Trump claims US military struck 3 sites in Iran, joining Israeli effort

President Donald Trump says the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel ’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran’s threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict.

The decision to directly involve the U.S. comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and a 30,000-lb. bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily-fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground.

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Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency early Sunday acknowledged an attack on the country’s Fordo nuclear site.

Here is the latest:

Republican leaders in Congress praise Trump’s decision to strike Iran

U. S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who was briefed by the White House ahead of the strike, said in a statement, “President Trump has been consistent and clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be tolerated … That posture has now been enforced with strength, precision, and clarity.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Iranian regime’s “misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Iran hawk and Republican from South Carolina, wrote online: “This was the right call. The regime deserves it.”

Meanwhile, elected Democrats and some far-right Republicans questioned the move, particularly without authorization from the U.S. Congress.

“Horrible judgment,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “I will push for all Senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war.”

Said conservative Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, “While President Trump’s decision may prove just, it’s hard to conceive a rationale that’s Constitutional.”

Nonproliferation group condemns attacks

The Washington-based Arms Control Association, which focuses on nuclear nonproliferation, said the attack was an “irresponsible departure from Trump’s pursuit of diplomacy and increases the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran.”

“The U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, including the deeply fortified, underground Fordo uranium enrichment complex, may temporarily set back Iran’s nuclear program, but in the long term, military action is likely to push Iran to determine nuclear weapons are necessary for deterrence and that Washington is not interested in diplomacy,” it warned.

Iran’s state-run news agency confirms attacks targeting Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported early Sunday that attacks also targeted the country’s Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites.

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

Another official confirmed an attack targeting Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site.

Trump tells Fox News’ Hannity that six bunker buster bombs were used

Fox News host Sean Hannity said shortly after 9 pm EST that he had spoken with Trump and that six bunker buster bombs were used on the Fordo facility.

Hannity said that 30 Tomahawk missiles fired by U.S. submarines 400 miles away struck the Iranian nuclear sites of Natanz and Isfahan.

Iran’s state-run news agency acknowledges attack on nuclear facility

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency early Sunday acknowledged an attack on the country’s Fordo nuclear site.

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 IRNA report did not elaborate.

Irani news agencies report that air defenses opened fire near Fordo

Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, 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.

The semiofficial Fars news agency, also close to the Guard, quoted another official saying air defenses opened fire near Isfahan and explosions had been heard.

Fars also quoted the same official in Qom province, saying air defenses fired around Fordo.

Trump claimed attack threatens to reignite US war with Houthi rebels

The attack claimed by U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to reignite America’s war with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the last member of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” able to launch regular attacks.

The Houthis on Saturday warned they would resume attack American ships in the Red Sea corridor if the U.S. joined the Israeli campaign.

Trump describes bombings as a ‘very successful military operation’

President Donald Trump posted on social media that he will be delivering a 10 p.m. EDT address on the U.S. strikes from the White House.

The president described the bombings as a “very successful military operation in Iran.”

“This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR,” Trump added.

Several Republican senators praise Trump after US bombing of Iran sites

Several Republican senators are praising President Donald Trump after he announced Saturday evening that the U.S. military bombed three sites in Iran.

“Well done, President Trump,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, posted on X. Texas Sen. John Cornyn called it a “courageous decision.” Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said she stands by Trump and called the bombings “strong and surgical.”

Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted: “America first, always.”

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania also praised the attacks on Iran. “As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,” he posted. “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities.”

One House Republican criticized Trump’s decision. “This is not Constitutional,” posted Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a longtime opponent of U.S. involvement in foreign wars.

US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, Trump says, joining Israeli air campaign

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel ’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran’s threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict.

Saudi Arabia condemns ‘blatant Israeli aggressions’ against Iran

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has condemned “blatant Israeli aggressions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security, constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms, and threaten the security and stability of the region,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

Speaking at Friday’s meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, he called for “the immediate cessation of military operations, the avoidance of escalation, and a return to the negotiation track between Iran and the international community.”

