The United States has launched airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, formally entering Israel’s war with Iran.
The move marks a dramatic escalation and raises fears of a broader regional conflict.
Speaking from the White House, President Donald Trump declared that Iran’s “key nuclear [sites] were completely and fully obliterated.”
He warned, “There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,” and added that while the targets struck were the most “lethal,” “there are many targets left.”
The targeted sites—Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz—are major components of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed the attacks but said operations would continue.
It also reported no radioactive contamination or danger to nearby residents.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded in a post on X, saying the U.S. strikes “will have everlasting consequences” and Tehran “reserves all options” to retaliate.
Trump carried out the strikes without congressional approval. He has not committed to further attacks but made clear U.S. forces would retaliate if provoked.
“This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!” Trump wrote on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision, stating in a video message: “Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history.”
The U.S. reportedly used the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a powerful bunker-busting bomb capable of reaching 200 feet underground.
The bombs were dropped by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, the only aircraft capable of delivering them. “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 announced.
U.S. submarines also launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles, according to officials who spoke anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the mission.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the development a “dangerous escalation” and warned of a “growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.”
In Tehran, 13-year-old Parnia Rahmanian lay unconscious in a hospital bed following an Israeli strike on her neighborhood.
Israel has since closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights.
According to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, Israeli strikes have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396. Among the dead are 363 civilians and 215 members of the security forces.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had earlier warned that any strikes would “result in irreparable damage for them.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei added that “any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”
Trump previously emphasized diplomacy. For two months, he pursued direct negotiations with Tehran to stop its nuclear ambitions peacefully.
In both April and May, he convinced Netanyahu to delay military action, hoping talks would yield progress. But diplomacy failed.
Israeli officials lobbied for direct U.S. involvement, particularly to destroy the deeply buried Fordo facility.
U.S. and Israeli sources agreed that only American stealth bombers and the massive GBU-57 bomb could take out such fortified targets.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran has been enriching uranium at Fordo. While past strikes caused contamination at Natanz, there was no spread beyond the site, the IAEA said.
Trump’s intervention has drawn criticism from some of his own supporters. Many in his MAGA base view the move as a break from his non-interventionist promises.
Despite the pushback, Trump said Friday he had no intention of sending ground troops into Iran, calling it “the last thing you want to do.”
But just two days later, he gave the go-ahead for the strike.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have threatened to resume attacks on U.S. ships in the Red Sea. They had paused under a previous agreement with Washington.
Trump had hoped his threats would push Iran toward a peaceful solution. But that shifted as Israel’s campaign weakened Iran’s air defenses and made its nuclear infrastructure more vulnerable.
Trump’s decision also marks the first-ever use of the GBU-57 in combat.
The bomb delivers a conventional warhead and uses sheer weight and force to dig deeper with each strike. Experts say it can effectively drill through fortified bunkers.
Critics have noted that the conflict comes seven years after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal. He had called the agreement “the worst deal ever.”
That deal, signed during the Obama administration, aimed to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting sanctions. But Trump long argued it gave Iran too much and failed to address other threats.
Now, the U.S. has made clear that it is willing to use overwhelming force to alter the strategic balance in the region.
