The US military has joined Israeli forces in their week-long airstrike campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites, with President Trump confirming the first US strikes on Sunday.
“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump announced in a post on Truth Social, adding that other targets included Natanz and Esfahan.
In the same message, the US leader appeared to urge Tehran not to retaliate and to engage in talks, claiming it was now “time for peace.”
Tehran has previously warned Washington and other third parties against joining the conflict, threatening to target any hostile assets and weapons shipments bound for Israel. A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis has also warned that if the US becomes involved, the group “will target its warships in the Red Sea.”
READ MORE: ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT AS IT UNFOLDED OVER THE PAST WEEK
Israel launched its Operation Rising Lion as a “preemptive” strike, allegedly aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Tehran, which has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, called the attack an act of war and responded with missile and drone strikes of its own.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 430 Iranians and injured more than 3,500 civilians, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. Israeli officials have reported 25 deaths and over 2,500 injuries.
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