THE US JOINS ISRAEL’S ATTACK ON IRAN, STRIKING KEY NUCLEAR SITES
Since Israel first struck Iran on June 12, 2025, the two nations have exchanged several deadly blows with the current death toll sitting at 24 in Israel and, according to a US human rights organization, more than 400 in Iran.
On Saturday night, the US military launched airstrikes on Iran, marking a historic attack that followed Trump's repeated demands for Tehran to surrender after Israel initiated strikes on the country's nuclear infrastructure and military.
The US Strikes Three Nuclear Sites in Iran
On Truth Social just before 8 p.m. on Saturday, Trump posted, “We have completed our very successful attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space.”
This attack marks the first-ever US strike on Iranian territory.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary sites, 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,” said Trump.
Trump later reposted a screenshot of Open Source Intel announcing, “Fordow is gone.”
Trump has spent the last few days behind closed doors, claiming on Thursday that he would make a decision “within the next two weeks.” This was just two days before bombs fell.
Fordow, which is Iran’s main underground enrichment site, was difficult for the Israeli Army to destroy due to its location. This led to requests for the US to use its B-2 stealth bombers and bunker-buster bombs. According to a statement from Trump, “All planes are safely on their way home.”
Earlier This Week, the US Positioned Itself to Join Israel’s Assault on Iran
The Israeli strikes occurred as US negotiators were engaged in discussions with their Iranian counterparts on a new nuclear agreement. After the initial Israeli strike, Iranian negotiators called off a planned meeting in Oman that was due to take place on June 15.
Before the U.S. joined the attack on Iran, Trump had repeatedly said that the US’s position on the new agreement was very firm. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple — you don’t have to go too deep into it. They just can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
As Israel and Iran continued exchanging blows earlier this week, Trump was pressing for further talks between the US and Iran on both a nuclear deal and an end to the war between Israel and Iran. Trump even proposed sending Vice President JD Vance and US envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this week.
The President made it very clear earlier this week that time was running out and that he was “not too much in the mood to negotiate.”
“We’re looking at better than a ceasefire … an end, a real end, not a ceasefire, a real end,” Trump said.
Iran Warned of “All-Out War” If the U.S. Were to Join Israeli Strikes
Earlier in the week, Iran had warned that any United States intervention in the conflict with Israel would risk an “all-out war.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei warned, “Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”
Baghaei added, “We have very good relations with Arab countries, and they are very cognizant of the fact that Israel has been trying to drag others into the war. … We are sure our Arab countries hosting US bases would not allow their territory to be used against their Muslim neighbors.”
Iran’s comments appear to be supported by the Gulf States who have condemned Israel’s attack. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was even more forceful in his condemnation of Israel by offering his “condemnation and denunciation of these [Israeli] attacks, which undermine the sovereignty and security of the Islamic Republic of Iran and constitute a violation of international laws and norms.”
The US Used B-2 Bombers to Strike Iranian Nuclear Sites
The decision to directly involve the US comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to eradicate the country's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities.
U.S. and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb stand the best chance of destroying the sites connected to the underground Iranian nuclear program.
On Saturday, Trump did not immediately say what kind of aircraft was used, but the strikes came after a fleet of B-2 Spirit bombers departed Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri overnight Friday into Saturday, said a U.S. official familiar with the issue.
As of Saturday night, it has been released that the US also used 30 tomahawk missiles on other Iranian nuclear sites.
What Is a Bunker Buster?
On Saturday, the U.S. dropped 6 “bunker-buster” bombs against 3 of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites.
Three B-2 bombers were involved in the strike on Saturday, as each B-2 bomber can only carry 2 ,15 ton bunker busting bombs.
This morning, 6 B-2 bombers were seen flying west over the Pacific, refueling in Hawaii, but it is believed that they were decoys, and that another flight of B-2 bombers flew east, likely three planes to Fordow, destroying Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
The US employed its first bunker buster during the Korean War. The weapon – called the VB-13 Tarzon – was used against an underground North Korean command center.
During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, coalition forces needed a deep penetration bomb similar to the British weapons of World War II, but none of the NATO forces had such a weapon. The US and its partners rapidly developed bombs that weighed over two tons but carried only 647 pounds of high explosive. They were laser-guided and were designated the GBU-28. It was proven effective for the intended role.
In the modern era, the US has also developed a series of penetrating bomb bodies that could be attached to different guidance units and carried by a variety of air-to-ground fighter and bomber aircraft. This development started with the BLU-109 Penetrator, a weapon that Israel is suspected of dropping from one of its F-15Is to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on 27 September 2024.
In 2011, the USAF fielded the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in its inventory – the aforementioned GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). The GBU-57 is a 30,000 pound weapon and can penetrate up to 60 meters beneath the surface to obliterate its target. It can only be carried by the B-2 Spirit due to its size.
Americans Voice Concern Over a US Attack on Iran, and Trump Responds
Over the last week, Trump’s suggestion about authorizing a US strike on Iran elicited a largely negative response from typical Americans, and sharp criticism from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
According to an Economist/YouGov survey of 1,512 US adults, 60% of all respondents oppose US involvement in the war, while just 16% supported military action, and 24% were unsure.
Among those who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris for president last year, 71% opposed war on Iran. So did 53% of Trump voters. In fact, a majority of respondents across all gender, race, age, and income categories opposed military action against Iran.
Earlier this week, lawmakers in the House and Senate were also divided on whether to strike Iran. Congress is the only branch of government that has the power to declare war, according to the U.S. Constitution, but presidents have stretched their own powers to engage in foreign conflicts in recent decades because the president can authorize strikes in defensive cases.
Some Representatives and Senators from both parties have said that they wanted a say in US involvement in the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, D-California, introduced a resolution to block U.S. involvement in the conflict earlier in the week without Congressional approval. "This is not our war," Massie wrote on X. "Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution."
Trump Delivers An Address to the Nation
On Saturday night, Trump delivered an address to the nation after announcing that the US “successfully” hit three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
American B-2 bombers were used in the operation, according to a CNN source.
In his address to the nation Trump said,
"The US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they but this horribly destructive enterprise."
He went on the explain the objective of the strike stating, "Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, a bully of the Middle East must now make peace."
Trump went on to say that if Iran does not make peace, future attacks will be much greater, and easier.
During his speech, Trump thanked both the Israeli military and the American military. Trump thanked American military members stating, "Most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight, and all of the United State military on an operation, the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully we will no longer need their services at this capacity, I hope that's so."
Trump concluded his speech calling for peace. He said, "If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill."
"There is no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago."
On Sunday, General Caine and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will have a press conference at 8:00am at the Pentagon.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Suggested reads:
SHARE:
TAGS:
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
Get the latest news and military discounts
