In the early hours of Sunday, Iran’s state-run news agency, IRNA, referenced a statement from Qom province after US President Donald Trump confirmed the airstrikes through a social media post.
According to IRNA, it was reported: “Recently, after air defenses in Qom were triggered and hostile entities identified, the Fordow nuclear facility was targeted by adversaries.”
While the IRNA coverage provided limited details, the semi-official Mehr News Agency subsequently disclosed that Iran had cleared out the three locations hit by the US “some time ago”.
Iranian state media also confirmed attacks on the country’s Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites.
State-run news agency IRNA quoted Akbar Salehi, Isfahan’s deputy governor in charge of security affairs, saying there had been attacks around the sites.
Earlier, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, quoted a provincial official in Qom that air defence did recently fire in an attack believed to target the area around the Fordow facility, but offered no other information.
The semi-official Fars news agency, also close to the Guard, quoted another official saying air defenses opened fire near Isfahan and explosions had been heard.
Fars also quoted the same official in Qom province, saying air defences fired around Fordo.
CNN has also reported that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken following the US strikes.
CNN global analyst and former White House national security official Brett McGurk said the attacks were intended to send a message to Iran’s leadership.
“This is about the nuclear program. This is not an expanded campaign. They still want to get back to the path of a diplomatic arrangement,” he said.
Iran previously pledged to retaliate if the US joined the conflict.
According to reports earlier this week, Iran has prepared missiles and other military equipment in potential retaliation should the US become involved in Israel’s assault.
The New York Times reported Iran was preparing for strikes on US bases in the Middle East if an attack was carried out by the US.
“I think that it would be very, very dangerous for everyone,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in Istanbul, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
