a day ago
US enters war with Iran, hitting nuclear facilities as Trump urges peace
'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,' Trump said.
Announcing the strikes on his social media platform, Truth Social, US President Donald Trump termed it a 'historic moment' for the US, Israel and the world. Trump also said it was 'time for peace'.
New Delhi: The US hit three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, entering Israel's war with Iran in the early hours of Sunday.
He added, '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'.
In another post, Trump said, 'This is a HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!'. That post also carried a banner announcing that the recently released Trump Golden Bitcoins were available for Truth Social users free.
The New York Times, quoting a US official speaking on condition of anonymity, said multiple 30,000-pound bunker bombs were dropped on the underground nuclear facility in Fordow and that initial damage assessments indicated that the facility had been 'taken off the table'.
The official added that the strikes against the three nuclear sites were complete and no follow-up attacks were expected, although commanders were ready to respond to any Iranian retaliatory attacks.
Fox News said the president had spoken to its reporter Sean Hannity privately, whom he told that the US completely 'obliterated' the Fordow nuclear facility with six bunker busters dropped from B-2 bombers.
Further, Hannity said, the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites were 'wiped out' by 30 tomahawk missiles fired from American submarines placed 400 miles (643 km) away.
This comes a little more than a week after Israel launched its operation in Iran, carrying out a series of strikes on nuclear facilities, key military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran and Israel had been trading fire since then with dozens of civilians killed on both sides.
The NYT reported that by the time US aircraft bombed the Natanz nuclear site, the International Atomic Energy Agency assessed that all the centrifuges in its hall, about 100 feet underground, had been knocked out by Israel's attack on the electrical system that fed the machines, which spin at supersonic speeds.
In a televised statement soon after, Trump said, '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. 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.'
He added that the US 'will go after the other targets with precision speed and skill' if Iran does not make peace.
Calling Iran, the 'bully of the Middle East', Trump repeated that Tehran must now make peace.
'If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and easier. For 40 years, Iran has been saying death to Israel, death to the US. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs… So many were killed by their general,Qasem Soleimani. I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue.'
Trump added, 'This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.'
He also thanked and congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
'We worked as a team like perhaps no team has worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done, and most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decade.'
The heavily fortified Fordow site, as reported by ThePrint earlier, was the main target and had been out of reach of the Israelis because of its placement deep within the mountains.
The site was first revealed to the world in 2009 even though European and American intelligence agencies had found it earlier.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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