US President Donald Trump made a short statement from the White House late on Saturday, addressing the nation just hours after American forces launched coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
In his brief remarks, Trump confirmed that the military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure had been completed successfully. He reiterated that the strikes aimed to neutralise what he described as serious threats posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The president provided no further details about the mission, the nature of the targets, or any potential casualties, instead highlighting the ‘success’ of the American forces involved. Trump concluded his statement by expressing gratitude to US service members for their efforts.
Donald Trump’s Full Statement
“A short time ago, the US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
“Everybody heard those names for years as they built this destructive enterprise.
“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.
“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.
“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely 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.
“For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America, Death to Israel.’
Credit: Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies / AFP
“They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their speciality; we lost over 1,000 people.
“And hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate; in particular, so many were killed by their general Qasem Soleimani.
“I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue.
“I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel.
“I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done.
“And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades.
“Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that’s so.
“I also want to congratulate the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan ‘Razin’ Caine, a spectacular general, and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack.
“With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be a tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.
“Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal.
“But 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.
“There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight, not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago.
“Tomorrow, General Caine, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, will have a press conference at 8 am at the Pentagon.
“And I want to just thank everybody, and in particular, God. I want to just say we love you, God, and we love our great military; protect them.
“God bless the Middle East, God bless Israel, and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.”
The comments came during rising tensions in the Middle East following the strikes, which targeted key nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. The White House has not announced any further plans, and the global community is now closely watching for Tehran’s response.
