【速報そくほう中ちゅう】米べいトランプ大統領だいとうりょう「イラン核かく施設しせつ3か所かしょに攻撃こうげき」

President Trump of the United States gave a speech at the White House just after 11 a.m. Japan time on the 22nd, saying, The U.S. military has carried out a large-scale precision strike targeting three major nuclear facilities in Iran.

Our objective was to destroy Irans nuclear enrichment capability and to prevent the nuclear threat posed by the worlds largest state sponsor of terrorism.

I can report to the world tonight that this attack has achieved a brilliant military success, he said.

President Trump said in his speech, We have completely wiped out Irans major nuclear enrichment facilities.

Iran must make peace now.

If we dont, future attacks will become much larger and easier, he said.

Also, Iran faces either peace, or a tragedy even greater than what we have witnessed over the past eight days.

You should remember this.

There are still many targets left. Tonights target was the most difficult and deadly.

If peace does not come soon, we will attack other targets with precision, speed, and skill.

Many targets can be eliminated within minutes, he said.

Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude and congratulations to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

We have probably worked together as a single team more than ever before, and have come a long way to eliminate the terrible threat against Israel.

I am grateful for the excellent work accomplished by the Israeli military, he said.

President Trump said in his speech, At 8 a.m. tomorrow 9 p.m. tonight Japan time, Secretary of Defense Hegses and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kane will hold a press conference at the Pentagon.

After the speech, he also posted on social media, strongly warning Iran by saying, Any retaliation by Iran against America will be met with a force far greater than what occurred tonight.

Israeli Prime Minister: Congratulations on President Trumps Decision In a video address, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his congratulations on President Trumps bold decision to attack Irans nuclear facilities.

History will record that President Trump acted to deny the worlds most dangerous regime and the worlds most dangerous weapons.

His leadership has transformed history and is leading regions such as the Middle East toward a future of prosperity and peace.

Irans Atomic Energy Organization: Brutal attack in violation of international law On the 22nd, Irans Atomic Energy Organization announced, Following Israels relentless attacks in recent days, in the early hours of the 22nd, nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were subjected to brutal attacks in violation of international law.

On top of that, they criticize the IAEA, stating that “these acts violating international law were carried out with the indifference, and even collusion, of the IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency.”

On top of that, they stated, We will not stop the progress of our nations industry, which has developed while producing many martyrs, indicating that they will continue nuclear development.

Iranian state television commentator said, All American citizens and U.S. military personnel in the Middle East are now legitimate targets, following a U.S. attack on Irans nuclear facilities, Reuters reported.

Around 9 a.m., President Trump posted an attack on social media. At around 8 p.m. on the 21st around 9 a.m. Japan time, President Trump announced in a social media post that he had carried out attacks on three nuclear facilities in Iran.

President Trump posted, The attacks on the three nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan have been successfully completed.

All aircraft are outside Iranian airspace.

The New York Times reported on the 21st, citing Pentagon officials, that several U.S. B-2 stealth strategic bombers were used in the attack on Fordow.

The B2 stealth strategic bomber is capable of carrying the special bomb known as the bunker buster, which was reportedly considered for use to destroy Irans nuclear-related facilities.

FOX News in the United States reports that six bunker busters were used in the attack on the Fordow nuclear facility.

It is also reported that the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities were attacked with 30 Tomahawk missiles from an American submarine.

On the other hand, Irans Tasnim News Agency reported, citing a spokesperson from the Crisis Management Department of Qom Province in central Iran, that the enemys airstrike targeted the area around the Fordow nuclear facility.

In addition, Irans state-run media reported, citing officials from central Isfahan province, that an attack was confirmed near the Natanz nuclear facility.

As the exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran continued, President Trump cut short his attendance at the G7 summit in Canada and, after returning to the capital Washington, spent several days at the White House considering how to respond to Iran.

The Iranian side had warned that if the United States intervened militarily, it might retaliate against U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East, so it is certain that they will strongly oppose this attack.

We are not planning any additional actions by the US military, CNN reported, citing sources. President Trump expects that attacking three nuclear facilities will bring Iran back to the negotiating table.

The U.S. military is not planning any additional actions inside Iranian territory at this time.

We were fully coordinated with the United States - Israeli media Regarding the announcement by U.S. President Trump that he attacked Irans nuclear facilities, Israeli media report that a senior Israeli government official stated, We were fully coordinated with the United States.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is proceeding with confirming the safety of Japanese nationals. A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told NHK, We are currently checking the facts.

We are working to confirm the safety of Japanese nationals in the area.

There are about 200 Japanese nationals in the area, but depending on the situation, we will firmly ensure their protection, including providing further evacuation support if necessary, he said.

I was surprised by the attack at this timing, said a Foreign Ministry official. In an interview with NHK, a Foreign Ministry official said, I was surprised by the attack at this timing.

We still do not know the exact situation, so we are gathering information through the embassy and other channels, he said.

The three nuclear facilities attacked by the U.S. military: [Fordow] The nuclear facility in Fordow, near Qom in central Iran, is the second uranium enrichment facility built after the Natanz facility in central Iran.

It is a core and important facility for Irans nuclear development.

Under the nuclear agreement reached in 2015, uranium enrichment activities were limited to the Natanz nuclear facility for 15 years, and the production of enriched uranium at Fordow was to be halted and converted for research-related purposes.

However, in response to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States under the first Trump administration from the nuclear agreement, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at this facility in 2019.

