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Trump says Iran’s key nuclear sites ‘obliterated’ by US airstrikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his “bold decision”.
U.S. forces struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites, President Donald Trump said late on Saturday, and he warned Tehran it would face more attacks if it did not agree to peace, Reuters reported.
After days of deliberation and long before his self-imposed two-week deadline, Trump’s decision to join Israel’s military campaign against its major rival Iran represents a major escalation of the conflict.
“The strikes were a spectacular military success,” Trump said in a televised Oval Office address. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
In a speech that lasted just over three minutes, Trump said Iran’s future held “either peace or tragedy,” and that there were many other targets that could be hit by the U.S. military.
“If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”
The U.S. reached out to Iran diplomatically on Saturday to say the strikes are all the U.S. plans and it does not aim for regime change, CBS News reported.
Trump said U.S. forces struck Iran’s three principal nuclear sites: Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. He told Fox News six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other nuclear sites, read the report.
U.S. B-2 bombers were involved in the strikes, a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump posted. “Fordow is gone.”
“IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR,” he added.
Reuters had reported earlier on Saturday the movement of the B-2 bombers, which can be equipped to carry massive bombs that experts say would be needed to strike Fordow, which is buried under a mountain south of Tehran. Given its fortification, it will likely be days, if not longer, before the impact of the strikes is known.
An Iranian official, cited by Tasnim news agency, confirmed that part of the Fordow site was attacked by “enemy airstrikes.”
Hassan Abedini, deputy political head of Iran’s state broadcaster, said Iran had evacuated the three sites some time ago.
“The enriched uranium reserves had been transferred from the nuclear centres and there are no materials left there that, if targeted, would cause radiation and be harmful to our compatriots,” he told the channel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his “bold decision”.
“History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime, the world’s most dangerous weapons,” Netanyahu said.
The strikes came as Israel and Iran have been engaged in more than a week of aerial combat that has resulted in deaths and injuries in both countries, Reuters reported.
Israel launched the attacks on Iran saying that it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the hostilities have been unsuccessful. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Saturday’s strikes a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.”
In recent days, Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have argued that Trump must receive permission from the U.S. Congress before committing the U.S. military to any combat against Iran.
Republican Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi applauded the operation but cautioned that the U.S. now faced “very serious choices ahead.”
One Republican lawmaker, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, simply said, “This is not constitutional.” Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said it was “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
Many in Trump’s MAGA movement have opposed U.S. entanglement in foreign military operations. Trump ally Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast that the president’s address was probably not what a lot of MAGA supporters wanted to hear, and he called on Trump to offer a “deeper explanation” for why U.S. involvement was necessary.
Trump-aligned commentator Charlie Kirk posted on X: “America stands with President Trump.”
Israel launched attacks on June 13, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies.
At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the health ministry.
In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks, according to local authorities, in the worst conflict between the longtime enemies. More than 450 Iranian missiles have been fired towards Israel, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office, read the report.
Israeli officials said 1,272 people have been injured since the beginning of the hostilities, with 14 in serious condition.
Regional
Seven killed in temple stampede in India
WATCH VIDEO. Reports said tens of thousands of people had gathered at Ashok Dham, with some estimates putting the crowd at around 50,000.
At least seven people were killed and 19 others injured in a stampede at the Ashok Dham temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday, as thousands of devotees gathered for prayers during the holy Hindu month of Shravan.
The victims were reportedly all women.
The incident occurred during the third Monday of Shravan, when large numbers of devotees visit Shiva temples to offer holy water to Lord Shiva. Reports said tens of thousands of people had gathered at Ashok Dham, with some estimates putting the crowd at around 50,000.
Authorities said overcrowding appears to have played a major role. Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said a barricade broke under pressure from the crowd, causing people to fall on one another. The arrival of two trains reportedly contributed to a sudden increase in the number of devotees at the site.
A senior police officer, Shivam Kumar, said an electric pole fell during the incident, triggering panic. Officials have stressed that the exact sequence of events and cause of the stampede will be established through an investigation. Some reports said rumours of a live electrical wire may have intensified the panic, but this has not been independently confirmed.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, while police and emergency teams were deployed at the temple and surrounding areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary also expressed grief and directed authorities to ensure prompt medical treatment for the injured. President Droupadi Murmu also mourned the deaths.
The incident has renewed concerns about crowd management and safety arrangements at major religious gatherings in India. In March, nine people were killed in a separate stampede at a temple in Bihar’s Nalanda district.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident and determine whether further safety measures could have prevented the tragedy.
Regional
Qatar denies detaining Iranian pilots, says it found remains of one
The spokesperson said Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of its operations.
Qatar denied on Saturday that it was holding Iranian pilots, saying they had violated Qatari airspace earlier this year and had failed to respond to attempts to contact them.
A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said on X that search and rescue teams later found the remains of one of the pilots and that it had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.
The spokesperson said Tehran had yet to respond to an invitation to review details of its operations.
Regional
Turkey lays out plans for defence pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open to expansion.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will group senior ministers, hold joint exercises and deepen defence industry cooperation under a military pact signed between the regional powers last week, Turkey’s defence ministry said on Thursday.
The three Sunni Muslim U.S. allies, alarmed by a regional conflagration that has brought Iranian missile fire onto Gulf oil exporters, signed the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement” on August 7. They said the accord stipulates that an armed attack against any member would be regarded as an attack on all, similar to NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause, Reuters reported.
At a weekly briefing in Ankara, the defence ministry said the pact’s fundamental goal was to ensure defence and military ties were put on a “more institutional and sustainable” footing.
“Under the accord, strategic political and military mechanisms plan to be established involving the Defence Ministers, Foreign Ministers, and Chiefs of General Staff/Armed Forces Commanders, and that coordination among the three countries will be conducted at the highest level,” it said.
The ministry added that joint military exercises involving land, naval, and air forces, as well as air defence and unmanned systems were planned, in addition to deeper defence industry cooperation.
“The aim is to provide not only product and system supply, but also joint development and production, technology cooperation, and sustainable maintenance and logistics support,” it said, adding that unmanned and autonomous systems, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence capabilities would be prioritised.
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, has said the pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan and top oil exporter Saudi Arabia was open to expansion — with Egypt as a potential candidate — and did not seek to replace any existing alliances, read the report.
The ministry also said Turkey was participating in meetings in Jeddah aimed at establishing an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping.
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