The U.S. has directly entered the war against Iran, striking three nuclear facilities, President Donald Trump announced via social media. The attack came on the ninth day of the Israel-Iran war in which Israeli forces have been attacking Iranian nuclear weapons facilities among other targets, including ballistic missile launchers, air defense systems, military leaders, and nuclear scientists. You can catch up with our coverage of this fight here.
Rolling coverage via live updates are at the bottom of this article.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump stated on Truth Social. “All planes are now outside of Iran airspace. 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 did not say how the facilities were attacked. However, as we explained earlier today, at least two separate groups of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were heading westward across the Pacific Ocean. The destination was unclear, and it’s possible other B-2s were sent clandestinely to hit the targets. Other aircraft could also have been involved. However, B-2s carrying 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs are widely seen as the only readily available conventional option for targeting the deeply-buried enrichment facility at Fordow, in particular, short of a ground raid.
The U.S. attack came a day after Trump mentioned that he was still deliberating what he would do, but that previous comments about giving Iran two weeks to end their nuclear ambitions were the maximum timeframe.
This is a developing story. Stay with TWZ for updates.
UPDATE: 8:30 PM Eastern –
After the strikes, the big question is whether Iran will retaliate and in what manner? This could widen the war significantly if Iran launches attacks on U.S. bases throughout the region. An attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz is also a possibility. What isn’t known is how Iran’s command and control architecture is operating and if additional capabilities have been deployed by the U.S. to degrade it in order to make a massive response harder to execute.
The U.S. has evacuated many of its personnel, aircraft, and ships from Persian Gulf bases, but these are still potential targets, which could prompt a response from host countries if attacked. Also, what is important to factor in is that although Israel has degraded Iran’s long-range ballistic missile capability over the last week — there has been no launches in the last 24 hours, which is a first and a potential indicator of the state of these forces — Iran’s short-range ballistic and cruise missile, as well as one-way attack drone capability is far more expansive and harder to target. These systems are a major threat to U.S. bases in the region.
We also don’t know if the B-2 group that appeared to be sent out over the Pacific could have made it to Iran on the timetable now established. It is very possible this was a feint in order to provide cover for the real strike force. We are looking into the timing and will report more when we can more definitively answer this question. While the B-52s now located in Diego Garcia can drop GBU-57 MOPs, as they did in early testing, it is not a known operational capability for the type. Also, using those assets would be much riskier than the B-2 due to their lack of stealth. Still, it may have been possible depending on the state of Iran’s air defenses, especially in the east of the country where Israeli operations have been far lower in volume, and what other assets would have assisted in the attacks.
It seems most likely that another group of B-2s was sent east, using the already deployed tanker bridge, to clandestinely carry out the strikes. They could have also been moved in the days prior, clandestinely, to bases closer to Iran. Even the B-2 shelters in Diego Garcia could have hidden four B-2s. The UK is another established B-2 operating base, but they could have gone somewhere else, as well. The B-2 community has worked to hone its forward operations capabilities in recent years.
There are many unknowns at this time.
There were also unconfirmed reports leading up to Trump’s announcement that strikes had occurred at the three nuclear sites. At the same time, there were also reports that Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main naval facility on the Persian Gulf and the epicenter for IRGC naval assets that would be used to close the strait, was struck. Now it appears this indeed did happen, based on news out of Israel:
Trump has also retweeted the statement, “Fordow is gone.” from an open-source intelligence account on Truth Social:
Israel has changed its defense posture following the strikes:
Israel hunkering down: IDF: Changes to the Home Front Command Instructions
With the approval of the Minister of Defense Israel Katz, and following the situational assessment, it was determined that as of today (Sunday), at 03:45am, immediate changes will be made to the Home Front Command instructions. As part of the changes, it was decided to shift all areas of the country from Partial and Limited Activity to Essential Activity. The instructions include: a prohibition on educational activities, gatherings, and workplaces, except for essential sectors.
The public is required to follow the instructions published on the official Home Front Command channels. Full instructions will be updated on the National Emergency Portal and the Home Front Command app.
The IRGC just posted this on Telegram:
UPDATE: 9:10 PM Eastern –
Ships are still moving through the strait. This is simply an indicator of the current situation. It will likely take time for Iran to act, especially if its command and control is being further disrupted.
Sean Hannity, Fox News commentator and close friend to Trump, has stated that the strike included six weapons dropped from B-2s on Fordow, and the other two sites were struck by Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. We cannot confirm this, but it’s the first thing we have heard detailing the assets used.
