Portraits of Iranian navy generals and nuclear scientists, killed in Israel’s June 13 assault are displayed above a highway, as a plume of heavy smoke and fireplace rise over an oil refinery in southern Tehran, after it was hit in an in a single day Israeli strike, on June 15, 2025.
Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Photographs
President Donald Trump on Saturday mentioned the United States attacked Iran, hitting three nuclear websites in Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan.
“We’ve got accomplished our very profitable assault on the three Nuclear websites in Iran, together with Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump wrote on social media Saturday.
“All planes at the moment are exterior of Iran air area. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the first web site, Fordow,” wrote Trump.
“All planes are safely on their approach residence. Congratulations to our nice American Warriors. There’s not one other navy within the World that would have performed this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!” the president wrote.
Trump mentioned he’ll deal with the nation at 10 p.m. ET Saturday.
Earlier within the day Saturday, a number of U.S. Air Drive B-2 stealth bombers left Missouri, heading west over the Pacific Ocean. The large planes are a few of the solely U.S. plane able to carrying the GBU-57 Large Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound bomb often known as the “bunker buster.”
Saturday’s motion places the US in direct armed battle with Iran, a large escalation in its involvement with Israel’s effort to cripple Tehran’s nuclear program and topple its regime.
Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the U.S. strikes, a White Home official informed NBC Information.
The choice to assault Iran as soon as once more engages the American navy in lively warfare within the Center East — one thing Trump had vowed to keep away from throughout his second time period in workplace.
It additionally marks a significant shift from simply 48 hours in the past, when Trump mentioned the US would take “two weeks” to see if the battle between Israel and Iran might be resolved diplomatically.
“Primarily based on the truth that there is a substantial likelihood of negotiations that will or could not happen with Iran within the close to future, I’ll make my choice whether or not or to not go inside the subsequent two weeks,” Trump mentioned Thursday in an announcement issued by the White Home.
Behind the scenes, the Trump administration has been attempting to succeed in a cope with Iran over its nuclear program, and Trump in latest months had reportedly urged Netanyahu to carry off on a strike.
Infographic with a map of Iran exhibiting nuclear websites, reactors and uranium mines.
Graphic by SYLVIE HUSSON, NALINI LEPETIT-CHELLA, SABRINA BLANCHARD| AFP | through Getty Photographs
That diplomatic path could now be closed. Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned just lately that “any American navy entry will undoubtedly be met with irreparable injury.”
“In the event that they enter militarily, they are going to face hurt that they can’t get better from,” he added in an announcement learn on Iranian state tv.
After the U.S. strikes, it was unclear what choices remained for an Iranian retaliation towards the US.
One risk with direct impacts on the worldwide economic system and provide chain could be if Tehran had been to set landmines down within the Strait of Hormuz, mentioned Helima Croft, head of worldwide commodity technique at RBC Capital Markets.
The slim physique of water between Iran and Oman is the transit level for about 20% of the world’s oil, through tanker ships.
Landmines would successfully shut the strait, as a result of ships wouldn’t know the place the mines had been positioned.
“We’re already getting reviews that Iran is jamming ship transponders very, very aggressively,” Croft informed CNBC’s “Quick Cash” on Wednesday.
QatarEnergy and the Greek Transport Ministry have already warned their vessels to keep away from the strait as a lot as doable, Croft mentioned.
Extra such alerts had been anticipated following Saturday’s U.S. assault on Iranian websites.
Infographic with map of the Gulf exhibiting maritime tanker visitors in September 2024 by way of the Strait of Hormuz
Getty Photographs
Trump and former American presidents have lengthy insisted that Iran can not have nuclear weapons.
Trump in his first time period pulled the U.S. out of a nuclear settlement that the Obama administration and different nations had brokered with Iran in 2015, arguing it failed to guard America or deter Tehran’s enrichment goals.
Israel has lengthy claimed that Iran is growing nuclear weapons, and has threatened to strike its nuclear program earlier than. However till now, Tel Aviv has restricted its navy engagement to focused assassinations and cyber assaults.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s director of nationwide intelligence, testified earlier than Congress in March that the U.S. intelligence neighborhood “continues to evaluate that Iran will not be constructing a nuclear weapon and Supreme Chief Khamenei has not licensed the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
However Trump has repeatedly dismissed his personal Cupboard official’s evaluation.
“I do not care what she mentioned. I believe they had been very near having one,” Trump mentioned on Air Drive One final week.
This can be a growing story and might be up to date.