United States has bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, Donald Trump says

The United States has bombed three nuclear sites inside Iran, with Donald Trump warning any future attacks will be “far greater and a lot easier”. 

“I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” he said during a late-night White House address tonight. 

“Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”  

The extent of the damage at the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan sites could not be independently verified. 

The US Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were involved in the strikes, with Reuters reporting six bunker-buster bombs were used on the Fordow research site buried deep in the hills of Iran. 

Mr Trump called the moment historic “for the US, Israel, and the world” and said: “Iran must now agree to end this war”. 

After dropping the bombs, Mr Trump said now was the time for peace, but Reuters is reporting an Iranian state television commentator declared: “Every American citizen and military personnel in the region is now a target.” 

Officials and state media in Iran downplayed the damage, claims that also could not be independently verified. 

Iran and Israel begin new wave of strikes on each other

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the US attacks were “outrageous” and would have “everlasting consequences”.

He added that Iran reserved all options to defend itself. 

Then, hours after the US attack on Iran nuclear sites, the Israeli military warned its citizens to seek cover from an Iranian barrage that appeared heavier than the salvos it had fired in the past few days.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement saying an “additional barrage of missiles was launched toward the State of Israel”. 

“The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command,” it said.

“The IDF repeats and emphasises not to publish and share the footage and locations of hits. The Aerial Defense Array is currently identifying and intercepting threats.”

It was not immediately clear how many missiles pierced Israel’s air-defence systems, but police confirmed at least three impact sites in residential areas in central and northern Israel.

The IDF said it launched additional strikes against military targets in western Iran.

Iran threatens shipping channel

Hossein Shariatmadari, a representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran was ready to respond to the US attacks.  

“Now it is our turn to, without wasting time, as a first step, fire missiles at the US naval fleet in Bahrain and at the same time close the Strait of Hormuz to American, British, German and French ships,” he said in the hardline Kayhan newspaper. 

Mr Trump reiterated his warning that the United States was willing to continue its aerial campaign on Iran. 

“Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight,” he said in a late-night post to Truth Social. 

Earlier in his White House address, Mr Trump said he decided long ago the US would intervene if he felt that was needed to protect American lives. 

“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left,” he said. 

Mr Trump also thanked and congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the pair had “worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before”.

The president said all US warplanes had safely left Iranian airspace and that a “full payload of bombs” was dropped on the primary site of the Fordow nuclear bunker, a heavily fortified facility built underground inside Iran. 

Iranian state media reports ‘limited damage’ 

Inside Iran, there has been confirmation of the strikes, and some reports of explosions from the Fordow and Isfahan areas. 

One contact inside Iran told the ABC the ground was shaking as if an earthquake had struck.