US strikes Iran, key nuclear sites targeted
What's the story
United States forces successfully targeted three Iranian nuclear sites, President Donald Trump said on Saturday, claiming that Tehran's nuclear program had been effectively destroyed. "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." Trump announced that US forces targeted Iran's main nuclear sites—Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow.
Weaponry
B2 bombers, bunker buster bombs, Tomahawk missiles
Trump told Fox News that six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other nuclear sites. Reuters said that the US used B-2 bombers in the strikes, quoting an anonymous official. An Iranian official, cited by Tasnim news agency, confirmed that part of the Fordow site was attacked by "enemy airstrikes."
Strikes' background
No diplomatic breakthrough
Diplomatic efforts to stop hostilities between Iran and Israel had proven unsuccessful. Israel conducted attacks on Iran, stating its aim was to eliminate any possibility of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran asserts that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes. At least 430 people have died and 3,500 have been injured in Iran since Israel's attacks, according to Iranian state-run Nour News.