Washington DC [US], June 22 : US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) said that the United States has launched an attack on three Nuclear sites in Iran.
The development comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
With this, the US seems to have finally entered the war with Iran in the wake of the ongoing conflict in the region.
According to a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the US had "successfully" hit three of Iran's key nuclear facilities--Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan--with a "full payload of BOMBS" being dropped on Fordow as the primary target.
"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. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home," Trump stated.
"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 underground site at Fordow and the larger Natanz plant were Iran's two primary uranium enrichment facilities, out of which Natanz had already been hit by Israel with smaller weapons earlier in the week, the New York Times reported.
Earlier in the day, several US B-2 stealth bombers took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Friday night (local time) and were seen heading West, CNN reported, citing flight tracking data.
However, there is still no confirmation if the B-2 bombers were part of the attack on these nuclear sites.
As of Saturday, the aircraft were flying over the Pacific Ocean and appeared to be en route to Guam, as reported by CNN.
According to CNN, the B-2 bombers are uniquely equipped to carry the Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- a 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bomb believed to be the only weapon capable of targeting Iran's underground Fordow nuclear site. Each B-2 can carry two of these powerful bombs.
This strategic redeployment follows a week in which Trump has spent considerable time in the White House Situation Room reviewing military plans and asking advisors about potential outcomes.
He has stated that a decision on military action could come sooner than the two-week window he previously mentioned, CNN reported.
As per the NYT, the strikes on these facilities represent the first time since Iran's 1979 revolution that the US Air Force has launched attacks on key sites within the country--an act considered an act of war. With this move, Trump has directly involved the US military in an open conflict with Iran, a step that successive American presidents, starting with Jimmy Carter, had deliberately avoided.
The third site, located near the historic city of Isfahan, is believed to store Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.
The conflict between Israel and Iran entered its ninth day on Saturday, with the US now joining in support of Israel. The conflict started after Israel, on June 13, launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion."
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large-scale drone and missile operation, 'Operation True Promise 3', targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres.