President Donald Trump announced that U.S. airstrikes had “completely and fully obliterated” three of Iran’s key nuclear facilities in a high-stakes military operation early Sunday, marking a dramatic and risky expansion of American involvement in Israel’s ongoing conflict with Tehran.
Addressing the nation from the White House, Trump confirmed the U.S. military struck Iran’s heavily fortified sites at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan using a combination of B-2 stealth bombers armed with bunker-buster bombs and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles. “A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home,” he posted on social media, later calling the mission a “historic moment” for the United States, Israel, and the world.
Iran’s nuclear agency confirmed the strikes on its facilities but insisted its nuclear program would not be halted. Satellite imagery revealed damage at the Fordo site, which lies deep within a mountain and is central to Iran’s uranium enrichment operations.
Trump’s decision to directly engage came just days after he told reporters he would make a final decision within two weeks. The move marks a departure from his long-held promise to keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. Nevertheless, Trump warned Tehran against retaliation, stating Iran now faces a choice between “peace or tragedy.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s actions in a televised message, calling the U.S. strikes “a bold and righteous act” that would “change history.” The operation reportedly employed the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator—one of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear bombs—used here for the first time in combat to target deeply buried nuclear infrastructure.
Fox News host Sean Hannity reported that six such bombs were used against Fordo, while 30 Tomahawk missiles struck Natanz and Isfahan from U.S. submarines over 400 miles away. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House offered immediate details, though military officials are expected to brief the public shortly.
The attacks come after weeks of escalating violence in the region. Israel’s military has systematically degraded Iran’s air defenses and missile capabilities, but had appealed to Washington for specialized firepower to destroy fortified nuclear facilities. Trump’s decision followed unsuccessful diplomatic overtures and growing pressure from Israeli leaders and Republican allies who viewed this moment as a rare opportunity to cripple Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s leadership, meanwhile, has warned that any American military involvement would trigger a broader war. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed last week that U.S. strikes would cause “irreparable damage,” and Foreign Ministry officials labeled the attack a “dangerous act of aggression.”
The fear of wider conflict is real. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened to resume attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea if the U.S. joined the war. Iran’s Foreign Minister had previously warned that American intervention would be “very, very dangerous for everyone.” The Israeli military has said it is preparing for a potentially prolonged war.
Trump’s military escalation comes seven years after he withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal brokered under the Obama administration, which had offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on uranium enrichment. That withdrawal is widely seen as a turning point that reignited tensions.
Critics, including some from Trump’s own MAGA base, have raised concerns about the president’s decision. Commentators like Tucker Carlson have accused Trump of betraying his non-interventionist promises, especially as U.S. forces appear poised for further escalation.
Still, Trump remained defiant. “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he wrote on social media. “He is an easy target—but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
As the world braces for Iran’s response, the question remains: Was this a one-time strike—or the opening salvo of a much larger, more dangerous war in the Middle East?