U.S. completes strikes on Iran nuclear sites, Trump says

The U.S. military has joined with Israel to launch military strikes against Iran, a dramatic escalation in the years-long effort by both nations to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.

“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. 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 said in a subsequent post that he would address the nation at 10 p.m. ET.

Saturday’s attack marks the first act of direct military involvement by the U.S. in the rapidly escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.

The U.S. carried out the strike despite years of promises by President Trump to keep the country from entangling itself in another Middle East conflict. Yet Trump has also said it is paramount that Iran never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Trump initially sought to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran — one to replace the Obama-era agreement that he abandoned, despite Iran’s apparent compliance, in 2018. But in the days after Israel’s initial strike, he grew increasingly vocal in his opposition to Iran and the possibility it could attack U.S. assets in the region.

Trump has called for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” and boasted on social media that the U.S. has “complete and total control of the skies over Iran.” In a separate post, he threatened Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying the Iranian leader’s location had been identified.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.