Trump calls US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities ‘spectacular success’
President Donald Trump described the bombing of three nuclear installations in Iran a “spectacular military success” in Iran.
He called on Iran to quickly bring peace or declared that the United States was going after other targets with “speed” and “precision”.
“This cannot continue. There will be neither peace, there will be a tragedy for Iran, much greater than what we have witnessed in the past eight days,” Trump said in an address to the White House nation.
Israel initially attacked Iran earlier this month, while the Americans and the Iranians were in nuclear talks. Trump urged Iran to continue negotiations, but on Saturday, he went ahead with strikes.
Appearing alongside Vice-President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump boasted of the success of the mission.
“Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and completely erased,” said Trump. “Iran, the Middle East intimidator, must now make peace. If they do not do so, future attacks would be much larger and much easier.”
The Iranians have not yet said exactly what damage the strikes, which occurred in the middle of the night, caused. We do not know the full extent of the damage.
The bombing has marked the first time since the Iranian Revolution in 1979 that the United States sent troops to Iran to strike installations inside the country.
Using “Buster bombs”, the massive GBU-57A penetrator, the United States struck Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan in the middle of the night.
During his remarks, Trump described the three targets like the “most difficult” and said that if peace “does not come” quickly “, the United States would go after other sites.
“Don’t forget that there are many targets,” said Trump. “Tonight was the most difficult from everyone from afar, and perhaps the deadliest.”
Trump announced strikes on Saturday evening in an article on Truth Social after all the American planes were outside the Iranian airspace. The United States has contacted Iran “diplomatically” on Saturday to say that strikes are all that it plans to do and that “regime change efforts are not planned”, according to the American BBC partner, CBS News.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump administration had given him an opinion on the attack.
“President Trump and I often say:” Peace by force “. First comes the strength, then comes peace,” said Netanyahu in remarks after the attacks. “And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with great strength.”
The conflict ignited on June 13 when Israel surprised Iran with attacks on nuclear and military targets in order to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity.
In retaliation, Iran has launched hundreds of rockets and drones in Israel, military officials said.
The news agency for human rights activists (Hrana) – an organization of human rights based in Washington which has long followed Iran – says that 657 people have so far been killed. Iran retaliated with missile attacks against Israel, killing at least 24 people.
