The United States bombed three key sites of Iran's nuclear program on Sunday. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally destroyed. Iran, the kingpin of the Middle East, must now make peace, Donald Trump declared at the White House. If they don't, the next attacks will be much bigger, he threatened Iran, saying the country has a choice between peace or tragedy.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2025
The United States carried out a very successful attack on three Iranian nuclear sites, he previously claimed.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025
These US attacks will have eternal consequences, warned Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, saying Iran was reserving all options to defend its sovereignty, interests and people.
The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a serious violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 22, 2025
The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting…
Shortly after, Iranian state television announced the launch of 30 missiles at Israel. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, and loud explosions were heard from Jerusalem by AFP journalists.
The Israeli army said it was working to intercept the missiles and called on people in the targeted areas to take shelter.
The US president maintained uncertainty for days about a possible US intervention in Iran to support its Israeli ally.
A full payload of bombs was dropped on the main site, Fordo, a uranium enrichment plant buried under a mountain and at the heart of Tehran's nuclear program, he continued.
The two other sites targeted are Natanz, the most well-known of the enrichment sites, and Isfahan, where a uranium conversion site is located near the historic city in the center of the country.
Iranian media confirmed the attacks on these three nuclear sites. A few hours ago (....) part of the Fordo nuclear site was attacked by enemy airstrikes, said Morteza Heydari, spokesman for the crisis management service of the province of Qom, quoted by the Tasnim agency.
Iran's nuclear safety authority, which is part of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said it had detected no signs of contamination at the three sites and that there was no danger to the public.
Similarly, the Saudi nuclear authority has not detected any radioactive effects in the kingdom and other Gulf states.
B-2 Bombers
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated his American counterpart on the attack in a video message. He also affirmed that the American attack was carried out in perfect coordination with Israel. He added that Trump is thus imposing a historic turning point that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.
Araghchi condemned scandalous events (which) will have eternal consequences, denouncing the extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior of Washington.
Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people, he added. US attacks will not stop Iran's nuclear activities, the country's Atomic Energy Organization also affirmed.
Experts agree that only the United States had the capability to destroy Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities like Fordo.
B-2 bombers, which took off overnight from a base in the United States, participated in the attack, US media reported, citing unidentified sources.
Donald Trump had said on Friday that he would give Iran a maximum of two weeks to avoid possible US strikes, but he ultimately decided to move forward alongside his Israeli ally, based on his observation that Iran was weeks, even months, away from nuclear weapons. Until now, Washington had been content to provide defensive assistance to Israel against Iranian missiles. Following the US attack, Israel closed its airspace and raised its alert level across the country, where only so-called essential activities are now authorized until further notice.
Spiral of Chaos
Assuring that its arch-enemy was on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons, Israel launched a massive attack on hundreds of military and nuclear sites on June 13, killing the country's highest-ranking officials and atomic scientists. Since then, Israeli strikes on targets in Iran have been a daily occurrence.
Iran, which denies its desire to acquire nuclear weapons and defends its right to a civilian nuclear program, has responded with waves of drone and ballistic missile attacks on Israeli territory, most of which have been intercepted by defense systems.
On the Iranian side, the war has left more than 400 dead and 3,056 injured, mostly civilians, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
Iranian strikes on Israel have killed 25 people, according to authorities.
Experts agreed that only the United States had the capability to destroy Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities, including those at Fordo.
Iran has threatened retaliation against US interests in the Middle East if the United States decides to intervene directly in the conflict.
The military operations in Iran should be a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says. The president has given the Iranian leader every opportunity to reach an agreement, but Iran has refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament deal, said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The President made the right call, and did what he needed to do.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) June 22, 2025
Leaders in Congress were aware of the urgency of this situation and the Commander-in-Chief evaluated that the imminent danger outweighed the time it would take for Congress to act.
The world’s largest state…
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jefries accused Trump of pushing the United States toward war by authorizing the strikes.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed concern about a dangerous escalation and called for avoiding entering into a spiral of chaos.
I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) June 22, 2025
There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of…