Iran and Saudi Arabia were long regional arch-rivals but have normalized relations in recent years. Riyadh was quick to side publicly with Tehran after Israel launched a surprise barrage of strikes on Iran last week.

Bin Farhan also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The kingdom and France had been set to co-chair a conference in New York this month on the topic, which was postponed due to the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war.

President says Iran will never resign its right to nuclear power

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country will never renounce its right to nuclear power, which “cannot be taken away from it through war and threats.”

In a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Iran was ready to provide guarantees and confidence-building measures to demonstrate the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities, according to IRNA, the state-run news agency.

Pezeshkian said that Iran has never sought to produce nuclear weapons, IRNA reported. Posting on X, the French leader said he told his Iranian counterpart that “Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful.”

Egypt rejects Israeli campaign against Iran and calls for negotiated solution

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt has expressed his government’s “complete rejection” of Israel’s campaign against Iran, calling for a negotiated solution to the conflict.

El-Sissi’s comments came in a phone call Saturday with Iranian President Masoud Pezezhkin, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

The statement said el-Sissi voiced Egypt’s “complete rejection of the ongoing Israeli escalation against Iran,” as a threat to the Middle East’s security and stability.

The Egyptian leader called for an immediate ceasefire to resume negotiations with the aim of reaching a “sustainable, peaceful solution to this crisis.”

Aerial refueling tankers spotted on flight paths consistent with escorting aircraft from US

Multiple U.S. aerial refueling tankers were spotted on commercial flight trackers flying flight patterns consistent with escorting aircraft from the central U.S. to the Pacific.

B-2 bombers, which are the only aircraft that carry the large bunker buster bombs, are based at an Air Force base in Missouri. It was not clear whether the aircraft being escorted early Saturday were prepared for an operation or merely moving to airbases closer to Iran as a show of force.

The White House and Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment on the flights.

Israel says it and Cyprus foiled a planned attack on Israeli citizens

Israel’s foreign minister says Israeli security services have helped Cypriot authorities foil a planned attack against Israeli citizens on the east Mediterranean island nation.

Minister Gideon Saar posted on X Saturday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was behind the plot. He thanked Cyprus for its “swift and effective actions” and accused Iran of “deliberately targeting Israeli civilians both in Israel and abroad.”

Cyprus police said Saturday they arrested a man on suspicion of terrorism and espionage. A court Saturday ordered the man, who wasn’t identified, held in police custody for eight days until investigators can complete their probe. Cypriot authorities said they wouldn’t comment further on the man’s arrest for “national security reasons.”

A British Foreign Office spokesman said that U.K. authorities are in contact with the Cypriot government “regarding the arrest of a British man.”

Germany closes Tehran embassy and withdraws staff from Iran

The German embassy in Tehran has been closed until further notice “due to the current crisis situation,” the diplomatic representation wrote on its website.

“Please do not come to the embassy or the consulate building. Appointments that have already been arranged have been canceled,” the embassy said.

Due to the war between Israel and Iran, the German Foreign Ministry said Saturday it has withdrawn all of its embassy staff in Tehran and brought them out of the country.

The embassy is still reachable online for Germans remaining in Iran. On its website, the embassy gives advice on the different possibilities to leave by land via Armenia or Turkey. According to the German Foreign Ministry, there are still about 1,000 German citizens in Iran.

US begins repatriation flights from Israel

The U.S. ambassador to Israel says the United States has begun “assisted departure flights” from Israel, the first time such flights have been offered there since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

The State Department said Saturday that it organized two flights departing from Tel Aviv to Athens with approximately 70 U.S. citizens, their accompanying immediate family members and permanent residents.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced the flights in a social media post as the war between Israel and Iran entered its second week. He says U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can complete an online form for updates.

The U.S. has also told its citizens in Iran who wish to leave to go via Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkey if they feel it’s safe.

Nasrallah’s bodyguard killed in Israeli airstrike on Iran, Hezbollah says

The head of security to the late Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike while in Iran, a Hezbollah official said Saturday.

Abu Ali Khalil, better known as Abu Ali Jawad, was killed after he went to Iran from neighboring Iraq, the official said.

