'Now is the time for peace': US bombs 3 nuclear sites in Iran; gave Israel 'heads-up' before strikes

Donald Trump on Saturday announced that the US had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran.

The development comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East after Israel attacked Iran and Iran responded with retaliatory measures earlier this month.

The MAGA chief announced the assault on his Truth Social: "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. 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."


Trump called the strikes "very successful" and confirmed that all US planes had safely left Iranian airspace. He said a full load of bombs was dropped on Fordow, the main target.


The move marks a major shift, as the US has now directly entered the conflict despite earlier promises by Trump to avoid foreign wars. Iran had warned it would respond if the US got involved.

Trump had earlier stated that he had given Iran two weeks to respond, according to the White House. However, the current attack has come earlier than that deadline.

A US official told Reuters that bunker-buster B-2 bombers were used in the attack. Earlier, several of these bombers had reportedly taken off from a base in the United States and moved toward the Pacific island of Guam.

Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the attack, according to a senior White House official.

The US also "gave Israel a heads-up before the strikes," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as Washington joined Israel's air attacks on Iran.