Trump, Netanyahu celebrate; UN, world leaders alarmed
The United States has carried out “targeted” airstrikes against Iran, using its $2.1-billion B-2 stealth bombers to drop 30,000-pound bombs on key nuclear facilities, effectively ending speculation over whether President Donald Trump would back ally Israel’s week-old military campaign.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the bombers destroyed three Iranian nuclear sites, including the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, which he referred to as the “primary site [target].”
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan,” the US leader announced on Sunday.
“I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” Trump later said in a live address from the White House.
The president said that after the strikes, Iran “must now agree to end this war,” reiterating his earlier statement that under no circumstances should Iran be allowed to own a nuclear weapon.
However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attacks as “outrageous” and said his country has the right to defend its sovereignty.
“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” he posted on X, adding that the attacks were “lawless and criminal” behavior.
“In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people,” the foreign minister said.
He also said the United States and Israel crossed a major red line in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying he was heading to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
“They crossed a very big red line by attacking (Iran’s) nuclear facilities,” Araghchi said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
Iran’s atomic energy organization also called the US attacks “a barbaric act that violates international law.”
Following the US move, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for bringing “peace through strength.”
“President Trump, I thank you. The people of Israel thank you. The forces of civilization thank you,” he said in an English-language statement.
“First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength,” the Israeli leader added.
Netanyahu called the US “truly unsurpassed” in its strikes on Iran, adding that Trump’s “leadership today has created a pivot of history that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, however, described the United States’ bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran as a “dangerous escalation” following eight days of deadly strikes and counterstrikes between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
“I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today,” he wrote on X, while reiterating that “there is no military solution.”
“This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security,” Guterres added.
The US bombardment sent shockwaves as far away as Europe, where leaders called for sobriety amid an already shaky alliance with the incumbent American administration.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”
“Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,” Starmer said on X, adding that “stability in the region is a priority.”
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called for de-escalation and a return to negotiations.
“I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,” Kallas wrote on X, adding Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation on Monday. With AFP