U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday night, June 21, confirmed that the United States carried out coordinated airstrikes on three major nuclear facilities in Iran, marking one of the most significant escalations in U.S.-Iran tensions in recent years.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump announced the strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, which are considered critical to the country’s uranium enrichment and nuclear development programs.
“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!” Trump wrote.
According to U.S. defense sources, the strikes were carried out by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers using GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs—massive 30,000-pound bunker-busting weapons specifically designed to penetrate heavily fortified underground facilities. The B-2, one of the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. military arsenal, is the only aircraft capable of carrying such a weapon.
The Fordow facility, deeply buried within a mountain, was reportedly the main target of the strike. It has long been a point of concern for Western governments due to its high-level enrichment capabilities and potential for weaponization.
The strike relied heavily on the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit bombers—top-tier stealth aircraft designed to deliver devastating firepower undetected.
“The B-2 brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses,” according to the Air Force. With a payload capacity of 40,000 pounds and the ability to carry both nuclear and conventional weapons, the B-2 is manned by a two-person crew and has unlimited range through aerial refueling.
First deployed in 1989, the B-2 made its combat debut in Kosovo and has since participated in missions across Afghanistan, Yemen, and now Iran. Only 20 are in active service, all stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Each aircraft is valued at approximately $2 billion.
Trump’s message also emphasized that all U.S. aircraft had exited Iranian airspace without incident and returned safely, signaling the end of what he described as a “precision operation.”
This announcement comes amid heightened tensions in the region following a series of tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran and growing concerns about Iran’s accelerated nuclear development following the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal.
While Trump celebrated the strike as a display of unmatched U.S. military power, he also called for diplomacy in the aftermath: “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE,” he declared, suggesting the operation was intended not as a prelude to war but as a calculated deterrent.
Iran has condemned the strikes as a violation of international law and vowed to continue its nuclear program, while international leaders remain on edge over potential retaliation or escalation in the region.