The US military attacked three locations in Iran early Sunday, directly joining Israel’s campaign to destroy the nation’s nuclear program, in a bold move to destabilise a longstanding adversary in the face of Tehran’s threat of retaliation that would ignite a larger regional conflict.
In a speech from the White House on Saturday night, US President Donald Trump called the US missile strikes on three nuclear sites a “spectacular military success” and said the facilities were “completely and totally obliterated”. Trump warned Iran that if it did not make peace, the US may hit other targets.
The US carried out targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Calling the attack on its “peaceful nuclear installations” as “outrageous,” the Iranian foreign minister said it will have “everlasting consequences.”
The strikes were carried out by American B-2 bombers, and according to accounts, the US also employed a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb. This is the first operational usage of the bomb that is known to exist.
On Saturday, the Israel-Iran conflict entered its second week. Israel said it hit several Iranian military targets earlier on Saturday and claimed to have killed two commanders of Iran’s elite Quds Force. An unusual breakthrough of Israel’s air defences was caused by two Iranian drones.
Following US airstrikes on Iran, law enforcement agencies around the US are keeping a strict eye on the Middle East situation, tracking intelligence for any possible threats to the country.
According to a government official involved with the coordination, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal, state, and local agencies are keeping an eye out for any response from Iran or others against the US, CNN reported.
“We will work unceasingly to protect the American homeland,” said DHS secretary Kristi Noem, in a social media post on Saturday night.
Police departments in Washington, DC, and New York City said that they are maintaining or expanding a heightened level of police resources near religious institutions and exchanging intelligence with their federal partners.
Although there isn’t a known threat to the nation’s capital, the DC Police Department said in a statement that it is working to protect residents, businesses, and visitors in the District of Columbia.
Since the Israeli-Iran conflict started earlier this month, security postures have risen around several important locations in the US capital, including the White House, Pentagon, and Israeli Embassy. CNN was informed by officials that the increases are a standard security protocol that is activated whenever a conflict of this magnitude starts.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners,” said the New York City Police Department in a statement.
Law enforcement officials told CNN prior to the US attacks that there was no increase in Iran’s already elevated threat against the US, but that could change in a flash.