US Bombed Nuclear Sites in Iran, Trump Announces

US warplanes dropped bombs on nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, President Trump announced, ending the global uncertainty about his intentions in the Israel-Iran conflict that he had said might last another two weeks. He posted online that the planes had left Iranian airspace after striking three targets. "All planes are safely on their way home," Trump wrote, per the New York Times. The attack brings the US directly into Israel's military campaign to destroy Iran's nuclear program. Iran had threatened to retaliate against the US if that happened and said it would not negotiate as long as it was under attack. Trump said he would address the nation at 10pm EDT.

• The mission: Trump said the targets were Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Labs in Isfahan have worked on how to convert uranium into the form required to produce a nuclear weapon. It was not often mentioned as a candidate for a strike, per the Times, and presented a more complex target. Inspectors visited the site, where Iran is thought to store its near-bomb-grade enriched uranium, two weeks ago. Fordo is the fortified underground facility that experts said would require the Pentagon's heaviest bombs, which are carried by B-2 stealth bombers. B-2s had taken off earlier from the US.
• Digging in: As the second week of the Israel-Iran exchanges began, Israel said it's preparing for a lengthy war, per the AP. Israel renewed its attacks on a nuclear research facility near Isfahan and said it started strikes on military infrastructure in southwest Iran. It wasn't clear what those targets were.

• Americans in Israel: Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, announced on X that "assisted departure flights" from Israel have begun, per CBS News. "If you are a US citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident currently in Israel or the West Bank and seeking US government assistance to depart," Huckabee wrote, "please complete this form": https://mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake. Hundreds of Americans arrived on charter flights from Tel Aviv organized by not-for-profit organizations and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.
• Ayatollah's planning: Iran's supreme leader has identified three senior clerics as possible successors in the event of his death, per the Times. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who remains in a bunker, also has selected replacements for military officers in the chain of command. Officials awaiting the US decision on attacking Iran are planning for a range of possible outcomes. Khamenei recognizes that one of those possibilities is his assassination by Israeli or US forces, Iranian officials said, and would consider it martyrdom.

This file has been updated with Trump's announcement of airstrikes. (More Iran stories.)