'You cannot bomb knowledge': How Iran reacted to US strikes on its key nuclear facilities

Iran condemned the US strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities early Sunday, calling it a “savage assault” and declared it will “never” halt its nuclear program.

The United States had conducted targeted airstrikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. US president Donald Trump confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers were used in the operation and that a full payload was dropped on Fordow, the primary target.
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Iran responds with defiance

Iranian revolutionary guards said they won’t be intimidated by the noise made by Trump "or criminal gangs ruling the White House and Tel Aviv." They warned that by striking Iran's nuclear sites, the US had placed itself directly “at the front line of aggression.”

The statement added that US lacks both the 'initiative or the ability' to escape the severe consequences that will now follow and that the size and number of US military bases are not a sign of strength but rather a source of 'vulnerability,' reported Reuters.

The atomic energy organisation of Iran, which manages the country’s nuclear operations, said the facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were subjected to a “savage assault” as reported by the state-affiliated IRNA news agency.

The agency called the attacks a “blatant violation of international law,” specifically citing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and accused the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the international atomic energy agency (IAEA), of being “complicit.”

Mehdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, said the Fordow facility had already been evacuated in anticipation of a strike. “The site had been evacuated a long time ago and the damages are not irreversible,” he said, adding, “you cannot bomb knowledge.”

According to the White House, Trump had earlier given Iran a two-week deadline to respond to US conditions, but the strikes were launched ahead of schedule.
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In a televised national address after the attack, Trump called the strikes “a spectacular military success” aimed at neutralizing Iran’s nuclear threat. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” he said.

“If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and easier.” He also expressed gratitude to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling their cooperation “unmatched.” “We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before,” Trump said.

Netanyahu applauds Trump’s bold move

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision, calling the strikes a “pivot of history.” In a video message on Sunday, Netanyahu said, "Congratulations President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,"

He added that the US-Israel partnership had demonstrated unmatched coordination and strength, and that the move would "help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace".