Trump calls strikes on Iran a 'complete and total success'

Moderator of "Meet the Press" Kristen Welker shares details of her phone conversation with President Trump after he ordered strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, reportedly calling it a "great success."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Independent

42 minutes ago

• The Independent

Nations react to US strikes on Iran with many calling for diplomacy

Several close U.S. allies urged a return to the negotiating table in the wake of American strikes on Iran that fueled fears of a wider conflict, while noting the threat posed by Tehran's nuclear program. Some countries and groups in the region, including those that support Iran, condemned the move while also urging de-escalation. U.S. President Donald Trump had said Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved in Israel's war with Tehran. In the end, it took just days. Washington hit three Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday. It remained unclear how much damage had been inflicted, and Iran said it reserved the right to 'resist with full force.' Some have questioned whether a weakened Iran would capitulate or remain defiant and begin striking with allies at U.S. targets scattered across the Gulf region. Here is a look at reactions from governments and officials around the world. United Nations U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the use of force by the United States. 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,' he said in a statement on the social media platform X. 'I call on Member States to de-escalate.' 'There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy.' United Kingdom British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Iran to return to the negotiating table to diplomatically end the crisis, saying stability was the priority in the volatile region. The U.K., along with the European Union, France and Germany, tried unsuccessfully to broker a diplomatic solution in Geneva last week with Iran. Starmer said Iran's nuclear program posed a grave threat to global security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the U.S. has taken action to alleviate that threat,' Starmer said. Iraq The Iraqi government condemned the U.S. strikes, saying the military escalation created a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East. It said it poses serious risks to regional stability and called for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis. 'The continuation of such attacks risks dangerous escalation with consequences that extend beyond the borders of any single state, threatening the security of the entire region and the world,' government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in the statement. Iraq has close relations with both Washington and Tehran, and it has attempted to balance those over the years. The country also has a network of powerful Iranian-backed militias, which so far have not entered the fray. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia expressed 'deep concern' about the U.S. airstrikes, but stopped short of condemning them. 'The Kingdom underscores the need to exert all possible efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia had earlier condemned Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leaders. Qatar Qatar, which is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, said it 'regrets' escalating tensions in the Israel-Iran war. Its Foreign Ministry in a statement urged all parties to show restraint and 'avoid escalation, which the peoples of the region, burdened by conflicts and their tragic humanitarian repercussions, cannot tolerate.' Qatar has served as a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. Oman Oman, which served as mediator in the nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S., condemned the airstrikes, saying they escalated tensions in the region. The U.S. airstrikes threaten 'to expand the scope of the conflict and constitute a serious violation of international law,' a spokesperson for Oman's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Hamas and the Houthis Both the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas have condemned the U.S. strikes. In a statement on Sunday, the Houthi political bureau called on Muslim nations to join 'the Jihad and resistance option as one front against the Zionist-American arrogance.' Hamas and the Houthis are part of Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance, a collection of pro-Iranian proxies stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave the Islamic Republic considerable power across the region. Lebanon Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the U.S. bombing could lead to a regional conflict that no country could bear and called for negotiations. 'Lebanon, its leadership, parties, and people, are aware today, more than ever before, that it has paid a heavy price for the wars that erupted on its land and in the region,' Aoun said in a statement on X. 'It is unwilling to pay more.' Lebanon's new leadership — which came to power after a devastating war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group — has urged the country to avoid being dragged into more conflict as it tries to rebuild itself and pull itself from a yearslong economic crisis. Hezbollah has not taken military action against Israel in solidarity with its key ally Iran, and has not yet commented on Washington's overnight strikes. China A commentary from China's government-run media asked whether the U.S. is 'repeating its Iraq mistake in Iran.' The online piece by CGTN, the foreign-language arm of the state broadcaster, said the U.S. strikes mark a dangerous turning point. 'History has repeatedly shown that military interventions in the Middle East often produce unintended consequences, including prolonged conflicts and regional destabilization,' it said, citing the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. It said a measured, diplomatic approach offers the best hope for stability in the Middle East. European Union The European Union's top diplomat said Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but she urged those involved in the conflict to show restraint. 'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on social media. Italy Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Iran's nuclear facilities 'represented a danger for the entire area' but hoped the action could lead to de-escalation in the conflict and negotiations. New Zealand New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters urged 'all parties to return to talks.' He wouldn't tell reporters Sunday whether New Zealand supported Trump's actions, saying they had only just happened. 'Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action,' he said. Japan Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Sunday that it was crucial to calm the situation as soon as possible, adding that the Iranian nuclear weapons development also must be prevented. Ishiba, asked if he supports the U.S. attacks on Iran, declined to comment. Australia Australia, which shuttered its embassy in Tehran and evacuated staff Friday, pushed for a diplomatic end to the conflict. 'We have been clear that Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security,' a government official said in a written statement. 'We note the U.S. President's statement that now is the time for peace.' "We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.'

