American forces have struck Iran’s three main nuclear sites, said US President Donald Trump  late on Saturday. He also warned that Tehran would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace.

After days of deliberation, and long before his self-imposed two-week deadline, Trump’s decision to join Israel’s military campaign against Iran is a major escalation of the conflict and risks opening a new era of instability in the Middle East.

“The strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said in a televised address.

In a speech that lasted just over three minutes, Trump said Iran’s future held ‘either peace or tragedy,’ and there were many other targets that could be hit by the US military.

“If peace doesn’t come quickly, we’ll go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”

The US reached out to Iran diplomatically on Saturday to say the strikes are all the US plans and it does not aim for regime change.

Trump said US forces struck Iran’s three principal nuclear sites — Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. He said six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other nuclear sites.

US B-2 bombers were involved in the strikes, a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Fordow is gone.”

An Iranian official confirmed part of the Fordow site was attacked by ‘enemy airstrikes.’

However, Mohammad Manan Raisi, a lawmaker for Qom, near Fordow, said the facility had not been seriously damaged.

Iranian media quoted Iran’s nuclear body as saying there were no signs of contamination after the attacks, and no danger to residents living nearby.

Hassan Abedini, deputy political head of Iran’s state broadcaster, said Iran had evacuated the three sites some time ago.

“The enriched uranium reserves had been transferred from the nuclear centres and there are no materials left there that, if targeted, would cause radiation and be harmful to our compatriots,” he told the channel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his ‘bold decision.’

“History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime, the world’s most dangerous weapons,” Netanyahu said.

The strikes came as Israel and Iran have been engaged in more than a week of aerial combat that has resulted in deaths and injuries in both countries.

Israel launched the attacks on Iran saying it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the hostilities have so far failed.

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