Iranian state media is claiming that they evacuated nuclear materials from these sites. Even if that is the case, the infrastructure is of extremely high value regardless.
NYT is reporting that Fordow was “taken off the table.”
The NYT is also reporting that Trump acted because Israel had not made significant gains in eliminating Iran’s nuclear program, and it was unlikely they could achieve greater results:
“One reason the U.S. may have struck multiple sites on Saturday was that its intelligence agencies estimated that Israeli attacks only set back Iran’s nuclear program by about six months. The assessments also concluded that further Israeli attacks were unlikely to do more damage.”
“A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, said the strikes against the three nuclear sites on Saturday were complete. The official said no follow-up attacks were expected, although commanders were ready to respond to any Iranian retaliatory attacks.”
Massive attacks across the electronic spectrum are absolutely right on cue. Defending the strike package from counter-air, yes, but to disrupt Iran’s command and control and break their decision cycle is of the utmost importance throughout the coming hours. Fielding a large coordinated response will be extremely challenging without it.
Statement from The Arms Control Association criticizing the strikes:
| President Donald Trump’s decision to join Israel’s illegal attacks against the Iranian leadership, civilian targets, and the country’s major nuclear sites represents an irresponsible departure from Trump’s pursuit of diplomacy and increases the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran. The U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, including the deeply fortified, underground Fordow uranium enrichment complex, may temporarily set back Iran’s nuclear program, but in the long term, military action is likely to push Iran to determine nuclear weapons are necessary for deterrence and that Washington is not interested in diplomacy. The consensus view among U.S. intelligence agencies before Israel’s bombing campaign began on June 13 was that Iran had not made a decision to move forward on building a bomb, and was several months away, if not longer, from being able to assemble a crude device. There was no imminent threat that Iran was weaponizing its nuclear program before Israel’s attack began. Military strikes alone cannot destroy Iran’s extensive nuclear knowledge. The strikes will set Iran’s program back, but at the cost of strengthening Tehran’s resolve to reconstitute its sensitive nuclear activities, possibly prompting it to consider withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and possibly proceeding to weaponization. Although Trump has already claimed victory, it is far too soon to say how much damage the combined Israeli and U.S. strikes have caused to Iran’s nuclear program. It will take time, and likely the return of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to Iran, to assess the status of Iran’s nuclear activities and account for its nuclear material including the highly-enriched uranium it had already accumulated before the war. Furthermore, Trump’s decision to launch strikes against another sovereign country without authorization for the use of such force by Congress, which is mandated by the Constitution, is an egregious violation of the rule of domestic law. Though the prospect for negotiations on a longer term framework to contain Iran’s sensitive nuclear activities have been damaged severely, this remains the best possible long-term path to prevent further nuclear weapons proliferation. Trump needs a plan for deescalation and engagement. The failure to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis will further erode confidence in the global nonproliferation system and encourage more states to consider the pursuit of nuclear weapons to thwart attacks by other nuclear-armed states. Statement by Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director, Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy, and Thomas Countryman, Chair of the Board, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation and International Security For Immediate Release: June 21, 2025 |
How the Pentagon used the open source community for their feint was a textbook play. It’s a tactic we have discussed before.
One person appears to have spotted the actual strike aircraft yesterday:
Speaker Mike Johnson’s statement on the operation:
Update: 9:50 PM Eastern –
CNN reports that Israel was told the strike was coming, which makes absolute sense, as not doing that could lead to a disaster:
“The US gave Israel a heads-up on its strikes in Iran before launching them, two officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke Saturday evening following the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, two White House officials said.”
CNN also reports that top democratic leadership was not briefed prior to the strike.
Iran is threatening passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Possible video of TLAM strikes on Isfahan:
Trump is speaking now:
Trump says the strikes were a spectacular success and that the sites are destroyed, and threatens massive reprisals, including many more strikes, if Iran doesn’t make peace.
Images from inside the situation room:
More threats from the IRGC:
Iranian state TV is claiming that only the entrance and exits of Fordow were bombed.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he got a basic heads-up, without details:
There is a video circulating that supposedly says the Houthis will target U.S. ships once again. This remains unconfirmed at this time:
Iran threatens U.S. bases and personnel in the region:
Statement from the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency via Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News:
🔹 Following the brutal attacks of the Zionist enemy over the past few days, at dawn today, the country’s nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were attacked by the enemies of Islamic Iran in a barbaric act that violated international law, especially the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
🔹 This action, contrary to international law, was unfortunately carried out in the shadow of the indifference and even the complicity of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
🔹 The American enemy, through cyberspace, has claimed responsibility for the attack on the aforementioned sites, which are under the continuous supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, based on the Safeguards Agreement and the NPT Treaty.
