The United States launched a series of major airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities Saturday, marking a significant escalation in Middle East tensions after President Donald Trump authorized the use of military force against what he described as “the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror.”
In a televised late-night address from the White House, Trump confirmed the strikes and declared them a success, saying the goal was to eliminate Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities.
“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror,” he said during the four-minute speech delivered from the White House Cross Hall.
The targets included Iran’s key nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump said those locations had been “totally obliterated” and described the mission as a “spectacular military success,” while calling on Tehran to return to diplomatic talks.
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” Trump said, flanked by top officials including the vice president, secretary of state, and secretary of defense. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”
According to a U.S. official speaking to CNN, six B-2 stealth bombers dropped a dozen GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrators, also known as “bunker busters”, on the heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility.
Trump later posted on social media, saying, “a full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.”
“There is not another military in the World that could have done this,” Trump wrote. “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”
The GBU-57A/B is a 30,000-pound bomb designed to penetrate hardened underground bunkers and destroy weapons of mass destruction, according to the U.S. Air Force. Saturday’s strikes marked the first known operational use of this weapon.
Trump’s decision to strike came just days after the White House had signaled a two-week window to explore diplomatic options. The action reverses a long-standing policy by previous administrations that had stopped short of targeting Iran directly.
The operation also represents the most direct U.S. attack on Iranian soil since the 1979 revolution and places Trump’s second term presidency at the center of one of the most volatile regional confrontations in years.
Officials say the president had grown increasingly convinced that force was necessary after diplomatic efforts stalled. European leaders met with Iranian officials in Geneva on Friday, but U.S. sources said the talks yielded no progress.
According to the same sources, Iran’s foreign minister insisted that the U.S. would need to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt military actions before negotiations could resume — a condition Trump refused.
The U.S. did notify Israel ahead of the strike, and Trump spoke with Netanyahu on Saturday evening. The Israeli leader praised the American operation.
“President Trump, I thank you. The people of Israel thank you,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “This will change history.”
While Trump has long spoken against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the scale and decisiveness of Saturday’s strike surprised many in Washington, including members of his own political base, some of whom had warned against military escalation.
The strikes have also prompted widespread concern about the potential for Iranian retaliation. Trump, however, issued a warning that any response from Tehran would be met with overwhelming force.
As of Saturday night, no additional U.S. military actions were planned, but sources close to the administration said the president hoped the operation would push Iran back to the negotiating table.
“I decided a long time ago that I will not let this happen,” Trump said during his address, referring to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
With the region now bracing for a possible Iranian response, the situation remains fluid. U.S. military assets have been repositioned across the Middle East in anticipation of potential fallout, while the world watches closely to see what comes next.
