'US joined after witnessing Israel’s impotence': Iran's President breaks silence after US strike on nuclear sites - What he said

Iran’s newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, blamed the United States for escalating the conflict in the region, accusing Washington of leading Israel’s military campaign against Iran. In his first statement since the US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Pezeshkian said, “This aggression showed that America is the main factor behind the Zionist regime’s hostile actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

His remarks were published by Iran’s state news agency, IRNA.

Pezeshkian says US stepped in after Israel’s failure

Referring to the recent escalation, Pezeshkian claimed the United States entered the conflict only after witnessing Israel struggle to inflict damage on its own.

“The United States joined the arena after witnessing Israel’s impotence,” he said, as tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv continue to rise.

The comments come just after the US launched airstrikes on three key nuclear sites in Iran, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, overnight.

Trump says Iran facilities ‘obliterated’

US President Donald Trump confirmed the strikes in a televised address, calling the operation a “spectacular military success”. “The facilities were completely and fully obliterated,” Trump declared, warning that more attacks could follow if Iran retaliates. He said Tehran would now “have to make peace.”

The US involvement follows over a week of heavy fighting between Israel and Iran. On 13 June, Israel launched a sudden wave of airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. Several high-ranking officials and scientists were killed in those attacks.

Iran responded with hundreds of missiles and drones aimed at Israeli targets. Despite Israel’s layered air defence system, some projectiles got through. The back-and-forth strikes have left hundreds dead in Iran and dozens killed in Israel, with more than a thousand people injured overall.

Iran’s nuclear programme ‘will continue’

Despite the damage to the sites, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed that its nuclear activities would not be halted. Officials stated that the programme remains peaceful. The UN nuclear watchdog and Iranian authorities said there were no immediate signs of radioactive leakage from the sites bombed by the US.