President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that U.S. military aircraft had carried out direct strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, marking a dramatic and risky escalation in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran. The targeted sites included Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan—key components of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

In a statement posted on social media, Trump wrote: “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran... A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.”

The strikes reportedly involved B-2 stealth bombers—aircraft uniquely capable of deploying the massive GBU-57 A/B “bunker buster” bombs, which are designed to penetrate deeply buried and heavily fortified targets. The U.S. remains the only country with aircraft capable of delivering such weapons.

Iran has not yet confirmed the strikes, though the government has repeatedly warned that any U.S. involvement in the conflict would trigger full-scale regional retaliation. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had previously cautioned that an attack on Iran would cause “irreparable damage” to U.S. interests.

Trump, who campaigned in 2024 on a platform of avoiding costly foreign wars, had long resisted deeper military involvement in the Middle East. Just days before the strikes, he stated he was not interested in deploying ground troops to Iran. Nevertheless, the President appears to have made the decision to intervene following sustained lobbying from Israeli officials and Republican lawmakers, who argued that recent Israeli strikes had created a window of opportunity to permanently set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD,” Trump declared in a follow-up post. “IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!”

The Pentagon has yet to offer official details on the operation, but Trump is expected to address the nation in a televised speech at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Israel has reportedly been conducting sustained operations against Iran’s air defences and missile infrastructure over the past week. While Israeli airstrikes have previously damaged surface-level facilities, they were unable to neutralise deeply-buried sites like Fordow without U.S. assistance.

Iran’s Foreign Minister had earlier warned that any direct American involvement would be “very, very dangerous for everyone.” In a further sign of regional instability, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have threatened to resume attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea, suspending a pause agreed to in May.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is enriching uranium at levels approaching weapons-grade at the Fordow facility. Concerns remain that strikes on such sites could result in the release of nuclear material, although past incidents at Natanz have contained contamination to the immediate vicinity.

Trump’s decision follows months of attempted diplomacy, including high-level backchannel talks with Tehran aimed at curbing its nuclear programme. After repeatedly delaying Israeli military action in April and May, the President appears to have determined that negotiations had failed.

This marks a significant moment in the ongoing crisis, which began escalating after the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel. The conflict has since drawn in multiple regional actors, including Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis.

Trump, who pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in 2018, has long derided the agreement as too lenient and ineffective. His administration has sought instead to pressure Tehran through economic sanctions and military deterrence.

Despite internal pressure from his base--including criticism from figures such as Tucker Carlson--Trump seems resolute in his decision. In a recent post, he warned: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding… We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”