Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jun 22: In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that American forces have bombed three major nuclear sites in Iran — Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — marking the United States' formal entry into the war.
Speaking in a televised Oval Office address, Trump declared the strikes a “spectacular military success,” claiming that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated.”
“Iran’s future holds either peace or tragedy,” said Trump. “If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill.”
Trump first revealed the airstrikes on his social media platform Truth Social, stating that “a full payload of BOMBS” had been dropped and that all American aircraft had returned safely. “This is a HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD,” he said, adding that Iran must now agree to end the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision to strike Iran, stating, “First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, Donald Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.”
According to reports, the US deployed B-2 bombers for the mission, likely armed with GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, capable of destroying deeply buried nuclear facilities. The bombers reportedly flew from the Pacific island of Guam.
The US action follows Israel’s launch of "Operation Rising Lion," targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. Israel justified the strikes, claiming Tehran was close to acquiring a nuclear weapon. The conflict has already claimed over 600 lives in Iran, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group, with Iran retaliating by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones, killing at least 24 people.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly residing in a fortified underground bunker, has named three senior clerics as his possible successors in case of assassination, The New York Times reported. He has also ordered a shutdown of all electronic communications around him, citing security concerns.