Hours after the United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump on Sunday hinted at the possibility of a regime change in Tehran.

“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA [Make Iran Great Again]!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

The US president’s statement contradicted that of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who earlier said that the strikes were not aimed at bringing out a “regime change” in Iran.

In the early hours of Sunday, the US joined Israel’s war against Iran. Trump said that the country carried out a “very successful attack” on the nuclear sites of Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan in Iran. “A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, [Fordo],” Trump said.

The United States’ decision to directly enter the conflict came over a week after the Israeli military struck what it claimed were nuclear targets, and also other sites, in Iran with the aim of stalling Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iran retaliated with missile attacks on Israel.

Washington is an ally of Israel and acts as a guarantor of the country’s security.

During a Pentagon briefing on the attacks on Sunday, Hegseth claimed that Iran’s nuclear ambitions were “obliterated” after Trump ordered the strikes on the country’s three nuclear sites, NPR reported. The attack did not affect Iranian troops or civilians, he claimed.

Stating that the strikes were not aimed at bringing out a “regime change” in Tehran, he added: “The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear programme and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel.”

The defence secretary said that Trump was fully committed to the peace process. “[Trump] wanted a negotiated outcome…gave Iran every single opportunity and unfortunately was met by stonewalling.”

During the briefing, Hegseth also read out Trump’s social media posts which warned that any retaliation from Iran would be met with force “far greater”. Hegseth added: “Iran would be smart to heed those words, he said it before and he means it.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday had called the US strikes a “grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons”.

“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” he had said on social media. “Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior”.

The minister added that in accordance with the UN Charter, Iran “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest and people”.

Iran and Israel continued to trade volleys of missile attacks during the day.

Iran launched its twentieth wave of missile and drone strikes against Israeli military targets, CNBC reported, quoting Iran’s state-owned media Fars. The Israeli Health Ministry said that 86 persons were injured in the latest round of Iranian missile strikes, The Times of Israel reported.

US strikes result of politically motivated actions: Iran to UNSC

At a United Nations Security Council emergency session convened after the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Ali Bahreini said that the action did not come about “in a vacuum”, Al Jazeera reported.

They were the result of “politically motivated actions” of the US and its European partners, Bahreini added.

The ambassador stated that Israel decided to “destroy diplomacy” when it struck Iran, two days ahead of nuclear talks that were set to take place between Iran and the US, Al Jazeera reported.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty had been “manipulated into a political weapon … exploited as a pretext for aggression and unlawful action”, Bahreini added.