USA bombs Iran's nuclear facilities

Iran's "crucial uranium enrichment facilities" have been completely destroyed, US President Donald Trump said at the White House. The underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow , as well as the Natanz and Isfahan sites, were bombed .

Iran must now choose the path of peace, or future attacks will be even more extensive, Trump threatened. There are still many targets left that the US will then target.

No fatalities

According to Iranian rescue workers, no one was killed in the US attacks. There were no fatalities, said the head of the Red Crescent, Pir Hussein Koliwand, according to state television.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi responded sharply to the US attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran. His country reserves all options for self-defense, Aragchi stated on the short message service X. The American attacks were "outrageous."

Iran seeks to join forces with Russia

Aragchi also announced a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin . He will fly to Moscow this Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Minister said in Istanbul, Turkey. Consultations with Putin are planned for Monday. He pointed to the strategic partnership that Iran maintains with Russia .

The Foreign Ministry in Moscow called this irresponsible action and a blatant violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations (UN), and UN Security Council resolutions. "We call for an end to the aggression and intensified efforts to create conditions for a return to diplomacy," it added.

New wave of attacks against Israel

Shortly thereafter, Tehran launched a new wave of attacks against Israel. A total of 30 rockets were fired at Israel, the Iranian state broadcaster reported on Sunday morning. Israel also attacked Iran again, saying it shelled military installations in the west of the country.

Bunker-busting bombs in action

According to consistent US media reports, six stealth bombers dropped a total of a dozen of the largest bunker-busting bombs on the Iranian uranium enrichment facility in Fordow. The GBU-57 bombs, weighing more than 13 tons, can attack targets located very deep below the surface.

According to reports, two bunker-busting bombs were dropped on Natans by a B-2 stealth bomber. Natans was also attacked by submarines with cruise missiles.

The third US target, in the city of Isfahan, was reportedly attacked only with cruise missiles. In total, the submarines fired around 30 cruise missiles at the targets in Isfahan and Natans.

No radioactivity

The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization confirmed that the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities were attacked. It called this a violation of international law and stated that it would not allow the development of the country's nuclear industry to be halted.

According to state media, there are no signs of radioactive contamination. The Iranian Atomic Energy Agency (AEOI) has stated that there is no danger to residents of the attacked sites. This has also been confirmed by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). IAEA Director Rafael Grossi has called an emergency meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors for Monday.

Warning and Praise

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities as a "courageous decision" of historic significance. US President Donald Trump acted with "great strength" to deny the "most dangerous regime the most dangerous weapons in the world," Netanyahu said. Israel has been attacking Iran with missiles and drones since June 13. The Islamic Republic, in turn, is attacking targets in Israel.

Following the US airstrikes, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a "spiral of chaos" and called for a "diplomatic" solution. He called the attacks "a dangerous escalation in a region on the brink and a direct threat to international peace and security."

Hamas and Houthis on the side of Iran

The pro-Iranian Houthi militia in Yemen described the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities as "brutal and cowardly aggression." Just on Saturday, the militia warned that it would again attack US ships in the Red Sea if the US intervened in the war between Israel and Iran.

The Islamist Hamas declared the US attacks a "dangerous escalation" and threatened international peace and security. The Palestinian organization, which is listed as a terrorist organization by many Western and some Arab states, is also allied with Iran.

Israel is also at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip . The attack was triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other Islamist extremists on Israel on October 7, 2023. Approximately 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage to Gaza. The Israel-Hamas war has caused devastating destruction in the Mediterranean coastal strip: According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 55,900 people have been killed there so far.

fab/se/pg (dpa, rtr, afp, ap)