President Donald Trump has confirmed that U.S. forces conducted a sweeping air campaign against three of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities, describing the strikes as a “spectacular military success” and a historic step toward ending the nuclear threat from Tehran.
The coordinated airstrikes, executed on June 21, targeted Iran’s key uranium enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, in what experts have called one of the most aggressive U.S. military actions in the Middle East in recent years.
The Trump administration said the move came after diplomatic channels failed to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.
“Everybody’s heard those names for years,” Trump said in a televised address from the White House. “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.”
Standing beside Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump praised both the U.S. and Israeli militaries for executing the strikes with “precision, speed, and skill.”
He claimed that the mission had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s enrichment infrastructure.
“If Iran does not make peace now, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” Trump warned.
Israel’s state broadcaster KAN reported that the operation was conducted in full coordination with Israeli defense forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the mission as a turning point in Middle East security.
“President Trump’s bold decision will change history,” Netanyahu said. “First comes strength, then comes peace.”
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham echoed support, calling the move “the right call” and congratulating Trump via social media.
However, the strikes drew immediate concern from the international community. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a somber warning, stating he was “gravely alarmed” by the escalation and feared catastrophic consequences for civilians and the wider region.
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could spiral out of control,” Guterres said in a statement on Saturday night.
Military analysts believe the attack was carried out using B-2 Spirit stealth bombers equipped with 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) — bunker-busting bombs designed specifically for deeply buried targets like Iran’s Fordow facility.
Shortly after the operation, President Trump posted on social media, declaring: “Fordow is gone.”
Iranian authorities confirmed the three sites had been struck and labeled the action a “barbaric assault.” The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran accused the U.S. and Israel of violating international law but insisted that the attacks would not derail Iran’s nuclear development.
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Adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker, Mehdi Mohammadi, claimed the nuclear sites had been preemptively evacuated, minimizing losses. “Two things are certain,” he said on X. “Knowledge is not bombarded, and the gambler will lose this time.”
Iranian media downplayed the impact, and authorities said no nuclear material had been compromised. Saudi Arabia also reported no signs of radioactive leakage across the Gulf.
The airstrikes follow weeks of intensifying hostilities between Iran and Israel, with both sides trading aerial assaults since June 13. Israel has accused Iran of nearing the completion of a nuclear weapon — a claim Tehran denies, maintaining its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Former U.S. National Security Council official Brett McGurk called the operation unprecedented, noting that this marked the first use of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator in live combat. He emphasized that the strike focused solely on nuclear infrastructure, not regime change.
While the immediate military objective appears to have been achieved, questions remain over whether this will deter Iran or provoke broader conflict across the Middle East. With no response yet from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the world watches anxiously for the next move in a crisis with global stakes.