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.”
Iran Responds With Defiance
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed retaliation, while large crowds in central Tehran rallied against what they described as US-Israeli aggression.
In Semnan Province, residents expressed shock and fear over the escalation. A 46-year-old housewife named Samireh told AFP, “Semnan province is far from the nuclear sites, but I’m very concerned for the people who live near. I’m truly shocked.”
In a Sunday interview, US Vice President JD Vance admitted that while the strikes severely damaged infrastructure, Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains intact.
He said, “We’re going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel. They no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile into weapons-grade uranium.”
Another of Khamenei’s advisors, Ali Shamkhani, took to social media to stress that Iran’s nuclear expertise and political resolve remained undiminished.
“Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, the game isn’t over. Enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, and political will remain,” he wrote.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, told the UN Security Council that satellite imagery showed significant damage, including craters at the Fordo site, though underground impacts had not yet been assessed. He confirmed that no radiation spikes had been detected so far.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the Western Wall to pray for President Trump, whom he praised for “changing history” with the bold strikes.
An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that the air force was assessing whether Iran had evacuated its enriched uranium from Fordo prior to the strikes.
In immediate response, Iran launched a series of attacks on Israeli targets, including Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. At least 23 people were reported injured, according to initial reports.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also suffered losses, with at least nine members killed in renewed Israeli strikes on central Iran, local media reported.
Iran’s Health Ministry confirmed that over 400 Iranians have died in Israeli strikes since hostilities began, while Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel have resulted in 24 fatalities, according to official tallies.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman, countries previously involved in mediating nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US, condemned the American strikes and called for immediate de-escalation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning, cautioning against a “dangerous cycle of retaliation.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen reiterated threats to target US ships in the Red Sea if Washington deepened its involvement in the conflict.