A little over a week after the start of Israel's major attack on Iran, the United States entered the war and bombed three of the most important nuclear facilities in the Islamic cleric-ruled country. According to the Pentagon, seven B-2 fighter jets and 14 bunker-busting bombs were used in the attacks on Saturday night. US President Donald Trump said the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities were "completely destroyed," while threatening Tehran with further attacks.
The attacks were a "spectacular military success," Trump said in a televised address on Saturday evening. At the same time, he threatened the leadership in Tehran: "There will either be peace or a tragedy for Iran far greater than what we have seen in the past eight days." He called Iran the "tyrant of the Middle East." The US president was flanked during his speech by Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump later wrote on his online service Truth Social that, among other things, "a full load of bombs" had been dropped on the underground nuclear facility at Fordo. The facility is considered particularly secure against attacks because the centrifuges for uranium enrichment are hidden deep underground. According to US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, the attack squadron dropped GBU-57 bunker-busting bombs on Fordo. According to Caine, the weapon, which he said was used for the first time, can ram itself dozens of meters into the ground before exploding.
According to him, a total of more than 125 combat aircraft took part in the operation - among other things to refuel the stealth bombers on their 18-hour flight.
During Operation Midnight Hammer, a total of seven B-2 stealth bombers were deployed and 14 GBU-57 bombs were dropped, Caine said. A total of more than 125 combat aircraft participated in the operation, including refueling the stealth bombers during their 18-hour flight.
This is the largest comparable military action in US history. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also emphasized that the US armed forces remain "on high alert" to repel possible retaliatory attacks by Iran. The exact impact of the US attacks remained unclear at first. The Iranian Red Crescent stated that there were no casualties "in the US aggression against Iran's nuclear facilities."
"We have destroyed Iran's nuclear program," said US Defense Secretary Hegseth, emphasizing that the operation was "not directed against the Iranian people." Nor was the mission "about regime change" in Tehran.
The US attack came nine days after Israel launched its major attack on Iran. Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian condemned the US attacks as "aggression" and accused Washington of being the driving force behind Israel's attacks. Iran also responded with new massive rocket attacks against Israel; according to Israeli police, one rocket hit downtown Tel Aviv. The Iranian attacks injured more than 20 people in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump in a video message on the "courageous" attack, saying it would "change the course of history." Trump stated that he and Netanyahu had "worked as a team."
With the US entry into the war, the conflict threatens to escalate dangerously. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) convened the German government's security cabinet on Sunday. He called on the leadership in Tehran to "immediately begin negotiations with the US and Israel and reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict." EU High Representative Kaja Kallas also called on all parties involved to exercise restraint and return to the negotiating table. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a "spiral of chaos."
Russia and China sharply criticized the US attacks. "The irresponsible decision to attack the territory of a sovereign state with missiles and bombs, regardless of the arguments, blatantly violates international law," the Foreign Ministry in Moscow declared. President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi in the Russian capital on Monday. China accused the US of fueling the conflict in the Middle East with its actions. The US attacks also sparked concerns in Arab states about an escalation of the conflict.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that "no elevated radiation levels have been reported" as a result of the US attacks on the nuclear facilities. An Iranian government spokeswoman also assured state television that there was "no danger to people." "Residents in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow can continue their lives as usual."
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization stated that the Iranian nuclear industry would survive the attacks. "Of course, we have been harmed," said agency spokesman Behrus Kamalwandi. But Iran's knowledge and expertise in nuclear research "cannot be destroyed." Western states have accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons for years, a claim Tehran denies.
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