Trump announces US strikes on Iran: what we know so far

5 hours ago 2

Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the US had completed strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump said in a post on social media. “All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.”
In a second post announcing his address to the nation from the White House, Trump said that “IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR.”
Trump was due to address the country at 10pm ET (0200 GMT, Midday EST).
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan cited an Israeli official saying the country was “in full coordination” with Washington on the US attack.
Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli Minister for Defence, has posted on X in support of the US Strike. “President Trump took a bold decision for the United States, for Israel, for all of humanity.”
Earlier on Saturday, Reuters had reported that B-2 bombers were being moved to the Pacific island of Guam, according to two US officials. A US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, that those bombers were involved in the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The decision to directly involve the US comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defences and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. Iran has retaliated with strikes against Israel.
The bombing of Iran by the US comes just two days after Trump said he would decide “within two weeks” whether to join key ally Israel in attacking Iran.
Israel launched the attacks on Iran saying that it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran has argued that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned earlier Saturday of a “more devastating” retaliation should Israel’s nine-day bombing campaign continue, saying the Islamic republic would not halt its nuclear program “under any circumstances.”
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that US strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will “result in irreparable damage for them”.
Iran’s health ministry on Saturday gave a toll of more than 400 people killed in the Israeli strikes to date. Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 25 people in Israel, according to official figures.