U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. has bombed Fordow, Iran’s heavily fortified nuclear facility as well as two other sites, Natanz and Esfahan.
Trump, who spoke from the White House on Saturday night, said the objective of the strikes was to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity and stop its nuclear threat.
“A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime Fordow Natanz and Esfahan,” Trump said.
“Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise.
“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.”
The U.S. leader, who had been threatening Iran to make a “deal” about its nuclear programme, described the strikes as a huge military success.
“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.
” Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” Trump said.
Trump warned that “there will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days”.
He stressed that there were many targets left adding, “tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal.
“But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill; most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.”
Trump boasted about the superiority of the U.S. military, saying no military in the world could have done what the U.S. military did in Iran.
“There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close.
“There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago,” he stressed.
Trump had, earlier in a post on Truth Social, announced the bombing of the Iranian nuclear sites.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” he wrote.
“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.
“Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his reaction to the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, hailed Trump for taking a “bold decision” on Iran.
“Congratulations President Trump, your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,” Netanyahu posted.
ALARMED
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the United States’ use of force against Iran, saying he is alarmed by the action.
Guterres, in a statement on Saturday night shortly after Trump announced U.S. strike on three nuclear sites in Iran, said the action was a dangerous escalation in the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump had said on Saturday night that the U.S. military had bombed Fordow, Iran’s heavily fortified nuclear facility as well as two other sites, Natanz and Esfahan.
“I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today,” Guterres said.
“This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.”
The UN chief called on member states to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.
“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos.
“There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,” the UN scribe said.
