President Donald Trump, addressing the nation from the White House, confirmed the precision strikes on Iran's key nuclear facilitiesâ€"Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahanâ€"describing the operation as a 'spectacular military success.'
'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,' Trump declared. 'Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear capacity and to eliminate the threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror.'
The strikes were carried out without congressional authorisation.
According to senior Pentagon officials, three B-2 bombers dropped GBU-57 "bunker-buster" bombs on the underground Fordo enrichment site, buried nearly 300 feet beneath a mountain. Tomahawk missiles launched from U.S. Navy submarines struck the Natanz and Esfahan sites.
All aircraft reportedly exited Iranian airspace without incident. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said it had not detected elevated radiation levels following the strikes.
Iran vows retaliation
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denounced the attack as a 'heinous and illegal use of force' and warned on social media that the strikes 'will have everlasting consequences.'
'Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people,' Araghchi said. Iran's ambassador to the UN has requested an emergency Security Council meeting.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation confirmed damage to the nuclear facilities but said the attacks would not deter the country's nuclear ambitions.
'This will only strengthen our resolve,' the agency said.
Flanked by Vice President JD Vance and senior officials in the White House Situation Room, Trump warned that 'there will either be peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than what we have witnessed over the last eight days.'
In a follow-up post on Truth Social, Trump warned: 'Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.'
Photos released by the White House showed top administration figures, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, monitoring the operation.
Mixed reactions at home
While some Republicans praised the strikes, others expressed concern. House Speaker Mike Johnson supported the action, but Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted: 'This is not our fight.'
Democrats were more critical. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the president for acting unilaterally and bypassing Congress.
'President Trump misled the country and took action that risks entangling the United States in another endless war,' Jeffries said.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia added: 'He campaigned on ending foreign wars. Tonight, he may have started a new one.'
Wycliffe Nyamasege
