US strikes Iran’s elusive Fordo facility, joining Israel’s fight against nuclear program

US President Donald Trump announced early Sunday that the US had carried out a “successful attack” on the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites in Iran, hours after he appeared to suggest that the matter of US involvement in Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program was as yet undecided.

The decision to directly involve the US in the war came after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to damage its nuclear enrichment facilities and systematically eradicate its air defenses and offensive missile capabilities. Iran, in retaliation, has launched dozens of ballistic missile barrages at Israel.

“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordo,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the difficult-to-destroy underground site, which has been characterized as the most integral part of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

“All planes are now outside of Iran air space [and are]… safely on their way home,” he wrote. “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 added.

He then shared a post from an open-source intelligence account claiming that “Fordo is gone.”

He provided more details about the operation in a televised address from the White House at 10 p.m. local time (5 a.m. Israel time), where he was flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” Trump said.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” he said. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”

An unnamed Israeli official told Axios that the US used B-2 stealth bombers to attack the nuclear sites.

The advanced aircraft are known for being capable of delivering the huge 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator that is potentially capable of destroying the Fordo facility, which had remained untouched by Israel over the past eight days, even as it inflicted damage on the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.

The bunker-buster bomb, which can only be transported by US B-2 stealth bombers, is believed to be able to penetrate about 200 feet (61 meters) below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast.

Open source flight trackers showed on Saturday afternoon that a number of B-2 bombers were heading from the US toward Guam in the Pacific Ocean, leading to speculation that the US was preparing to strike Fordo.

But given that those bombers would have needed more time to reach Iran, others were likely used in the overnight strike.

In total, six bunker buster bombs were used on the Fordo facility, according to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, who said he had spoken to Trump.

It was previously speculated that just two bunker-busters would be needed to destroy the site.

The Natanz and Isfahan sites were hit with 30 Tomahawk missiles launched by American submarines some 400 miles away, Hannity said.

Coordination with Israel

Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after the US concluded its strikes, a White House official said, and Axios reported that the US gave Israel a heads-up before it set out to strike. This was corroborated by Israel’s Channel 12, which reported that a small group of top Israeli ministers had been meeting from around 10 p.m. local time until shortly after Trump’s announcement.

In a video statement published shortly before Trump was due to deliver his address, Netanyahu thanked the US President for his decision to strike the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites.

“Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,” Netanyahu said.

“In Operation Rising Lion, Israel has done truly amazing things. But in tonight’s action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, America has been truly unsurpassed. It has done what no other country on earth could do.”

“History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime, the world’s most dangerous weapons,” Netanyahu continued.

President Trump and I often say: ‘Peace through strength.’

First comes strength, then comes peace.

And tonight, @realDonaldTrump and the United States acted with a lot of strength. pic.twitter.com/7lTWCZkgw7

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 22, 2025

“His leadership today has created a pivot of history that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.”

“President Trump and I often say peace through strength. First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.”

“President Trump, I thank you. The people of Israel thank you. The forces of civilization thank you.”

“God bless America. God bless Israel and may God bless our unshakeable alliance, our unbreakable faith,” Netanyahu concluded.

Trump, in his own address, had also thanked and congratulated Netanyahu, saying the pair had “worked as a team — like perhaps no team has ever worked before.”

The US had sent mixed messages to Israel and had appeared undecided, right up until the strikes were announced, as to whether or not it would aid Israel with its campaign against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Trump had said on Thursday that he would decide whether the US would attack Iran within the next two weeks. This was said to have frustrated Israel, with officials reportedly telling the US that Jerusalem could act alone before the deadline was up.

Defiant Iran says work won’t stop

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency confirmed the attack on the Fordo nuclear site, and acknowledged that separate strikes had also targeted Natanz and Isfahan.

Quoting a statement from Iran’s Qom province, IRNA said: “A few hours ago, when Qom air defenses were activated and hostile targets were identified, part of the Fordo nuclear site was attacked by enemies.”

The news agency also quoted Akbar Salehi, Isfahan’s deputy governor in charge of security affairs, saying there had been attacks around the sites. He did not elaborate.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted a provincial official in Qom that air defense did recently fire in an attack believed to target the area around the Fordo facility, but offered no other information.

Meanwhile, the semi-official Fars news agency quoted another official saying air defenses opened fire near Isfahan and explosions had been heard.

Confirming the strikes, Iran’s atomic agency said that the country would continue on with its nuclear activities, despite the US attacks on key facilities.

“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the great nation of Iran that despite the evil plots of its enemies … it will not let the path of development of this national industry (nuclear), which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, be stopped,” the organization said in a statement published by state media.

It also claimed the attacks on its nuclear sites violated international law, without clarifying the extent of the damage caused.

A commentator on Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster declared following the strikes that every American citizen and soldier in the region was now a “legitimate target.”

The broadcaster aired a map showing US bases in the region, with the commentator declaring, “You started it, and we’ll finish it.”

אחרי העבודה האמריקנית בפורדו בטלוויזיה האיראנית מציגים את מפת הבסיסים האמריקניים באזור ואומרים לטראמפ: אתה התחלת ואנחנו נסיים pic.twitter.com/R8krFnXGZa

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) June 22, 2025

Bracing for response

The US appeared eager to avoid further escalation with Iran, and sought to communicate as much in a message reportedly sent to the Islamic Republic in the immediate aftermath of the strikes.

Citing unnamed sources, CBS News reported that Washington had informed Tehran that the strikes were limited to its nuclear program only, and that the US was not seeking regime change.

And, in his speech, Trump reiterated that Iran could still choose peace, but warned that there would be “tragedy” in store for it if it did not.

“This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” the US president said, before adding: “Remember, there are many targets left.”

“If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill — most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes,” he said.

In Israel, meanwhile, the IDF’s Home Front Command announced that it had updated civilian guidelines and, effective immediately, all schools across the country would be closed, all gatherings were banned, and only essential businesses would be allowed to operate.

The new guidelines were a return to the strictest level of restrictions that were imposed at the start of the war with Iran. They had been relaxed in recent days, allowing workplaces to resume activities and permitting small gatherings.

Israel says its sweeping assault, which began last Friday, on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program is necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its avowed plan to destroy the Jewish state.

Iran has retaliated by launching over 470 ballistic missiles and around 1,000 drones at Israel.

So far, Iran’s missile attacks have killed 24 people and wounded thousands in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals. Some of the missiles have hit apartment buildings, causing heavy damage.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.