Trump hails 'spectacular military success' after US 'obliterates' Iran's nuclear capabilities
President Donald Trump hailed strikes on a trio of Iranian nuclear sites a "spectacular military success" and gave a stark warning to Tehran that more attacks would be coming if the regime didn't make peace.
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The US president authorised the bombings of the underground Fordow plant, one of the country’s key nuclear sites, and two other facilities in the early hours of Sunday morning, calling it a “successful attack”.
Trump surprised the world a little before 8 p.m. Saturday by announcing on Truth Social that he had given the go-ahead to attack Iran, using 12 massive 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs and 30 Tomahawk missiles to destroy Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
Read More: US carries out 'successful attack' on three Iranian nuclear sites, Trump says
In what is the most consequential decision of Mr Trump’s presidency so far, the assault signals a significant escalation in the conflict with Tehran.
Pressure had been mounting on the US to intervene in the escalating conflict in support of Israel, and to force Iran’s leaders to end its nuclear programme.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he was not interested in sending ground forces into Iran, saying it's "the last thing you want to do." He had previously indicated that he would make a final choice over the course of two weeks, a timeline that seemed drawn out as the situation was evolving quickly.
Amid prodding by Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers, Mr Trump had approved plans for a US strike on Iran earlier this week but had not yet given a final order.
In a national address following the attack, Mr Trump threatened further strikes if the country did not immediately make peace.
He called on Iran to bring swift peace with the US, or face more strikes dealt with “speed” and “precision”.
"This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days," he said.
"Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," Trump said.
"Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier." "Remember, there are many targets left," Trump said.
"Tonight was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal." Trump described the three major nuclear facilities hit in the strike, including Iran's two major uranium enrichment cenres - Fordown and Natanz - and a third site, Esfahan, where Iran is believed to keep its near-bomb-grade enriched uranium.
B-2 stealth bombers armed with six of the bunker-busting bombs were used in the strike, Fox News reported.
The bombs are thought to be able to penetrate through 61 metres of concrete and are considered the only weapon able to directly reach the site itself.
As the president was speaking, the White House released a number of images of Trump and his top officials meeting Saturday in the Situation Room.
Trump was wearing a red Make America Great Again ballcap as Vance, Hegseth, Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe gathered around him.
The president's address came after he announced the attacks on Iran using his Truth Social network, a little before 8 p.m. Saturday.
The US is now bracing for Iran to shoot back - with Trump warning they shouldn't and should instead look for peace. The strikes are a huge gamble for Mr Trump who won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism.
Top Republicans on Capitol Hill have cheered Trump's call to make the strikes, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling it a "decisive action."
He said: "President Trump has been consistent and clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be tolerated. That posture has now been enforced with strength, precision, and clarity," Johnson said.
The strikes were also applauded by Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history."
Pro-Ayatollah voices have already shot back, warning Trump's bombing would be "a recipe for all-out war" in the region.
United States military personnel were warned after the American strike that the Iranians could retaliate on troops stationed in the region.
There are approximately 40,000 American troops stationed in the Middle East. The country's largest military base in the Middle East, the Al Udeid Air Base, is located outside Doha in Qatar.
There are also concerns that Iran could use their affiliates in the Middle East, or terror cells, to launch attacks. The Iranian-backed Houthis, based out of Yemen, had previously warned that they would attack American ships in the Red Sea if Trump greenlit an attack on the Iranian homeland.
Other Iranian-backed groups, including Hezbollah, operating out of Lebanon, and Hamas, out of Gaza, have been weakened by Israel in the aftermath of Hamas' October 7, 2023 terror attack.
The attacks on the three sites mark the first time since 1979 that the US has attacked major facilities inside Iran.
At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel launched its attacks on June 13, according to the Iranian health ministry.In Israel.
24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile strikes.