For many years, Abu Ali was seen behind Nasrallah during most of his public appearances.

After Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstike in a Beirut suburb in September, his bodyguard was put in charge of his tomb in Beirut.

The Hezbollah official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the airstrike that killed Abu Ali occurred earlier Saturday.

Erdogan offers to mediate Iran-US talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for technical and leadership-level talks between Iran and the United States to resolve tensions, during a meeting with Iran’s top diplomat.

A statement from Erdogan office said the Turkish president also told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday that Turkey was ready to take on the role of facilitator.

Erdogan said that the region cannot tolerate another war and said Israel must be “stopped immediately.”

Araghchi was in Turkey to attend a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Iran acknowledges detaining German bicyclist on suspicion of spying

Iran on Saturday acknowledged for the first time it had detained a German bicyclist on spying allegations, likely an effort by Tehran to pressure Germany amid its war with Israel.

The semiofficial Mehr news agency published footage of the unnamed man’s arrest, without saying when the arrest occurred. However, it described the cyclist as being detained in Markazi province, home to the Arak heavy water reactor.

The German news agency dpa reported the arrest took place last year and that the bicyclist is being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, home to Westerners and political prisoners.

The German Foreign Ministry declined to comment Saturday.

Israeli army says it is now targeting Iranian military infrastructure

The Israeli army said it began striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran.

It was unclear what the targeted sites were.

Shortly after, Iranian state media reported that the sound of large blasts was heard in two cities in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan. Air defenses were reported to be activated in both locations.

A large column of smoke had also risen above the port city of Mahshahr, Fars news agency said, while “frightening explosions” were heard in the provincial capital of Ahvaz.

Macron voices deep concern over Iran’s nuclear program

The French president said Saturday this happened during a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who initiated the call.

“Here again, my position is clear: Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful,” Macron posted on social media, adding that diplomatic efforts should continue to resolve the current crisis.

“To achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran.”

Macron said he also asked for the release of two French citizens being held in Iran on espionage charges since 2022.

Iranians are left with no internet access again

Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported on Saturday that the limited internet access that had come back up in Iran has once again “collapsed.”

The group said on X that the disconnect came after “a brief period when residents could exchange messages with the outside world.”

A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days, isolating Iranians.

Iran cited concerns about Israeli cyberattacks for the shutdown of mobile and web services. But many Iranians and activists see it as another example of state information control and targeted internet shutdowns the Islamic Republic has deployed during periods of protests and unrest.

Internet slowly trickles back in Iran

Iranians on Saturday began to see some internet access restored, giving people the opportunity to call friends and family for the first time in days.

Those in the diaspora posted on social media about connecting to FaceTime or WhatsApp to call relatives they had been worried about.

Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. That left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next and if their family or friends were among the victims.

Tasnim News Agency, closely affiliated with Iran’s government, quoted the information minister as saying that access to “international” internet should be restored across the country by 8 p.m.

Turkey urges Islamic unity against ‘Israeli problem’

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the Middle East is faced with an “Israeli problem” and called on Islamic countries to take a collective stand and show solidarity with Iran.

“Israel’s ongoing aggression and occupation policies clearly show that there is an Israeli problem in our region that needs to be addressed,” Fidan said in an opening speech at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Saturday.

He also warned that Israel’s actions could trigger broader regional instability.

Italians evacuated from Iran arrive in Azerbaijan

The Italian foreign ministry said the 24 Italians are the second group to evacuate via Azerbaijan’s Baku.

“After about nine hours of travel and a very long wait at the border, the group was welcomed by representatives of the Italian Embassy in Baku, and then moved to the airport of the Azerbaijani capital to wait to return to Italy with the first available flights,” the ministry said.

The group included an Italian doctor and his partner, an Iranian woman, and their 18-month-old child, the ministry said.

Another convoy from Iran could depart from Tehran as early as Monday.

The first group that arrived in Italy via Baku in recent days had 34 Italian nationals.

Italy’s foreign ministry also said it chartered a flight to help evacuate its citizens from Israel via Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday.