This article was originally published by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge under the title: “A Spectacular Military Success” – Trump Says ‘Bully’ Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Have Been “Completely & Totally Obliterated”
Update(0415ET): While Iran has not yet retaliated against US targets after the Pentagon carried out President Trump’s unconstitutional order to attack three Iranian nuclear facilities in the early hours of Sunday morning local time, Iran has lashed out against Israel with broad-daylight ballistic-missile barrages that caused major destruction in Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities report that at least 86 people have been wounded, and suspect that an impact in Haifa may have been caused by a malfunctioning Israeli interceptor rocket.
According to its state broadcaster, Iran launched its largest ballistic missile to date, a Khorramshahr-4 missile with a 1,500-kg warhead. Military analysts say the heavy payload keeps the weapon within a little-publicized 2,000-kilometer missile range, which the Ayatollah Khamenei has set as the country’s maximum. Describing the strikes on Israel, Iran announced that “the twentieth wave of Operation Honest Promise 3 began using a combination of long-range liquid and solid fuel missiles with devastating warhead power,” with targets including a “biological research center,” logistics facilities, command and control centers, and Ben Gurion airport. Israel said it launched attacks on military targets in western Iran, claiming to destroy two Iranian fighter jets and eight missile launchers.
For now, Iran has only fired strong words at the United States, such as this foreign ministry statement:
“The world must not forget that it was the United States — during an ongoing diplomatic process — that betrayed diplomacy by supporting the aggressive actions of the genocidal and lawless Israeli regime. Now, by completing the chain of violations and crimes committed by the Zionist regime, the US has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to resist with full force against US military aggression and the crimes committed by this rogue regime, and to defend Iran’s security and national interests.”
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest and people,” and emphasized that attacks on nuclear facilities violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty, UN charter, and international law.
Either seeking to manage the escalation ladder or to sucker-punch the Iranians via deceitful diplomacy for a third time, the Trump administration has contacted Iran to reassure officials that the American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were a “one-off attack” rather than the commencement of an all-out regime-change war, a US official told the Wall Street Journal.
In other developments:
- There had been great uncertainty whether America’s 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs were capable of penetrating the mountain under which Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility is buried. Going all-out, six B-2 bombers dropped a full dozen of the enormous “bunker-busters” on the site, a US official tells the New York Times. It’s the first time the bombs have been used in warfare. The jets flew non-stop for roughly 37 hours, with multiple refuelings en route.
- Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear facilities have been “completely and totally obliterated,” but the jury’s still out. “We won’t know for sure until the morning what was taken out, but our belief is that we took out everything we wanted to,” a senior US official told the Journal.
- There has been no increase in radiation resulting from American attacks on the three nuclear sites, according to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, the Saudi Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority, and the International Atomic Energy Agency — a reassurance that has some people wondering about the strikes’ efficacy, particularly at Fordow.
- An Iranian legislator who represents a city near the Fordow enrichment center said, “Contrary to the claims of the lying president of the United States, the Fordow nuclear installation has not been seriously damaged. Most of the affected areas were above ground and can be fully restored.”
- Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said, “[we] won’t allow the progress of this national industry—built on the blood of nuclear martyrs—to be halted.” By “martyrs,” the organization is referring to several nuclear scientists murdered by the Israeli government — a campaign that has spanned many years.
- Late to defending Congress’s constitutional prerogative on war-making, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is among several legislators calling for a vote on the War Powers Act, saying, “No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy.” Shumer’s indignation rings enormously hollow as it comes just a few weeks after he taunted Trump over reports he was pursuing a diplomatic solution. Using the acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” Schumer tweeted, “If TACO Trump is already folding on Iran, the American people need to know about that. No side deals.”
- Buoyed by Trump being drawn into the country’s war on Iran, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-125 index leapt 1.6% to a record high, following a gain of 6% over five sessions last week.
* * *
President Trump addressed the nation at 2200ET and said that with “massive precision strikes”, Iran’s nuclear facilities have “been completely and totally obliterated” in a “spectacular military success.”
He warned Iran (“the bully of the Middle East”) that if they do not come to peace then there are many other targets:
“There will be either peace; or tragedy for Iran worse than the likes of which we have seen over the last eight days.”
“If peace does not come quickly,” we will go after the rest of the nation with “speed and skill.”
He ended the speech by saying “God bless The Middle East, Gold bless Israel, and God bless The United States.”
