‘There is not another military in the World that could have done this,’ says Trump
The United States carried out a “very successful attack” on Iran’s top three nuclear sites on Saturday, making good on President Donald Trump’s promise to use force to cripple the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program if Tehran refused to stop enriching uranium.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump wrote Saturday evening on Truth Social. “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,” Trump continued. “There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Though Israel has made significant progress in striking Iranian nuclear sites over the last week, it required U.S. assistance to efficiently destroy Fordow, a labyrinthine nuclear lab buried deep within a mountain bunker. Only the United States possesses the advanced bunker buster bombs needed to penetrate Fordow from above—as well as the B-2 stealth bombers used to drop them. Multiple B-2s were spotted flying to the region on Saturday, though they appeared to be diversions.
American forces reportedly dropped six bunker busters by air on Fordow, while Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired at Esfahan and Natanz. An initial U.S. damage assessment indicated that Fordow was “taken off the table,” according to the New York Times.
Prior to Trump’s tweet, explosions were detected around Fordow, raising questions about whether Israel decided to strike the facility or the United States had entered the fray. America’s attack surprised the media, as well as regional experts, who expected Trump to let the issue simmer for longer after the president said Thursday he would make a decision on a strike within two weeks.
One day after that remark, however, Iran rejected the Trump administration’s diplomatic overtures, saying it would not speak to the Americans until Israel’s military siege ended and would not agree to stop enriching uranium. With no prospect for negotiations, it appears Trump decided the time was right to eradicate the remaining vestiges of Iran’s nuclear program.
Israel continued its aerial assault on Iran all through the weekend, also hitting the Esfahan nuclear plant for a second time, setting portions of it on fire. Israel struck the Natanz facility late last week, aiming to cripple its two nuclear enrichment plants.
Fordow was the last remaining nuclear stronghold and remained out of Israel’s reach until American assistance arrived on Saturday.
The heavily guarded site stretches up to 300 feet deep in some places, requiring the American military to deploy Massive Ordnance Penetrators, 30,000 pound precision-guided bombs designed specifically to obliterate deeply buried targets.
The U.S.-led air campaign could set Tehran’s nuclear program back a decade or even more, experts told the Washington Free Beacon last week. Any effort to bring Fordow and other facilities back online would pose a monumental challenge for Tehran, particularly since Israel assassinated a cadre of high-level Iranian nuclear scientists who shared decades of expertise.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
