What many had feared has now happened.
The United States is officially involved in the Israel-Iran war.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday night that the American military had carried out targeted strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, as the conflict between Israel and Iran entered its second week. The intervention marks a major escalation in the Middle East crisis.
The information was first reported by USA Today.
“We have successfully carried out an attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan,” Trump said on the social network Truth Social.
He added that the planes were “now out of Iranian airspace” and that a “full payload of bombs” had been dropped on the main site, Fordow.
The president praised the American armed forces, stating: “Congratulations to our great American warriors. No other military in the world could have done this. Now is the time for peace.”
The strikes were carried out by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, which departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in the early hours of June 21.
These aircraft, equipped with stealth technology, are capable of carrying high-penetration bombs such as the GBU-57, known as the “bunker buster,” USA Today reported.
According to a senior Pentagon official cited anonymously by USA Today, the mission resulted in no casualties. However, the U.S. military raised the alert level for its approximately 40,000 troops stationed in the region.
The conflict began on June 13, when Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. In response, Tehran fired missiles at Israeli civilian areas. Amid the escalation, President Trump had hinted that U.S. intervention was under consideration.
In his statement, Trump announced that he would address the nation at 10 p.m. (Washington time), calling the moment a “historic one for the United States, Israel, and the entire world,” and urging Iran to “end this war.”
The announcement immediately sparked reactions, including from within the Republican Party. Representative Thomas Massie condemned the move as “unconstitutional,” pointing out that no congressional authorization had been granted to declare war on Iran.
Far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump ally, also voiced her opposition: “Every time America is on the verge of progress, we get pulled into another foreign war. This is not our fight. Peace is the only way.”
Just hours before the strikes, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced the start of evacuation operations for American citizens and permanent residents from Israel and the West Bank, via assisted departure flights organized by the State Department.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned the U.S. against direct involvement: “Any American military intervention will result in irreparable damage.”
Tehran claims its nuclear facilities are for peaceful purposes, while Israel and Washington believe Iran is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
The U.S. strikes targeted heavily fortified underground sites that only B-2 bombers can reach with their penetrating munitions. According to a U.S. official, Israel had requested American intervention, lacking the firepower needed to destroy Iran’s deeply buried facilities, USA Today reported.
Source: USA Today
