President Trump addresses the nation, alongside US Vice President JD Vance (L), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd R) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R), from the White House on Saturday.
Carlos Barria/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Carlos Barria/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. military has joined with Israel to launch military strikes against Iran, a dramatic escalation in the years-long effort by both nations to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” President 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.”
Late Saturday evening, President Trump addressed the nation from the White House, joined by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat,” Trump said. “Tonight I can report to the world that the strikes were spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
As he praised the troops on Saturday evening, the president did say he hoped there would be no need for additional action. But, that “this cannot continue” and that Iran has “many targets left.”
“If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”
Trump said there will be a press conference from the Pentagon at 8 a.m. ET Sunday with more details on Saturday’s attack.
Saturday’s attack marks the first act of direct military involvement by the U.S. in the rapidly escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
It included a strike on the heavily-fortified Fordo nuclear site, according to Trump, which is located roughly 300 feet under a mountain about 100 miles south of Tehran. It’s a move that Israel has been lobbying the U.S. to carry out, given that only the U.S. has the kind of powerful “bunker buster” bomb capable of reaching the site. Known as the GBU-57 MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator), the bomb can only be transported by one specific U.S. warplane, the B-2 stealth bomber, due to its immense 30,000 pound weight.
A U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that senior Democratic leadership was notified of the strike right before Trump’s post. The Army Ops Center notified senior Army leaders around the same time. The timeline of when senior Republican leadership was informed remains uncertain.
A significant development occurred as the U.S. carried out a strike despite President Trump’s previous pledges to avoid getting involved in another conflict in the Middle East. However, Trump has consistently emphasized the importance of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Initially, Trump aimed to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran to replace the Obama-era agreement he withdrew from in 2018. Following Israel’s initial strike, Trump’s stance towards Iran shifted, expressing strong opposition and concerns about potential attacks on U.S. assets in the region.
Trump’s social media posts reflected a strong stance against Iran, including calling for “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” and asserting U.S. control over the skies above Iran. Despite identifying the location of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump indicated that he did not intend to target him at that time.
Khamenei warned of the consequences of a U.S. military strike, emphasizing the irreparable harm the U.S. would face if it entered the conflict.
The situation introduced a new phase of uncertainty, as the conflict escalated with Israeli air strikes against Iran. Israel viewed Iran as a significant threat and conducted strikes to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. While Israel claimed its attacks targeted military and nuclear sites, Iran alleged civilian casualties resulting from the strikes.
Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, with some projectiles intercepted by the Israeli military. The ongoing conflict raised concerns about the implications for regional stability.
The U.S. intelligence community previously stated that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. However, Trump contradicted this assessment, expressing skepticism about Iran’s intentions.
As the situation continues to evolve, this story will be updated with the latest developments. following sentence:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Rewritten sentence: The speedy brown fox leaps over the lethargic dog.
