US bombs Iran's nuclear sites: What we know so far
United States President Donald Trump has announced the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, as Washington effectively joined Israel's war against Iran.
'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, using a different spelling for Isfahan.
In a televised address early on Sunday, he said 'the strikes were a spectacular military success'.
The US decision to intervene militarily to aid the Israeli attacks on Iran has prompted fears of a serious escalation across the Middle East and brought back memories of the devastation in Iraq following the 2003 US invasion. Israel launched unprecedented attacks on Iran on June 13, targeting its nuclear sites and top military commanders.
More than 400 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Iran, while retaliatory strikes by Tehran have killed at least 24 people in Israel.
Here is what we know so far about the US attacks on Iran:
What areas has the US bombed in Iran?
The US used bunker-buster bombs to target three key nuclear facilities – Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan – using the B2 bomber jets, according to US media reports.
'The strikes were a spectacular military success,' Trump said in his televised address. 'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,' he said, adding that 'our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity'.
Al Jazeera could not immediately verify Trump's claims independently.
Here's what we know about the three nuclear sites:
Fordow, a highly fortified underground uranium enrichment facility, is reportedly buried hundreds of metres deep in the mountains near Qom, in northwestern Iran. This site is designed to hold up to 2,976 spinning centrifuges, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Natanz is Iran's largest enrichment complex, containing vast halls of centrifuges, some underground. It has been a key hub of Iran's nuclear programme and the site of multiple past sabotage attempts – and was hit by Israeli strikes on the first wave of attacks on June 13.
Isfahan is an important nuclear research and production centre that includes a uranium conversion facility and fuel fabrication plants. It plays a critical role in preparing raw materials for enrichment and reactor use.
For years, Israel and the US have accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons but Iran maintains its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has also rejected claims that Tehran was on the verge of making atomic bombs, though the United Nations nuclear watchdog has expressed concerns against Iran's decision to enrich uranium at up to 60 percent purity.
Tehran stepped up enrichment after Trump walked out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal – Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – in 2018 that had capped Iran's nuclear activity.
What weapons did the US use in Iran?
Trump announced 'massive precision strikes' but shared no specific details about the weapons used in the attack. However, US media reports suggested the US army dropped 'bunker buster' bombs and navy submarines fired multiple cruise missiles.
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is the most powerful bunker buster bomb in the US military arsenal, weighing nearly 13,000kg (30,000 pounds). Bunker buster bombs can penetrate about 18 metres (59 feet) of concrete or 61 metres (200 feet) of earth, which a conventional bomb cannot reach.
The B-2 Spirit, a US stealth bomber, is currently the only aircraft designed to deploy the GBU-57 and can carry two bunker buster bombs at a time, which the air force says can drop multiple bombs sequentially, allowing each strike to burrow deeper.
The US intervention is seen as critical at this point for the Israeli campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities, especially Fordow, due to its depth. Israeli attacks had failed to destroy the site.
While nearly half a dozen B-2 bombers reportedly dropped a dozen 13,000kg bunker buster bombs on the Fordow site, navy submarines are said to have coordinated strikes by cruise missiles at the Natanz and Isfahan sites, according to media reports.
This also marks the first time that the US used MOPs in combat.
What was the impact of US strikes?
Trump claimed 'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated'.
Yet there is no independent verification yet of the extent of damage at the nuclear facilities.
Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to the chairman of the Iranian parliament, claimed that the US attack was not surprising and that Iranian authorities had evacuated the Fordow facility in advance.
'Iran has been expecting strikes on Fordow for several days. This nuclear facility was evacuated, no irreversible damage was sustained during today's attack,' Mohammadi said in a statement posted on X.
Confirming the attacks on Sunday, Iran's nuclear agency said the radiation system data and field surveys do not show signs of contamination or danger to residents near the sites.
'Following the illegal US attack on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites, field surveys and radiation systems data showed: No contamination recorded,' the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said in a social media post. 'There is no danger to residents around these sites. Safety is in a stable state.'
After the US bombing of its key nuclear facilities, the agency insisted that its work would not be stopped.
'The [agency] assures the great Iranian nation that despite the evil conspiracies of its enemies, with the efforts of thousands of its revolutionary and motivated scientists and experts, it will not allow the development of this national industry, which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, to be stopped,' AEOI said in a statement.
The IAEA also did not find an increase in radiation levels near the targeted sites.
'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 agency said in a social media post on Sunday.
'IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.'
Grossi said the IAEA will hold an emergency meeting on Monday in the wake of the attacks.
What has Iran said?
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US 'has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations'.
Tehran has already threatened to walk away from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
'The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless, and criminal behavior,' said Araghchi in a statement posted on X.
'In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people,' he added.
Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had warned the US against joining Israeli attacks on Iran. He said it would 'result in irreparable consequences' for the US.
In his first televised address since Israel began its attacks on June 13, Khamenei said Iran 'will not surrender to anyone' and 'will stand firm against an imposed war, just as it will stand firm against an imposed peace'.
How will Iran retaliate against the US?
Condemning the US attacks, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday it had the right to resist such 'aggression'.
'The world must not forget that it was the United States that, in the midst of a diplomatic process, betrayed diplomacy' by supporting Israel's 'aggressive action', and is now waging 'a dangerous war against Iran', the ministry said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
'The Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its right to stand with all its might against US military aggression and the crimes committed by this rogue regime, and to defend the security and national interests of Iran,' it added.
Antonio Guterres, the UN chief, said he was gravely alarmed by the US attacks on Iran.
'This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,' Guterres said.
Stephen Zunes, the director of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, laid out several options available to Iran in response to the US attacks unfolding. 'They can attack US forces directly. There are up to 40,000 Americans within the range, not just of Iranian missiles but of drones and other weaponry,' he said.
'You have the fleet in the Persian Gulf, just off the Iranian coast. They can be vulnerable as well if they attack,' Zunes said, using another name for the Gulf, which is also referred to as the Arabian Gulf. 'It could impact global shipping, impacting oil prices and indeed the entire global economy.'
Zunes also pointed towards the 'proxy militias in Iraq who could target American bases there', adding that he would be 'surprised if the Iranians don't target at least some of these'.
On Sunday, Iran deployed one of its most advanced missiles, the Kheibar Shekan, as it carried out attacks on Israel.
Iran might also move towards withdrawing from the NPT. Abbas Golroo, the parliament foreign policy committee head, said Tehran has the legal right to withdraw from the NPT following the US attacks.
Article 10 states that an NPT member has 'the right to withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country'.
Adam Weinstein, the deputy director of the Middle East programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said the US is now at risk of getting dragged into a prolonged war in the Middle East.
He noted that Iran has already indicated that it intends to continue with its nuclear programme.
'They'll do it more secretly. They might exit the NPT, and, of course, the Israelis will say, 'Well, this is why we need even more strikes.' And there's likely to be some sort of retaliation by the Iranians, or else the very legitimacy of their regime would be in question,' Weinstein said.
'And so this is how the escalation cycle starts. And so I'm very sceptical that it will be a one-off strike by the US. I think the US is at risk of being pulled into a war of choice with Iran that, unfortunately, it started.'
Trump, meanwhile, also issued more threats against Iran.
'Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight,' he said on social media, after the attacks against Iran.
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