Trump announces US strikes on Iran’s Fordo nuclear site, sparking global alarm
An Iranian official confirmed that part of the nuclear site in Fordo was attacked by "enemy airstrikes," according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency and IRNA agency.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the US had launched airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, including the heavily fortified Fordo facility, where he said a "full payload of bombs was dropped."
According to the post, all planes that took part in the strikes left Iranian airspace.
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"Congratulations to our great American warriors," Trump said, adding that it is now "time for peace."
The impact of the strikes is still not clear.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2025
Situated on a former military base near the city of Ghom, Iran's leaders secretly installed the Fordo facility in the early 2000s.
That may be because a large part of the Fordo complex lies deep underground. To protect the site from possible attacks or sabotage and keep it out of view of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, Iran had a system of 60-to-90-meter-deep tunnels (197 and 295 feet) drilled into the mountains.
International intelligence services first made the existence of the underground site public in 2009.
In 2012, the IAEA announced that scientists at Fordo had begun enriching uranium up to 20 per cent "for medical purposes."
It is thought that a total of about 3,000 enrichment centrifuges have been installed at the underground site since then.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation acknowledged the US attacks on Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, but said they would not deter the country from carrying on its nuclear activities. (Photo: Maxar Technologies/Handout/REUTERS)
Purer grades of uranium
Although Fordo is a smaller complex than Natanz, it is reportedly capable of producing purer grades of uranium, making it militarily far more significant.
After announcing the US Air Force's airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, Trump re-shared a post on Truth Social which labels the site in Fordo, an underground nuclear site in Iran, as "gone."
Despite carrying out airstrikes on nuclear sites across Iran, Israel refrained from attacking the Fordo site.
US bunker-busting bombs, which use weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets, were needed to reach the underground site.
An Iranian official confirmed that part of the nuclear site in Fordo was attacked by "enemy airstrikes," according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency and IRNA agency.
The Israeli army tightened restrictions across Israel as a precautionary measure following the US airstrikes in Iran.
Only "essential activity" will take place, while schools and other gatherings will be prohibited.
Violating the UN Charter
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of violating the UN Charter and international agreements with its bombing attacks on nuclear sites in his country.
"The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations," he wrote on X.
"The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences, Araghchi said, stressing that "this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour" must alarm every UN member.
"In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defence, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people."
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was gravely alarmed by the use of force by the US against Iran, and called it a "direct threat to international peace and security.
The US strikes in Iran are a "dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge," and urged for de-escalation in a statement.
"There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world," Guterres said.
"At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos," Guterres said in his statement. "There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace."
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