Donald Trump, the United States President yesterday announced the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, marking a dramatic military escalation that effectively signaled Washington’s entry into Israel’s war against Iran.

Trump said: “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

All planes are now outside of Iran air space,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

In a televised address, he described the strikes as a “spectacular military success.

”The U.S. intervention has heightened fears of a broader regional conflict, reviving memories of the devastation in Iraq following the 2003 invasion.

Israel’s initial strikes on June 13 targeted Iran’s key nuclear infrastructure and top military commanders, killing over 400 people.

Tehran’s retaliatory attacks have so far left at least 24 dead in Israel.

While Iran’s nuclear programme appears significantly degraded, global attention now shifts back to the nations that already possess nuclear weapons — countries whose arsenals shape the world’s balance of power.

As of this year 2025, nine countries officially or unofficially possess nuclear weapons, each with distinct strategic aims and geopolitical influence.

Here are Nine countries that own the most nuclear weapons globally:

1. Russia (~5,889)

2. United States (~5,244)

3. China (~500+)

4. France (~290)

5. United Kingdom (~225)

6. Pakistan (~170)

7. India (~164)

8. Israel (~90)

9. North Korea (~30–50)

Getty Image: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

His comments came after Iran’s state-run Press TV reported that their parliament had approved a plan to close the Strait but added that the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council.

Any disruption to the supply of oil would have profound consequences for the global economy.

China in particular is the world’s largest buyer of Iranian oil and has a close relationship with Tehran.

Oil prices have surged following the US’ attack, with the price of the benchmark Brent crude reaching its highest level in five months.

“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them (Iran) about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” Marco Rubio had said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

“If they [close the Straits]… it will be economic suicide for them.

And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.

“Around 20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, with major oil and gas producers in the Middle East using the waterway to transport energy from the region.”

The United States President, Donald Trump, has announced that the US has carried out a “very successful attack” on three major nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Trump said, “All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace.”

Trump made this known via his social media platform, Truth Social.

According to the US President, “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors.

There is no other military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

This is the first time the United States Army will use the bunker bombs in its military history.

A bunker buster is a type of munition that is designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground, such as Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, buried deep inside the mountains, believed to be around 300 feet deep.

As of the time of filing this report, Iran has yet to react to the US military action, but the State media told journalists that the three sites bombed by the US have all been evacuated some time ago before the strike.

This attack is coming as a surprise to many who believed that diplomacy, rather than military action, should be engaged after US President Trump gave a two-week window for negotiation with Iran.

It was earlier reported that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khemenei, vowed to retaliate if the United States strikes nuclear targets in Iran, threatening to attack US military bases in the Middle East if Trump entered the conflict with Israel.

Ayatollah had earlier yesterday named three successors after several assassination threats from Israel and the United States.