U.S. Joins Israeli Strikes on Iran, Targets Key Nuclear Facilities in Escalating Conflict.
Tehran:
In a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States has conducted direct airstrikes on three nuclear-related sites in Iran, marking a significant and risky expansion of Israel’s ongoing military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
The coordinated operation, which reportedly involved B-2 stealth bombers and the deployment of powerful bunker-buster munitions, struck deeply fortified nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan—sites central to Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure. The move comes amid growing international concern that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional war.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump posted Sunday on his social media platform. “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.”
While the US president did not specify the exact nature of the ordnance used, defense analysts believe the strikes likely involved the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a weapon designed specifically to destroy deeply buried targets and one that only the U.S. Air Force is equipped to deliver via its B-2 bomber fleet.
The U.S. airstrikes mark the first known instance of direct American military action against Iranian nuclear sites in coordination with Israeli forces. Over the past week, Israel has launched a sustained campaign against Iranian military infrastructure, reportedly targeting air defense systems, missile stockpiles, and suspected enrichment operations.
According to senior Israeli and U.S. officials, Israel’s efforts had weakened many of Iran’s conventional defenses but lacked the capability to eliminate its most fortified nuclear assets. That gap, they said, necessitated American involvement.
“The B-2 bombers and the weapons they carry remain the only operational option for targeting facilities buried beneath hundreds of feet of reinforced concrete and rock,” one Western intelligence official said.