🔹 The international community is expected to condemn the lawlessness based on the rules of the jungle and support Iran in achieving its legitimate rights.
🔹 The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the great nation of Iran that despite the evil conspiracies of its enemies, with the efforts of its thousands of revolutionary and motivated scientists and experts, it will not allow the path of development of this national industry, which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, to be stopped.
🔹 This organization has put the necessary measures, including legal action, on its agenda to defend the rights of the noble Iranian nation.
UPDATE: 11:30 PM Eastern –
Data available through NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) indicates fires in the vicinity of Fordow following the strikes.
CBS News and Fox News are reporting that the individuals listed in the social media posts below were in the White House Situation Room during the mission. A number of additional individuals not seen in pictures put out by the White House were reportedly present, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Israeli forces have conducted no additional strikes on Iran since the U.S. operation and are reportedly waiting to see what Iran’s reaction might be before continuing with their campaign, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan.
“No radioactive effects were detected on the environment of the Kingdom and the Arab Gulf states as a result of the US military targeting of Iran’s nuclear facilities,” according to a machine translation of the post below from the Saudi Arabian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC).
Iran’s Tasnim News has published the video below, which is said to be evidence that the city of Qom, which is in the vicinity of Fordow, has been unaffected by the U.S. strikes.
Tasnim has also published the following, which it says are firsthand accounts of the situation around Fordow in the aftermath of the strikes:
🔹 People in the area did not hear any loud explosions.
🔹 Trump claimed this morning that he had attacked Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, and destroyed these facilities.
🔹 Tasnim‘s reporter immediately went to the Fordow area; people in the area say that last night, like the previous nights, the sounds of small aircraft and air defenses could be heard.
🔹 People say they heard several continuous sounds, but not what Trump says, and not the loud explosion that has been claimed.
🔹 According to the Tasnim reporter, conditions in the area are now normal, life is going on, and not even smoke or flames are visible.
Iran’s Fars News has also published additional, reportedly firsthand accounts of the strikes on Fordow:
🔹A field report from around the Fordow site in the early hours of this morning indicates widespread activity by air defense systems and the observation of signs of air conflict in the area.
🔹The Fars reporter, upon hearing the first activation of the Hazrat Masoumeh (PBUH) defense system at 2:05 AM, moved towards the Fordow site area.
🔹On the way, at around 2:07, a slight explosion was heard, which, according to him, was less intense than the sound of the defense targeting on June 14. He also stated that on his way, he heard a loud sound of the defense, and as he reached the area of the Mehr and Mah welfare complex, the effects of the defense activity were clearly visible in the sky.
🔹At around 2:35 AM, the present reporter observed flames coming from the direction of Fordow, accompanied by the sound of an explosion, in the vicinity of the Mahtab Welfare Complex. The flames were not very high and subsided after about 3 to 4 minutes. In addition, a significant amount of light smoke and dust rose into the air in the area, which was clearly visible in the darkness of the night.
🔹Additional reports regarding the details of this incident and its consequences are being reviewed.
UPDATE: 12:15 AM Eastern –
CNN and The New York Times have now reported that a total of 12 GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs were dropped on Fordow by six B-2 bombers, and that another B-2 dropped two more of the bunker buster bombs on Natanz.
The Times has also reported that the B-2s flew approximately 37 hours nonstop during the mission.
“I am told by experts that the underground tunnel at Isfahan is a MUCH harder target than Fordow, and it is not clear whether the Tomahawks were able to destroy it,” Fox News‘ Jennifer Griffin has posted on X.
Imagery captured by Meteosat-9, a meteorological satellite operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), shows a ‘flash’ at Fordow around the reported time of the U.S. strikes.
“A senior Israeli official tells me that it is too early to know exactly what the results of the U.S. strike in Iran are, but stressed that ‘what is certain is that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back by years,'” Axios‘ Barak Ravid posted on X. “The senior Israeli official noted that if, following the U.S. strike, a good agreement with Iran is reached, it would be “the end of the story” for Iran’s nuclear program. The senior Israeli official stressed that if no nuclear agreement is reached and if Iran tries to rebuild its nuclear facilities, Israel will strike again — as it did against Iranian entrenchment attempts in Syria and Hezbollah’s rearmament efforts in Lebanon.”
Iranian authorities have said, so far, there are “no signs of [nuclear] contamination” following the U.S. strikes on Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz, according to the AP and AFP.
