White House, declaring that the Iranian nuclear sites had been “completely and fully obliterated.”

The surprise strikes come amid a broader nine-day conflict between Iran and Israel and represent a significant expansion of the crisis into a potential regional war.

It remains unclear whether the United States plans further military operations in coordination with Israel, which has launched a series of airstrikes over the past week aimed at neutralizing Iran’s air defenses and long-range missile capabilities.

President Trump ordered the strikes without prior authorization from Congress. In his televised remarks, he warned Tehran that any retaliation would be met with overwhelming force. “There will either be peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran,” Trump stated.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed that the attacks had taken place at the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites but insisted that its nuclear program would not be halted.

Iranian authorities also claimed that there was no radioactive contamination and no threat to the surrounding population.

Tehran maintains that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

The decision to directly involve American forces follows over a week of Israeli strikes that have sought to degrade Iran’s ability to defend itself and enrich uranium.

US and Israeli defense officials said American stealth bombers—equipped with 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs—were uniquely capable of penetrating Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump wrote on social media. “All planes are now outside of Iranian airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.”

In a follow-up post, Trump called the strikes an “HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD,” and urged Iran to “now agree to end this war.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US operation in a video message to Trump, saying, “Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history.”

Following the attacks, Israel announced the closure of its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights as a precaution against potential Iranian retaliation.

The White House and Pentagon have not released further details, but US military leaders are expected to hold a press briefing at 8 a.m. Eastern Time.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern, warning that the “dangerous escalation” posed a serious threat to international peace and stability.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had previously warned that any attack would result in “irreparable damage” to the US Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei called the American strikes “a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”

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