Trump says damage to Iran's nuclear sites is 'far below ground level'

Trump said the U.S. attacked three nuclear sites in Iran.

The United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced.

B-2 bombers dropped a number of Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs -- known as "bunker busters" -- during the U.S. mission over Iran, a U.S. official confirmed.

A number of Tomahawk cruise missiles were also fired at targets inside Iran from a U.S. Navy submarine, the official confirmed.

Following the strikes, Trump addressed the nation, calling it a "spectacular military success."

Jun 22, 2025, 9:22 AM EDT

Iran reserves the right to defend itself, says foreign minister

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran reserves the right to defend itself and respond to the U.S. attack but that he's "not in a position to reveal what we are going to do."

He also says he will be in Russia Monday for a previously planned meeting with Russian President Putin and is also speaking with Russia and China about a potential United Nations resolution to the conflict.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Jun 22, 2025, 9:12 AM EDT

Attacks on Iran 'outrageous,' says Iranian foreign minister

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking in English at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, called the American strikes in Iran "outrageous" and laid blame on the U.S. for any fallout.

“Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far reaching implications of its act of aggression," Araghchi said.

He for now appeared to close the door on diplomacy, saying the door to diplomacy should always be open but "this is not the case right now."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, June 22, 2025.
Erdem Sahin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

"It was not Iran, but the U.S. who betrayed diplomacy. They betrayed negotiations.” he said, denouncing Israel and the U.S. for attacking Iran amid diplomatic talks.

Araghchi also said Trump betrayed his election promise not to get involved in "forever wars," saying Trump "deceived his own voters" by joining Israel in attacking Iran.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Jun 22, 2025, 8:56 AM EDT

Scope of attack 'intentionally limited,' said Hegseth

Hegseth said there were public and private messages being directly delivered to the Iranians prior to the attack through multiple channels, “giving them every opportunity to come to the table.”

“They understand precisely what the American position is, precisely what steps they can take to allow for peace, and we hope they do so,” he said.

He also said the operation is not open-ended and is not about “regime change.”

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, June 22, 2025.
Alex Brandon/AP

“Well, anything can happen in conflict. We acknowledge that, but the scope of this was intentionally limited,” Hegseth said.

According to Caine, troops in the region were not given an advance warning of the attacks.

Lawmakers were notified immediately after the strike, according to the briefing.

Jun 22, 2025, 8:49 AM EDT

'Battle damage assessment is ongoing'

“I know that battle damage is of great interest. Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” said Caine.

A poster of "Operation Midnight Hammer" is displayed during a briefing at the Pentagon, after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities, during the Israel-Iran conflict, in Arlington, Virginia, June 22, 2025.
U.S. Dod via Reuters

Later, Hegseth added that “The battle damage assessment is ongoing, but our initial assessment, as the chairman said, is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and had the desired effect, which means especially the primary target here, we believe we achieved destruction of capabilities there.”

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