“We’re tracking the situation unfolding in Iran,” the New York City Police Department has said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC.”
UPDATE: 12:20 AM Eastern –
Commercial satellite imagery provider Maxar Technologies has shared the following images along with the accompanying statement below:
“Prior to tonight’s airstrikes on the three Iranian nuclear-associated facilities, Maxar collected high-resolution satellite imagery on June 19th and June 20th of the Fordow fuel enrichment facility that revealed unusual truck and vehicular activity near the entrance to the underground military complex. On June 19th, a group of 16 cargo trucks were positioned along the access road that leads to the tunnel entrance of the facility. Subsequent imagery on June 20th revealed that most of the trucks had repositioned approximately one kilometer northwest along the access road; however, additional trucks and several bulldozers were seen near the entrance to the main facility and one truck was positioned immediately next to the main tunnel entrance.”
UPDATE: 1:00 AM Eastern –
Iran has now launched another salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel, with reported impacts in Tel Aviv and Haifa. There are reports that 25 to 30 Iranian missiles were fired, with at least 10 of them reaching the ground.
Video footage that may show U.S. strikes on Isfahan has emerged online.
“Senior officials in the defense establishment told Here News over the weekend that Israel had exhausted its bank of targets in Iran against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites and that the understanding was that it would have to wait for the US, which alone could, through its military capabilities, destroy the underground nuclear facility at Fordow,” Israeli journalist Itay Blumental has posted on X. “In the past two days, senior IDF officials told Kan News, the Air Force has attacked targets in Iran in the Revolutionary Guards’ surface-to-surface missile and air defense systems – to ‘deepen the achievements.'”
“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Araghchi has said in a statement condemning the U.S. strikes. “In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”
Iran’s Fars News has also reported the following on a letter sent to the United Nations Security Council following the U.S. strikes:
Iran’s letter to the Security Council following US aggression against nuclear facilities
🔹 Following today’s US aggression against the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities, Iran’s mission to the United Nations wrote to the Security Council requesting an emergency meeting.
🔹 The letter states: In order to maintain international peace and security, the Islamic Republic of Iran urgently calls for an emergency meeting of the Security Council without any delay, in order to address this blatant and illegal act of aggression, condemn it in the strongest possible terms, and take all necessary measures within the framework of the responsibilities assigned to the Council under the Charter of the United Nations so that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are fully held accountable and do not go unpunished.
🔹 The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns in the strongest possible terms these unprovoked and premeditated acts of aggression, which follow the massive military attack carried out by the Israeli regime on June 13 against Iran’s peaceful nuclear sites and facilities.
UPDATE: 1:25 AM Eastern –
Iran has launched another group of ballistic missiles at Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) now says the Iranians launched 27 missiles in total, 22 in the first barrage and five in the second.
Additional imagery of the aftermath of both salvos continues to emerge online.
Mark Weatherington, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who flew B-2s and served as the deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, has said that a strike on Fordow is a scenario that American forces have trained for “many times for several years,” according to Fox News‘ Lucas Tomlinson.
“Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran – including Fordow – the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,” the International Atomic Energy Agency has said. “IAEA will provide further assessments on the situation in Iran as more information becomes available.”
UPDATE: 4:15 AM Eastern –
We have some more content from Trump’s statement about the U.S. airstrikes on Iran.
“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,” Trump said in a speech from the White House. “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.”
We are also getting more evidence of the aftermath of Iranian reprisal strikes launched against Israel, including extensive damage to a residential area in Tel Aviv, as seen in the tweet below.
The United Kingdom, which has often in the past taken part in joint military actions with the United States, says it was not involved in the airstrikes on the three nuclear facilities. However, U.K. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds confirmed that the British government was aware of U.S. plans to launch the airstrikes.
He added: “I can’t tell you exactly when we did know, but we were informed, as you might expect, by a key ally, of this action.”
Reynolds said: “We support the prevention of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. We had proposed a diplomatic course of action, as other European countries had done, the Iranians had rejected that.”
Reynolds says there was no U.S. request to use its Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean.
Israel has continued to strike targets in Iran. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) posted on X that it had struck “dozens of locations” in central Iran.
The IDF said that eight missile launchers were destroyed, as well as a military site containing “components for the production of explosives.”
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked the airport at Isfahan, “in order to prevent the Iranian air force from using military infrastructure at the site.” Meanwhile, the following video shows the destruction of two Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) F-5 fighter jets at Dezful, which was home to the 41st and 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadrons.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com