Reported by Quest FMTV News
Iran has issued a stern warning to the United States, threatening to target American military bases across the Middle East in response to a massive aerial assault that Washington claims severely damaged Tehran’s nuclear program. The strikes, described as unprecedented, have sparked global alarm over a potential escalation of conflict in the already volatile region.
The threat came Sunday from Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who declared that any country permitting U.S. forces to operate from its territory would be regarded as a legitimate military target. “America has attacked the heart of the Islamic world and must await irreparable consequences,” Velayati stated via Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
The airstrikes, which occurred Saturday, targeted three key nuclear sites — Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz — with specialized “bunker buster” bombs. President Donald Trump, who ordered the surprise operation, claimed it as a “spectacular military success,” asserting the U.S. had effectively crippled Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon. “We took the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands,” Trump said on social media.
Despite Trump’s triumphal tone, U.S. military officials remained cautiously optimistic. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran’s nuclear infrastructure as “devastated,” while top general Dan Caine noted that it was too soon to determine the full extent of the damage. Preliminary assessments suggested severe destruction across all three sites.
Vice President JD Vance echoed the administration’s stance on Sunday, claiming the strikes had “substantially set back” Iran’s nuclear program. However, he acknowledged that Iran may still possess highly enriched uranium and said the U.S. would focus on preventing its conversion to weapons-grade material.
In Tehran, defiance remained strong. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that the United States would face consequences for its actions, and mass protests erupted in the capital, with demonstrators waving flags and chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans. On social media, another of Khamenei’s advisers, Ali Shamkhani, dismissed the attack’s impact, insisting Iran retained the knowledge, materials, and political will to continue its nuclear ambitions.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed visible craters at the Fordo site but said full assessments were impossible due to the facility’s underground structure. He warned of the potential for radiation leaks, although none had been detected so far.
The strikes have further inflamed tensions between Israel and Iran. Israel, which launched its own bombing campaign against Iranian positions earlier this month, welcomed the U.S. operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prayed at the Western Wall on Sunday and called the strikes a “historic” move. Israeli authorities, meanwhile, reported difficulty confirming whether enriched uranium had been removed from Fordo before the attack.
Iran retaliated by launching missiles at Israeli targets, including Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, wounding at least 23 people. In further escalations, Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in central Iran, with Tehran reporting a death toll of over 400 from Israeli attacks since hostilities began. Iran’s own strikes on Israel have resulted in 24 confirmed deaths.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman — all of which had been mediating Iran-U.S. nuclear negotiations — condemned the American strikes and called for immediate de-escalation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also urged restraint, warning of a “cycle of retaliation” that could plunge the region into wider war.
In Yemen, Iran’s Houthi allies issued their own warning, threatening to resume attacks in the Red Sea and target U.S. ships should Washington further involve itself militarily.
As both sides brace for potential follow-up actions, the international community watches with growing unease, fearing that the latest chapter in U.S.-Iran hostilities could tip the Middle East into a broader, deadlier conflict.