Watch:
President Trump then posted this to his X account
And The White House released photos from The Situation Room as the strikes occurred:
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Update (2133ET):
Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin revealed that the B-2 bombers spotted heading to Guam were part of a calculated deception to draw attention westward:
“It’s notable how much deception was involved in this operation. All eyes were looking west towards Guam.”
“The 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs were dropped at Fordo. And as we have reported, there are two entrances to Fordo.”
“At least two bombs at each, two entrances, which suggests at least two B-2s were involved over Fordow. My suspicion is that there were more.”
Sean Hannity revealed he spoke directly with President Trump, who confirmed the scope of the U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility:
- Six “bunker buster” bombs were dropped by multiple B-2 stealth bombers.
- Thirty Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from U.S. submarines positioned approximately 400 miles away.
Hannity added, “Everyone is out of harm’s way for now.”
* * *
Update (2005ET):
Hours after U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers departed Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri en route to the Indo-Pacific region, President Trump announced that U.S. forces had “successfully attacked” three nuclear sites in Iran—Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
The president wrote 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.
There has been no confirmation from President Trump regarding what type of USAF bombers conducted the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, based on timing and strategic capability, it is plausible that B-2 Spirit stealth bombers—previously observed departing Whiteman Air Force Base—were involved in the operation.
Graphic via X user (((Tendar)):
Operational details remain scarce pending President Trump’s scheduled address to the nation at 10 p.m. EST.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who recently introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution aimed at prohibiting “unauthorized U.S. military hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” voiced sharp criticism of the Trump administration following the strikes.
Posting on X, Massie wrote, “This is not Constitutional.”
Polymarket bets… No leaks this time.
“US military now briefing troops that its strike on Iran “will likely result in counterstrikes on US bases and facilities” in the Middle East, and “likely activate Iran and other foreign terrorist organizations cells abroad including the US to conduct strikes against US persons and facilities,” according to briefing I obtained,” reporter Ken Klippenstein wrote on X.
Threats to the US Homeland:
- October 2024: State Department Alerts Congress: Iranian Spy Teams Are Attempting To Assassinate Former Trump Officials
- January 2025: Former CIA Officer Warns: 1,000 Al-Qaeda Fighters In US For Next Homeland Attack
Ah, yes, the war programming in US movies…
* * *
As the Israel–Iran conflict enters Day 9, President Trump has publicly stated he will wait two weeks before deciding whether to authorize U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure. In parallel, U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers are being repositioned to forward operating bases in the Indo-Pacific—possibly Andersen Air Force Base in Guam or Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago—indicating a deliberate show of force and strategic signaling of U.S. readiness for multi-theater operations.
Fox News confirmed six B-2 stealth bombers have taken off from Whiteman AFB in Missouri and are likely to be staged at Andersen AFB in Guam.
Plus air tankers.
There is no official confirmation regarding the current force posture or final destination of the stealth bombers. For months, the USAF has staged these nuclear-capable bombers at Diego Garcia (in range of Iran)—often referred to as America’s “unsinkable aircraft carrier“—located between Africa and Indonesia, approximately 1,000 miles south of India.
“President Donald Trump, who has said he will make a decision on U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, is expected to return to the White House on Saturday afternoon. The president is expected to receive intelligence briefings with the National Security Council on Saturday and Sunday as he considers possible actions against Iran,” Fox News noted.
The island provides strategic access for stealth bombers to the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and across the Indian Ocean.
Via Fox News
Previous staging of B-2s at Diego Garcia:
- Stealth Bombers Reportedly Deploying To America’s “Unsinkable Carrier”
- Satellite Imagery Confirms Stealth Bomber Buildup At America’s “Unsinkable Carrier”
- If Everything Is Going To Be Okay, Why Are The U.S. & The EU Feverishly Preparing For World War III?
Staging B-2s at Guam or Diego Garcia is a clear signal of deterrence to adversaries, whether that’s Iran in the Middle East or China and North Korea in Asia. The mere presence of these stealth bombers can be both preemptive and psychological.
More force posture: This week, the USAF has repositioned additional fighter aircraft and aerial refueling tankers across key regional bases in Europe, coinciding with Israel’s Operation Rising Lion targeting Iranian assets. The moves come amid growing speculation that President Trump may authorize direct U.S. military involvement within the next two weeks unless Tehran makes a deal with the U.S.
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