President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran should the nation think about retaliating to the US’ strikes last night.
Trump ordered an attack on Iran’s key nuclear facilities overnight, with the president declaring the mission a ‘success’, something that a top Iranian official has condemned and threatened would lead to ‘everlasting consequences’ for the US.
The POTUS addressed the nation last night to confirm the US had launched an assault on the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites, after a watchdog stated in a recent report that Iran was close to a breakout with a nuclear-grade weapon.
The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a non-profit organization, issued a report on June 9 stating that Iran’s main nuclear factory, Fordow, could produce weapons-grade uranium (WGU) in just days.
Tensions in the Middle East are at an all time high (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In Trump’s address to his fellow Americans last night, he said: “A short time ago the US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi took to Twitter to warn that the US will face ‘everlasting consequences’ after Trump ordered the attack on its nuclear sites.
“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 by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” his post read.
“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.
“In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”
Satellite imagery of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility in Iran, taken yesterday – prior to the US bombing of the site but after numerous Israeli airstrikes (Getty images/Maxar
Just two hours prior to Araghchi’s post, the Republican president issued a scathing message, warning Iran that it would feel ‘force far greater’ than it had in the attacks that were carried out by US stealth bombers.
Taking to Truth Social, he posted: “Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight. Thank you! Donald J. Trump, President of the United States.”
Now, to touch on what the nuclear watchdog had warned.
As mentioned earlier, it stated that Iran’s main nuclear factories, Fordow, could produce weapons-grade uranium (WGU) in just days.
For those unaware, natural uranium contains a percentage of roughly 0.7 percent of the isotope uranium-235, which on its own isn’t usable as fuel for nuclear reactors.
For that, it needs to be enriched to 3.5 percent by removing the isotope uranium-238.
However, Iran has been accused of enriching its mined uranium to 60 percent – which it doesn’t have any purpose enriching to such a high percentage – and storing it in large quantities.
The location of the three key nuclear sites in Iran that the US bombed (Yilmaz Yucel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The alleged reason for doing so is because it would mean it’s done most of the work needed to get it to weapon-grade uranium (WGU), which is typically deemed at 90 percent.
“Iran could produce its first quantity of 25 kg of WGU in Fordow in as little as two to three days,” the report read.
“Breaking out in both Fordow and the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP), the two facilities together could produce enough WGU for 11 nuclear weapons in the first month, enough for 15 nuclear weapons by the end of the second month, 19 by the end of the third month, 21 by the end of the fourth month, and 22 by the end of the fifth month.”