In January 2023, the enrichment level was close to 83%, which is considered capable of being converted into nuclear weapons 90% or higher.

7% uranium was found in samples collected by the IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency, which shocked the international community.

Iran claims that there may have been unintentional enrichment regarding this.

It is said that this facility is located about 80 meters underground in the mountains to prepare for airstrikes from Israel.

The American news site Axios reports that Israel is requesting the Trump administration to join in an attack on Iran, and that the background to this request is that Israel does not possess enough of the weapons necessary to destroy facilities, such as the special bombs called bunker busters used to attack underground military facilities.

The Natanz nuclear facility, located in Natanz, Isfahan Province in central Iran, is Irans largest uranium enrichment facility, constructed both above and below ground.

In August 2002, its existence was exposed by Iranian dissidents, which led to the discovery of Irans secret nuclear development activities.

Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, uranium enrichment was limited to this Natanz facility, and the enrichment level was capped at 3.

It was limited to 67%, but when the former Trump administration of the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran reacted by producing and stockpiling uranium enriched to 60% since 2021.

On the other hand, Israel, which has long been wary of the military use of highly enriched uranium, is said to have considered this facility one of its top targets for many years. Around 2008, when some of the centrifuges were rendered unusable due to a cyberattack using a computer virus by an unknown party, it was reported that the attack was carried out by the United States or Israel.

In addition, there was an explosion and fire in a building where centrifuges are developed in 2020, and in 2021 there was also a problem with the electrical system. The Iranian government claims that both incidents were acts of sabotage involving Israel.

In this context, it was believed that at Natanz, high-performance centrifuges were being relocated from the above-ground research enrichment facility to the larger underground enrichment facility, with the aim of moving them to a safer location.

[Isfahan] In central Irans Isfahan, there are facilities for producing uranium hexafluoride used in uranium enrichment, as well as facilities for manufacturing and processing nuclear fuel.

The Iranian government announced in 2009 that a facility for producing nuclear fuel rods to be used in the countrys heavy water reactor had been completed here.

Furthermore, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran revealed in February last year that three experimental reactors have been operating at this facility so far, and a fourth experimental reactor is currently under construction.

The history of conflict between the United States and Iran began in 1979, when the pro-American monarchy in Iran was overthrown by the Islamic Revolution and the current anti-American regime was established.

In the same year, a group of Iranian students occupied the American embassy, and American diplomats were held hostage for over 400 days, which led to the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

After that, during the Iran-Iraq War that began in 1980, the United States provided military support to Iraq to fight against Iran, and the two countries have been sharply at odds.

When the Obama administration was inaugurated in the United States in 2009, the U.S. shifted its policy to engage in dialogue with Iran.

When a moderate president took office in Iran in 2013, negotiations on the nuclear development issue progressed, and in 2015, the United States and other countries reached a nuclear agreement with Iran.

However, President Trump, who took office in 2017, reversed the previous administration’s policy and adopted a hardline stance toward Iran. In 2018, he unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal despite opposition from the international community and strengthened economic sanctions.

In response to this, Iran proceeded with nuclear development far beyond peaceful use as a countermeasure.

In 2020, the U.S. military killed General Soleimani of the Revolutionary Guard, who was regarded as a hero in Iran, in Iraq.

In response, Iran retaliated by attacking American military bases in Iraq with ballistic missiles, temporarily raising concerns about a full-scale military conflict.

As the issue of Irans nuclear development remains a concern for the international community, President Trump, who has begun his second term, called on Iran to hold talks regarding nuclear development, and in April of this year, direct negotiations between the two countries were realized.

However, there were views that the gap between the two countries over restrictions on uranium enrichment activities had not been bridged, and that the negotiations were facing difficulties.

U.S. Military Actions in the Middle East [Afghanistan] After the terrorist attacks in 2001, President Bush of the United States declared a War on Terror and took military action against Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden who was believed to have orchestrated the attacks, as well as the Taliban regime in Afghanistan that harbored them, thus starting the war in Afghanistan.

The U.S. military, through intense airstrikes and the deployment of ground troops, seized control of the capital Kabul in about a month, forcing the Taliban regime’s forces to flee.

Due to military operations in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda was weakened and certain results were achieved in the fight against terrorism. However, in 2021, the United States decided to withdraw its troops, determining that spending enormous amounts on the war was no longer in its national interest.

[In Iraq] In addition, suspecting that the Hussein regime in Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction, an attack on Iraq was launched in 2003.

The U.S. military launched a preemptive attack by firing Tomahawk cruise missiles from missile cruisers deployed in the Persian Gulf, gained air superiority, and then deployed large-scale ground forces, taking control of almost all of Iraq in about a month.

After the large-scale battles ended, retaliatory terrorist attacks targeting the American military occurred frequently, and domestic religious conflicts intensified, making the governance of Iraq extremely difficult.

Furthermore, despite launching the attack in defiance of international opposition, no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the United States lost a great deal of international credibility.

[Syria] Following the wave of pro-democracy movements known as the Arab Spring that spread across the Middle East starting in 2011, a full-scale civil war broke out in Syria. Amidst this, a US-led coalition launched military airstrikes in Syria in 2014, aiming to destroy the extremist group IS Islamic State.

[Yemen] In 2024, in direct response to repeated attacks by Yemens anti-government Houthi forces on ships navigating the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and other weapons, attacks were carried out on multiple Houthi bases.