Washington — The USA launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear services, President Trump introduced Saturday night, calling them a “spectacular army success.”
“The U.S. army carried out huge precision strikes on the three key nuclear assemblies within the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan,” President Trump stated in a nationwide handle from the White Home Saturday night time. “Our goal was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capability and a cease to the nuclear menace posed by the world’s primary state sponsor of terror.”
Previous to his handle, the president wrote on his Fact Social platform {that a} “full payload of BOMBS” was dropped on the “main website” Fordo. The president additionally stated all U.S. planes made it safely out of Iranian air area.
And in second put up, Mr. Trump wrote: “That is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISTAEL (sic), AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!”
Trump warns Iran towards retaliating after U.S. strikes
The president addressed the nation relating to the strikes late Saturday night time, saying that “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment services have been utterly and completely obliterated” and issuing a warning to Iran to try for a peace deal in its battle with Israel.
White Home 
“There might be both peace, or there might be tragedy for Iran far better than we have now witnessed during the last eight days,” Mr. Trump stated whereas flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth. “Keep in mind, there are various targets left.”
Mr. Trump added that “if peace doesn’t come rapidly, we are going to go after these different targets with precision, pace and talent. Most of them could be taken out in a matter of minutes.”
Iran has pledged to retaliate if the U.S. joined the Israeli assault, which started with airstrikes on Iranian nuclear websites and army targets on June 13. Iran has responded with missile and drone assaults on Israeli cities.
However in a follow-up social media put up following his nationwide handle, Mr. Trump stated that “ANY RETALIATION BY IRAN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.”
What we all know to date concerning the U.S. strikes
Two senior Protection Division officers confirmed to CBS Information that three American B-2 bombers have been used to strike Fordo early Sunday native time, with every of these B-2s armed with 2 U.S.-produced “bunker-buster” bombs referred to as the GBU-57 Huge Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs — bombs so heavy that they may solely be dropped by a B-2.
CBS Information 
Fordo, the site of a high-grade uranium enrichment facility that worldwide consultants consider is essential to Iran’s nuclear program, is buried virtually 300 toes beneath a mountain and guarded by important air defenses. The MOP is believed to be one of the best probability at destroying the Fordo facility.
The officers informed CBS Information Natanz and Isfahan have been struck by tomahawk missiles launched by submarines. It is unclear what number of missiles have been launched at these two websites.
The U.S. reached out to Iran diplomatically Saturday to say the strikes are all of the U.S. plans and that regime change efforts are usually not deliberate, the sources stated. Earlier this week, a number of U.S. officers informed CBS Information that Mr. Trump opposed an Israeli plan to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme chief.
Not all U.S. allies within the area who home U.S. troops which are a part of U.S. Central Command have been knowledgeable upfront of the approaching U.S. plan to strike in Iran, in response to diplomatic sources. A number of the allies have been knowledgeable because the planes have been within the air.
What Israeli and Iranian officers are saying
The U.S. alerted Israel forward of the strikes, two White Home officers informed CBS Information. Mr. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke following the strikes, the officers stated. And in a video address, Netanyahu praised the president for conducting the strikes.
“President Trump and I typically say peace via power. First comes power, then comes peace. And tonight President Trump and the US acted with quite a lot of power.”
In accordance with the Iranian state media outlet IRNA, Morteza Heidari, a spokesman for disaster headquarters in Iran’s Qom province, acknowledged there had been assaults on all three nuclear websites. Iran’s Atomic Vitality Group additionally confirmed the assaults in an announcement, however claimed the strikes won’t cease it from progressing in its nuclear program. It additionally known as on the worldwide group to sentence the assaults.
And in a social media post Sunday morning, Iranian Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “in accordance with” the United Nations Constitution “and its provisions Iran reserves all choices to defend its sovereignty, curiosity, and folks.”
Araghchi alleged that the U.S. in its assault had “dedicated a grave violation of the UN Constitution.”
Homeland Safety officers are monitoring for potential bodily and cyber reprisals from the U.S. assault, domestically amid a “very excessive” menace stage and with the “purple line” of the Iranian response doctrine now crossed, CBS Information has discovered.
“We’re in unchartered territory,” one U.S. intelligence official informed CBS Information, whereas talking about potential Iranian threats to the U.S. homeland. “We do not know the way Iran will react to this as a result of that is the best price of stress and battle we have had in current historical past. We’re simply unsure how the Khomeini regime will react.”
The official added that assessments vary from little to no motion on the a part of Iranians to determined and drastic motion.
U.S. lawmakers give blended response
Home Speaker Mike Johnson was briefed forward of the strikes, in response to a supply acquainted.
The response from U.S. lawmakers has been mixed. Some Republicans, together with Johnson, expressed assist for the strikes, whereas others, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, an ardent Trump supporter, posted on X that “this isn’t our combat.”
Each Democratic Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer criticized the president for not searching for congressional authorization for the strikes.
“President Trump misled the nation about his intentions, failed to hunt congressional authorization for using army power and dangers American entanglement in a doubtlessly disastrous battle within the Center East,” Jeffries stated.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chair of the Senate Choose Committee on Intelligence, stated in an announcement that Mr. Trump campaigned on a promise to “‘finish the limitless overseas wars.'”
“Tonight, he took steps that would drag the US into one other one, with out consulting Congress, and not using a clear technique, with out regard to the constant conclusions of the intelligence group, and with out explaining to the American individuals what’s at stake,” Warner stated.
The occasions that led as much as the shock strikes
Earlier Saturday, a number of U.S. officers had confirmed to CBS Information that B-2 bombers had departed Whiteman Air Power Base in Missouri en path to Guam. A number of U.S. aerial refueling tankers have been noticed on industrial flight trackers flying flight patterns per escorting plane from the central U.S. to the Pacific.
The U.S. strikes come after Araghchi met with European officers in Geneva Friday and stated he was open to additional dialogue.
“Iran is able to take into account diplomacy as soon as once more,” Araghchi stated, including, “I stress that Iran’s protection capabilities are usually not negotiable. (However) I categorical our readiness to satisfy once more within the close to future.”
On Thursday, the president stated he would resolve whether or not to strike Iran “throughout the subsequent two weeks.” One supply informed CBS Information on the time that Mr. Trump “believes there’s not a lot alternative. Ending the job means destroying Fordo.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said earlier Saturday that the U.S. had begun evacuating People and inexperienced card holders out of Israel aboard assisted departure flights. Two flights departed from Tel Aviv to Athens with roughly 70 U.S. residents, their accompanying fast members of the family and lawful everlasting residents, the State Division stated previous to Mr. Trump’s announcement of the strikes.
White Home 
In the meantime, the White Home launched images of the State of affairs Room throughout the strikes. Within the room with the president have been Vance, Hegseth, Rubio, chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Center East particular envoy Steve Witkoff, White Home chief of workers Susie Wiles, deputy chief of workers Dan Scavino, deputy nationwide safety adviser Andy Baker, White Home normal counsel David Warrington and White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Gabbard’s presence within the room was important, as on Friday, Mr. Trump told reporters that she was “improper” when she testified to Congress in March that Iran wasn’t constructing a nuclear weapon.
Hegseth and Caine were scheduled to carry a information briefing from the Pentagon at 8 a.m. Japanese Time Sunday to offer an replace on the assault.
James LaPorta and
contributed to this report.
