In what appears to be a major escalation, US President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post early Sunday that American forces carried out overnight airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” he claimed without any evidence.
“All planes are now outside of Iranian airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, #Fordow.”
The announcement follows reports in American media that the Pentagon was moving B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri toward the Persian Gulf.
There has been no official confirmation of the attack. However, according to Press TV sources, air defenses around the three underground nuclear sites were activated and the attack was successfully thwarted, except for minor exterior damage.
The source added that all three sites had long been evacuated and there was zero risk.
Trump’s statement came shortly after a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the ongoing Israeli military aggression against Iran and the question of US involvement.
Earlier, Trump had said he would make a final decision on the matter “within two weeks.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the American president had already given preliminary approval for military action but was waiting to see if Iran would accept Washington’s demand for zero uranium enrichment, which the Islamic Republic rejected.
The direct military action on nuclear sites on Iranian territory constitutes both the violation of Iran’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as the brazen breach of international laws and conventions, according to experts.
Iran had warned Washington against getting involved in the war against Iran.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in a message on Wednesday, said the Iranian nation will “firmly stand against” an imposed war.
“Those with wisdom, who truly understand Iran, its people, and its long history, never speak to this nation with the language of threats. Iran will not yield,” he said in response to Trump’s war-mongering rhetoric against Iran.
“The Americans must understand—any US military incursion will undoubtedly lead to irreversible consequences.”
The Israeli regime launched its aggression on the Islamic Republic last Friday, with American backing. After more than a week, the US decided to finally make it official.
An official, speaking to Press TV, said Iran is currently defending itself against the aggression of the Israeli regime and the United States while Trump seeks to create an illusion of victory.
By joining the Israeli regime’s war against Iran, the official said, the US has effectively made itself a partner in the crime and exposed its interests in the region to Iranian retaliation.
“Calls for peace and a swift end to the war are signs of fear of Iran’s military power and amount to an admission of American failure,” the official noted.
