UPDATED: The United States has carried out three strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, joining Israel as it tries to halt Tehran’s ability to obtain an atomic weapon, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social.
The bombing has raised fears that the Iranian regime will retaliate with strikes on U.S. targets.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space,” Trump wrote. “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! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Trump is due to speak at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT this evening.
The news quickly dominated cable news, while broadcast networks broke in with special reports on the military strike. Anderson Cooper anchored on CNN form Tel Aviv, Bret Baier was anchoring for Fox News, with Sean Hannity coming on at 9 p.m. ET. MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin shared the news at 7:53:02 p.m. ET, and Rachel Maddow coming on board at 9 p.m., and she will be joined by Nicolle Wallace and others.
CNN’s Fred Pleitgen, who arrived in Tehran earlier this week, spoke by phone to Cooper, telling him that be believed that Iranian officials are “still trying to figure out what exactly is going on. It’s 4:30 in the morning, so we’re looking to hear more from them.”
On Fox News, Hannity said that he spoke to Trump and said that “it appears the United States just completely obliterated Iran’s top secret nuclear facility with six huge bunker buster bombs.” He said that “two other major nuclear sites … were were wiped out with 30 tomahawk missiles launched by American submarines some 400 miles away.”
Trump also spoke in calls to other reporters, including Axios’ Barak Ravid, NBC News’ Kristen Welker and ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, who said that the president told him, “tremendous success tonight.”
Appearing on Iranian state TV, officials of the Islamic Republic said that the regime “didn’t suffer a major blow” because “the materials had already been taken out,” according to the BBC.
Overseas, with European diplomatic results already sidelined, usually quick to comment leaders like UK PM Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron were silent. Israeli officials have told the BBC that “they were fully informed” of the attack.
Trump’s announcement came after he returned to the White House from his Bedminster, NJ, golf property earlier on Saturday, as had been scheduled, for a meeting with his national security staff. On Thursday, in a statement he gave to his press secretary, Trump indicated that a decision on bombing Iran would come within two weeks, which raised speculation that the president would try to resolve the situation through a diplomatic solution.
But Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, said on his podcast earlier on Saturday that “the party is on. So another big weekend in this unfolding aspect of this third world war. Anyone who is telling you the third world war is not here does not understand.”
Israel launched air strikes on Iran earlier this month in an effort to hobble their nuclear program. But it was the United States that has had the weapons to penetrate the underground fortress where Iran was believed to be developing its nuclear capability.
As cable news offer blanket coverage of the nuclear site bombings, pundits such as retired U.S. Army Brig, General Mark Kimmitt warned of the forms an Iranian response could take including domestically. However, the LAPD have not taken to the city to any higher level of readiness such as tactical alert, officials tell us. “Any decision like that will follow further assessment of the situation,” a law enforcement source said to Deadline Saturday afternoon.
“Following the President’s action in Iran, California’s State Threat Assessment Center is actively monitoring for any potential impacts in California,” Gov. Gavin Newsom posted online this evening. “While there are no specific or credible counter threats we are aware of at this time, we urge everyone to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that, out of an abundance of caution, the LAPD “is stepping up patrols near places of worship, community gathering spaces and other sensitive sites.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “My top priority is the safety of all New Yorkers. I am receiving intelligence briefings and closely monitoring the evolving situation in Iran alongside federal and local partners. The New York State Police are working to protect at-risk sites and fight cyberattacks.”
The NYPD said that, out of an abundance of caution, it was “deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was among the lawmakers to quickly weigh in on the announcement.
“As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS. Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X, “The president made the right call, and did what he needed to do. 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 sponsor of terrorism, which chants ‘Death to America,’ simply could not be allowed the opportunity to obtain and use nuclear weapons.”
Johnson defended Trump’s order of strikes without congressional approval, stating that it “follows the history and tradition of similar military actions under presidents of both parties.”
Democrats said that Trump failed to consult Congress and needed to outline strategic objectives.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement, “Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise. The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way. President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy. Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity. The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased.”
He called for the enforcement of the War Powers Act.
U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict has divided Trump’s MAGA movement. Tucker Carlson, one of the president’s strident supporters, has warned against it and the possibility of the U.S. getting into another quagmire as it did in Iraq. On his show this week, he had a biting interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who has supported U.S. support for Israel.
Shortly before Trump announced the strikes, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote on X, “Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war. There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first. Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”
After the announcement, she wrote, “Let us join together and pray for the safety of our U.S. troops and Americans in the Middle East. Let us pray that we are not attacked by terrorists on our homeland after our border was open for the past 4 years and over 2 Million gotaways came in. Let us pray for peace.”
Let us pray that we are not attacked by terrorists on our homeland after our border was open for the past 4 years and over 2 Million gotaways came in
Let us pray for peace.
More to come.