Daily Mirror

an hour ago

• Daily Mirror

Inside Trump's attack on Iran nuke bases with 'bunker buster' bombs and missiles

The major US operation is said to have targeted Iran's nuclear sites using some of its most powerful weapons, according to Donald Trump - including six 30,000lb bunker-busting bombs The US has said it used six bunker-buster bombs and submarine missiles to "obliterate" Iran's nuclear bases in a move it called a "spectacular military success". President Donald Trump announced on social media that the attack included a strike on the heavily protected Fordow enrichment plant, buried deep under a mountain in the Iranian city of Qom. The other sites blitzed during the early hours of Sunday morning were at Natanz and Isfahan. Taking to Truth Social, Trump confirmed the attack, saying: "We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. 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," he added. The major US operation is said to have targeted Iran's nuclear sites using some of its most powerful weapons. According to Trump, six 30,000lb bunker-busting bombs - called GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators - were used to hit Iran's most protected facility, the US President told Fox News. The bombs were dropped by six B-2 bombers, which reportedly flew from Missouri and stayed in the air for 37 hours, the New York Times reports. They had to refuel multiple times mid-air so they wouldn't have to land, and were chosen because the Fordow nuclear site, buried 300 feet underground and surrounded by steel, is difficult to destroy. Trump said Israel couldn't hit the site alone, but that the US could - and now has. Each missile, about 20 feet long with a 5,000lb warhead, was designed to pierce deep into the ground before detonating. Iran, however, claimed it knew the attack was coming and had already removed anything of value from Fordow. Still, the US also hit other nuclear sites - Natanz and Isfahan. Thirty Tomahawk missiles were reportedly fired from submarines stationed 400 miles away. These are long-range weapons, launched from sea or land, that can travel over 1,000 miles. The US has a naval base nearby in Bahrain. ‌ Natanz is home to Iran's largest uranium enrichment plant, which plays a key role in producing weapons-grade material. One of the B-2s also dropped two bunker busters on the site, the New York Times reported. Isfahan, another key site, is believed to store uranium that's almost weapons-grade. Both facilities had already been targeted in earlier Israeli strikes. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, confirmed that Natanz was badly damaged in the earlier Israeli assault. He said: "The above-ground part of the pilot fuel enrichment plant, where Iran was producing uranium enriched up to 60% U-235, has been destroyed." Uranium-235 is a key material used for both nuclear power and weapons. Iran retaliated with a series of missile and drone strikes in Israel and warned of "everlasting" consequences after the US attack. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the strikes "will have everlasting consequences" and that his country "reserves all options" to retaliate. Keir Starmer meanwhile said Tehran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and responded to the attack, and called Iran's nuclear programme "a grave threat to international security." He said: "Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. "The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis."

Telegraph

an hour ago

• Telegraph

Netanyahu sees lifelong dream coming true as Iranian beast reels

For Benjamin Netanyahu the bombing of Fordow and the destruction of Iran's nuclear programme marks the best part of a life's work – and a promise kept to Israel. That it was US bombers that finished the job will make not a jot of difference. Iran's theocratic regime has been Bibi's obsession for the best part of four decades and few will see the destruction of its nuclear sites as anyone else's victory but his own. A week last Friday, he took care to remind people of this when Israel launched its first strikes against Iran. 'If I may, on a personal level, I've been watching this threat for over 40 years,' he told the nation. 'In 1982, I wrote in one of my books – that's three years, only three years, after the establishment of the regime of the ayatollahs – that the biggest threat faced by humanity and by us, our state, will be the terror regime of the ayatollahs.' On Sunday morning, on the international stage, he was busy praising the American effort ('Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history'). But the Israeli prime minister was bigging up the president safe in the knowledge that, at home, it was his name - not Trump's - that was being mentioned second only to God's. 'This morning, the world is a better and safer world,' said Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's messianic finance minister. 'Thank you to the Lord of the Universe. Thank you to Prime Minister Netanyahu … [oh, and] Thank you to President Trump'. Most Israelis only got the news when air raid sirens sounded at 7.30am and they got to the bomb shelters. In mine in central Tel Aviv, there was no outward celebration but relieved smiles broke across most peoples faces as they lit up their phones. Over the past week, there has been real anxiety here that Trump would chicken out and leave Israel to hang. The two week timeline set a few days ago by the president was widely seen as opening the door to a climb down. That mood has shifted dramatically. 'For me the biggest message this sends is that no one f---s with us,' a young South African Israeli told me after the blast doors opened. Where things go from here is anyone's guess but, make no mistake, Netanyahu, the ultimate political operator, has plans. His generals have been very careful over the last few days to stress in their morning briefings that the existential threat Iran poses to Israel is, not singular, but three pronged: nuclear, ballistic missiles and Oct 7 style terrorism. Yet elections loom in Israel (they must be held by Oct 2026 at the latest) and as the polls stood the day before the strike, Netanyahu was still trailing. He will no doubt aim to exploit the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities to boost his prospects but - as happened to Winston Churchill after the Second World War - Israel may yet choose a different leader to build the peace, if indeed peace comes. How this would be taken by Netanyahu is not clear. Churchill turned to writing, painting and bricklaying but Bibi is a very different animal and has corruption charges against him to contend with, not to mention alleged war crimes. One Israeli commentator recently wrote that he 'he sees himself as a type of white knight fighting against the Iranian monster in order to save humankind'. His father was a famous Israeli historian known for his revisionism and Netanyahu is said to have been shaped by him. If he is remembered for slaying the Iranian beast, one suspects he will ultimately retire satisfied, no matter what else he faces.