President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. has bombed three nuclear sites in Iran.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.”
Fordow and Natanz both house uranium enrichment centers, while Esfahan is where Iran is believed to be keeping near-bomb-grade enriched uranium, according to The New York Times. The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is buried deep underground, heavily fortified and expected to contain 2,700 centrifuges, which are essential for uranium enrichment.
“All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors,” Trump added. “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.”
The president is expected to address the nation at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Trump claimed Tehran could produce a working nuclear weapon within “a matter of weeks” in a statement on Friday. His remark directly contradicted sworn testimony given in May by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard. The former Congresswoman testified that the intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.”
Earlier this week, Trump said he would make his decision on whether to strike within two weeks, citing a “substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.”
Trump said Wednesday that Iranian negotiators should have accepted an agreement his administration previously proposed during talks that took place over the last two months.
“They should have made the deal. I had a great deal for them,” Trump said. “They should have made that deal 60 days. We talked about it, and in the end, they decided not to do it, and now they wish they did it, and they want to meet, but it’s, you know, late to meet, but they want to meet, and they want to come to the White House.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
