US President Donald Trump has announced that American forces have carried out a large-scale airstrike targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, in a statement on his Truth Social platform.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025
The Iranian military had previously warned Washington and other third parties against joining the conflict, threatening to target any hostile assets and weapons shipments bound for Israel.
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“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump wrote. “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.”
He went on to praise the military operation, adding: “Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this.”
In the same message, the US leader appeared to urge Tehran not to retaliate and to engage in talks, claiming it was now “time for peace.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has condemned the US airstrikes as a violation of all international treaties, stating that “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people.”
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A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis had warned that if the US becomes involved, the group “will target its warships in the Red Sea.”
Israel launched its Operation Rising Lion on June 13 as a “preemptive” strike, supposedly aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Tehran, which has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, called the attack an act of war and responded with missile and drone strikes of its own.