Trump: We bombed 3 Iranian nuclear facilities and the Fordow site is finished.

US President Donald Trump announced early Sunday morning that US forces had successfully carried out airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, noting that the sites bombed included Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This came hours after several US Air Force B-2 bombers took off from a base in the United States, bound for the Pacific Ocean.

Trump said that a full load of bombs was dropped on the main nuclear site at Fordow, confirming that the Fordow site was finished.

The US President indicated that all US aircraft are now outside Iranian airspace.

He stressed that no other army in the world other than the US Army could do this, emphasizing that "now is the time for peace."

Trump called on Iran to agree now to end this war, describing this moment as historic for the United States, Israel, and the world.

Trump said that Iran must stop immediately or they will be hit again, stressing that any retaliation by Iran against the United States will be met with far greater force than what we witnessed tonight.

In another White House speech, Trump said that US forces launched major attacks on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities, and emphasized that the goal of the attacks was to destroy Iran's enrichment capabilities.

Trump added that the strikes achieved a remarkable military success, completely destroying all three Iranian nuclear facilities, and reiterated Iran's call to make peace now.

The US president stressed that "there are still many targets, and it's either peace or tragedy for Iran," and said that other targets will be precisely struck if peace is not achieved.

He pointed out that the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) will hold a press conference regarding the attacks.

Details of the US strike

Fox News quoted a source as saying that the entrances to the Fordow facility were targeted with two bombs, indicating that the United States used six bunker-buster bombs in the attack on the site.

The source added that Israel destroyed 75% of the Natanz and Isfahan facilities, and that the US strikes with Tomahawk missiles completed the mission. He noted that assessments indicate that the Isfahan facility was the most difficult target among the facilities targeted by the strikes.

A US official told Reuters that US B-2 bombers were used in the attacks on Iran's nuclear sites.

The New York Times also quoted a Pentagon official as saying that several B-2 bombers were used to bomb the Iranian Fordow facility.

The same newspaper quoted a US official as saying that several 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs were dropped on the Fordow facility, noting that initial damage assessments indicate that the Fordow facility has been taken out of service.

The newspaper also quoted the US official as saying that the B-2 bombers that struck the Iranian sites flew non-stop for 37 hours from Missouri.

The newspaper said that one of the reasons for launching the attack was the US intelligence assessment that Israel's attack set back Iran's nuclear program by six months.

The New York Times reported that NASA's fire detection system detected a thermal event near Iran's Fordow nuclear facility half an hour before the strikes were announced.

Israeli media quoted sources as saying that approximately 30 tons of explosives were dropped by US aircraft on the Fordo nuclear facility.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that Israeli estimates indicate that the US strikes caused significant damage to Iran's nuclear facilities.

For its part, ABC News quoted an Israeli source as saying that the United States and Israel had trained for this attack in a military exercise about a year ago.

ABC News quoted a US official as saying that B-2 bombers dropped several bunker-buster bombs during the US strikes on Iran, noting that a US Navy submarine launched Tomahawk missiles at targets inside Iran.

Informing Israel of the strike

Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying that the Trump administration informed Israel in advance of the US strike on Iran.

NBC reported that the heads of both houses of Congress were briefed on the US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

CNN quoted sources as saying that senior Democrats on the intelligence committees were not informed of the strikes before they occurred.

Trump had previously said that only time would tell regarding the two-week deadline he had given Iran.

Trump's remarks came after a meeting with the National Security Council in the White House Situation Room to discuss possible US action against Iran.

The New York Times quoted the White House as saying that Trump is expected to address the Americans tonight.

CNN, citing an informed source, reported that Trump hopes the US attacks will bring Iran back to the negotiating table.

CBS News quoted sources as saying that the United States had diplomatic contact with Iran to inform it that the strikes were the sole American plan and that it was not seeking regime change.

Iranian data

Meanwhile, the strategic advisor to the Iranian parliament speaker confirmed that the three nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan had been evacuated long ago.

Isfahan province said that "the Isfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities were attacked by the enemy," adding that "air defenses in Isfahan and Kashan confronted hostile targets and explosions were heard at the same time." Iran's IRNA news agency said that the nuclear sites bombed by the United States did not contain materials that could cause radiation. The Iranian news agency said that "residents near the Fordow facility did not feel any severe explosions and the situation in the area is normal." An Iranian state television commentator said that every American citizen or service member in the area is now a legitimate target. In this context, the British newspaper The Times confirmed that the United States needs permission from London to launch strikes from the Diego Garcia base, because the area is under British sovereignty.

Source: Al Jazeera + American press