American strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites overnight were a “spectacular military success,” President Donald Trump has said.
A map shows where the U.S. struck three of Iran’s main nuclear sites on Saturday, bringing the U.S. directly into the conflict between Iran and Israel after speculation over whether America’s self-styled role as peacemaker-in-chief would embroil Washington in Israel’s large-scale attacks.
Trump said on Saturday evening that the U.S. had carried out “massive precision strikes” to take out Tehran’s nuclear enrichment facilities and its ability to make a nuclear weapon. Iran has since fired more missiles at Israel.
The strikes were a “spectacular military success”, Trump said. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
The U.S. struck Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Trump said.
Israel launched attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and scientists—as well as the country’s ballistic missile sites and other military assets—late on June 12 U.S. ET. Among those targets were Natanz, Iran’s most significant nuclear enrichment site, and Isfahan, to the southwest of Natanz.
But Israel could not effectively target Iran’s nuclear program at Fordow, which Iran built under a mountain south of Tehran.
Only the U.S.’s B-2 heavy stealth bombers and massive munitions work for that type of attack, experts said.
