Donald Trump has claimed he took a nuclear bomb “right out of Iran’s hands” after launching airstrikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US Air Force deployed B-2 stealth bombers armed with GBU-57F/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, each weighing 30,000lbs on Iran’s nuclear facilities early on Sunday morning in an operation called ‘Midnight Hammer’.
Iran has said nuclear enrichment, which it claims is being developed for peaceful purposes, was not damaged in the attack.
Tehran has since warned that the attack will have “everlasting consequences” and vowed to use all available means to defend Iran.
The US president authorised the overnight bombings of key nuclear sites, including the heavily fortified Fordow plant, the Natanz enrichment facility and a third location believed to be near Isfahan.
Just hours after the attack, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the 'bomb' right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!) but, as usual, and despite all of the praise and accolades received, this 'lightweight' Congressman is against what was so brilliantly achieved last night in Iran."
It comes as the Iranian parliament has approved a motion to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
The strait is a key passage through which 20 per cent of global oil and gas demand flows. Major oil producers, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, rely on the waterway to access the open sea.
Esmail Kosari, a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told Iranian media that the closure of the strait is "on the agenda" and will be carried out "whenever necessary". Iran’s Supreme National Security Council will make the final decision.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and [Isfahan],” Trump said in a statement issued in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“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.”
The operation, the most significant of Trump’s presidency to date, follows weeks of pressure from Israeli officials and Republican lawmakers for the US to intervene in support of Israel and force Tehran to abandon its nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged all sides to return to negotiations but said he had taken "all necessary measures" to protect British interests in the region if the conflict escalates. There was no British involvement in the action but the Government was informed before the US strikes.
He has also urged British nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to make contact with the Foreign Office as it prepares for an evacuation flight early next week.
Speaking at his Chequers country retreat, the Prime Minister said there was a "risk of escalation" adding: "That's a risk to the region. It's a risk beyond the region, and that's why all our focus has been on de-escalating, getting people back around to negotiate what is a very real threat in relation to the nuclear programme.
"In relation to the UK, we were not involved in the attack. We were given due notice, as we would expect, as close allies to the US, and we have been moving assets to the region to make sure we're in a position to protect our own interests, our personnel and our assets, and, of course, those of our allies."
Speaking to Sky News, the PM added: "I urge all citizens to make contact with the Foreign Office so that we can facilitate whatever support is needed."
He said that the Government will help evacuate British citizens on charter flights "as soon as we can".
Sir Keir said: "Well for British citizens, we've been saying for some time to register their presence.
"And so far as Israel is concerned, just as soon as we can get charter flights off, we will do so."
Though Mr Trump had approved plans for a strike earlier this week, he delayed issuing the final order. That changed on Saturday when the president gave the green light for an assault on Fordow, widely considered Iran’s most protected nuclear facility.
In a national address after the strike, Trump warned of further attacks if Iran refused to negotiate.
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” he said.
“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left,” he added, thanking the “brilliant military minds involved in this attack”.
Reports suggest the bombers left their base in Missouri and stopped in Guam before launching the strike. Each B-2 aircraft can carry two of the so-called "bunker-buster" bombs, which are believed to be the only weapons capable of reaching Fordow’s underground chambers.
Within hours, Iran retaliated with a barrage of attacks on Israel. At least 16 people were injured, including a young man who suffered shrapnel wounds to his upper body, according to emergency services in Tel Aviv. The strikes are believed to have begun around 6.30am GMT.
In a press conference on Sunday morning, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi branded Trump a “lawless bully” and accused the US of dragging the world back into chaos.
“Humanity has come too far as a species to allow a lawless bully to take us back to the law of the jungle,” he said. “Silence will plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger.”
He called on the United Nations and international bodies to take “urgent and decisive action”.
Such a move would significantly escalate the crisis, potentially disrupting global energy markets and hampering the movement of US warships in the Gulf.
Earlier today, Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz warned Iran "not to take any further action that could destabilise the region" following the US strikes.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the UK, France and Germany said: "We have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security.
"Earlier today, the United States has conducted targeted military strikes against nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. Our aim continues to be to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
"We call upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear programme. We stand ready to contribute to that goal in co-ordination with all parties.
"We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region.
"We will continue our joint diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions and ensure the conflict does not intensify and spread further."
Trump had campaigned on a promise to keep the US out of costly foreign wars and has consistently downplayed the value of intervention abroad. As recently as Friday, he told reporters he had no interest in deploying American ground troops to Iran, calling it “the last thing you want to do”.
Earlier efforts at diplomacy had failed to make progress. In April and May, the Trump administration urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay military action in favour of renewed talks. The White House said as recently as Thursday that the president would make a final decision on strikes within two weeks, but the order came just two days later.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had warned the US last week that any attack would result in “irreparable damage”. Esmail Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said any US involvement would trigger “an all-out war in the region”.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was preparing for a potentially prolonged conflict. Iran’s foreign minister warned that American military involvement “would be very, very dangerous for everyone.”
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also threatened to resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration continues to support Israeli military action. Such attacks had been paused under a deal struck in May.
The US ambassador to Israel has confirmed that assisted departure flights have begun — the first since the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had hoped that the G7 summit might persuade President Trump to avoid direct involvement in the conflict, but those hopes appear to have faded.
On social media, Mr Trump issued a thinly veiled threat to Iran’s Supreme Leader, saying: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out — at least not for now.”
