President Donald Trump declared the U.S. military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities a “spectacular military success” during a White House address to the nation Saturday night, while warning Tehran that future attacks would be “far greater” if Iran does not pursue peace.
Speaking from the Cross Hall flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump delivered his first public remarks since authorizing the historic strikes.
The president warned of swift retaliation if Iran fails to pursue peace, stating: “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.” The strikes targeted three primary Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, marking the first direct U.S. military action against Iranian territory in history.
Newsweek reached out the White House via email on Saturday for comment.
The Context
The strikes on Iran’s nuclear program mark the first direct U.S. military involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict that began nine days ago, and the first time in history the U.S. struck Iran directly.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump wrote in his initial announcement. “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.”
The president then made the phone rounds with a number of national outlets, as has become a theme of his second-term messaging strategy. He told Axios’ Barak Ravid, “We had great success tonight. Your Israel is much safer now.” He phoned NBC News to reiterate that the operation was a “great success” before saying he had to go address the country.
On Fox News, Sean Hannity relayed what he said Trump had just told him about the mission’s particulars: B-2 stealth bombers dropped a total of six bunker-busting MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) bombs on Fordow, the mountain-fortified enrichment facility believed to be ground zero of the Iranian nuclear program.
Natanz and Isfahan were hit with tomahawk missiles from U.S. submarines stationed 400 miles away, Hannity said citing a direct conversation with Trump.
What To Know
Trump praised the coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling their partnership a team “like perhaps no team has ever worked before” in addressing what he termed Iran’s “horrible threat to Israel.”
The operation utilized B-2 stealth bombers carrying 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles. The underground Fordow facility, built deep into a mountain near Qom, required the most sophisticated penetrating weapons in the U.S. arsenal to destroy.
Trump emphasized the operation’s unprecedented scale, stating: “There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close.” The president’s reference to “many targets left” suggests extensive target lists remain available for potential future strikes.
In a brief address in the early morning hours of Sunday, Netanyahu commended Trump and the U.S. for a “peace through strength” doctrine and for doing “what no other country could do.”
“President Trump took a bold decision for the United States, for Israel, for all of humanity. The world is now a safer place,” echoed Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defense minister.
It was not immediately clear what kind of damage was done at Fordow, which is built deep under a mountain to withstand the impact from bunker-busters, or the other sites. Iran said it had evacuated all three nuclear sites some time ago, according to state TV.
Some 40,000 U.S. troops remain stationed throughout the region as the world awaits a damage assessment from the airstrikes, and Iran’s response.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Saturday: “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace.”
Trump on future military action: “Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal.”
Trump on Iranian threats: “For 40 years, Iran has been saying, Death to America, Death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs.”
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky on X called similar the strikes: “Not constitutional.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on X: “This was the right call. The regime deserved it.”
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan called the strikes on X: “F****** sick” and urged colleagues to support a war powers resolution.
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallan on X: “President Trump took a bold decision for the United States, for Israel, for all of humanity. The world is now a safer place.”
What Happens Next
Pentagon officials will hold a press conference at 8 a.m. Sunday, led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Rice and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to provide operational details and assess damage to Iranian capabilities.
Update 6/21/25,11:12 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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