The Iranian government has issued a stern warning to the United States, threatening retaliation against American military bases in the Middle East, following a series of devastating airstrikes by US forces on key nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic. The strikes, described by President Donald Trump as a “spectacular military success,” targeted three major nuclear sites — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, with bunker-buster bombs.
While US officials claimed the assault dealt a major blow to Iran’s nuclear programme, the full extent of the damage remains uncertain. A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati, declared that any country facilitating US operations against Iran would be treated as a legitimate military target.
Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,” he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
Velayati further accused the US of attacking “the heart of the Islamic world”, warning Washington to “await irreparable consequences.”
President Trump, in a televised address and posts on social media, hailed the military operation, stating that the US had taken “the bomb right out of their hands.”Trump claimed, “They would use it if they could. We had a spectacular military success yesterday.”
Despite the aggressive tone, Trump urged Iran to end hostilities and pursue peace.
At a Pentagon briefing, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the outcome of the mission as a major setback for Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s nuclear program has been devastated,” Hegseth said, clarifying that the strikes did not target Iranian troops or civilians. General Dan Caine, who stood beside the Defence Secretary, struck a more cautious note: “Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction. He said, “But it is too early to determine what may or may not still be there.”
