The United States bombed multiple nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump announced in a social media post on Saturday. The airstrikes are the first time the United States has conducted a direct military attack on Iran, and they further escalated a military conflict between Iran and Israel that began on June 13.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump said in a social media post. “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.”
Trump added, “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.”
Israel was able to hit some of Iran’s nuclear facilities on its own, but it is not believed to be able to strike a key site at Fordo, which is believed to hold enriched uranium and centrifuges. The facility at Fordo, Iran’s most advanced, is built inside a mountain and believed to be safe from any bomb except for the United States’ GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a “bunker buster” weapon.
Trump did not says what types of bombs were used in the strikes. Though the United States has provided Israel with other bunker busters, Israel is not known to have any plane capable of delivering the MOP, making U.S. participation necessary for any successful airstrike on Fordo.
According to Israeli officials, its attacks have killed several of Iran’s top military commanders, along with at least nine scientists working on nuclear enrichment, and it has damaged several nuclear enrichment facilities.
Israel was able to conduct its initial strikes mostly with its own intelligence and forces, but it leaned heavily on U.S. intelligence, as well as U.S. munitions and defense systems that Washington had previously provided when Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel.
Two U.S. officials told NBC News this week that the United States used ground-based interceptors and ships to defend Israel against Iranian missiles.
Trump’s shift
NBC News has reported that President Trump initially opposed Israeli military action against Iran, favoring negotiations over bombing. But in the days before Israel’s strikes on Iran, he became convinced that Israel’s heightened anxiety over Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities was warranted.
After a pivotal June 8 briefing from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, about Israel’s plans and U.S. options for supporting its operation, Trump gave tacit approval to Israel to conduct strikes and decided to provide limited U.S. backing.
Even though many of his MAGA allies have been advocating against U.S. military involvement, Trump’s rhetoric about Iran has steadily escalated since Israel’s campaign began.
On Tuesday, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, he called for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
Wednesday morning, he said he was still considering U.S. strikes.
“I may do it. I may not do it,” he told reporters outside the White House. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Asked what he meant with his “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” post, he said, “That means I’ve had it. OK, I’ve had it. I give up. No more.”
“Then we go blow up all the, you know, all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place there,” he added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Mosheh Gains and Mirna Alsharif contributed.