Mazzaltov World News provides you with the latest live coverage of Current Affairs, Sports, Health, Weather, Entertainment, Business and Travel News from around the world.
Here’s where things stand on Sunday 22 June 2025:
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accuses the United States of betraying diplomacy, says will face “everlasting consequences” after it joined Israel in its air campaign against his country.
- President Donald Trump claims the strikes on the key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan were “very successful” and warns against any retaliation, saying: “Remember, there are many targets left.”
- International nuclear energy watchdog says there have been no reports of increased off-site radiation levels following the US attacks on the Iranian nuclear sites.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praises Trump’s “bold decision” and says Israel and the US acted in “full coordination”.
- Iran says more than 400 people have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed in Iranian strikes.
US strikes were carried out with ‘massive amount of military coordination’
This was all part of the operation that the Americans put in place.
It was carried out by deception and a massive amount of military coordination and ordinance. We heard that there were 14 bunker buster bombs effectively used on some of the nuclear sites, as well as a number of Tomahawk missiles.
What is really interesting is the way that the language changed in less than 12 hours – with Donald Trump saying that the targets were completely obliterated, and now we’re hearing Rubio and Vance saying they’d set the Iranian nuclear programme back by a considerable amount of time.
You can see they’re still assessing the damage.
Pakistan condemns US strikes, a day after nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Pakistan condemned the strikes ordered on Iran by Donald Trump, a day after Islamabad said it would nominate the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Pakistan on Sunday said Trump’s decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities violated international law and that diplomacy was the only way to resolve the Iran crisis.
“The unprecedented escalation of tension and violence, owing to ongoing aggression against Iran is deeply disturbing. Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Also on Sunday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and “conveyed Pakistan’s condemnation” of the US attacks, a statement from the Pakistani leader said.
Iran has ‘panel of options’ but must consider US response
We have some more comments by Jean-Marc Rickli, a specialist in contemporary warfare and international security, about Iran’s likely response to the US attacks on its nuclear facilities.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said “everything is on the agenda”.
“They can indeed use the ballistic missiles capabilities but they have been degraded, especially the middle- and long-range capabilities. They still have short range ballistic missiles capabilities – that would basically be able to hit US bases in the Gulf,” he added.
Rickli, who is the head of global risk at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, also said Iran could use sea mining and naval drones to try to block the Strait of Hormuz in order to have an impact on global oil prices.
“They could still try to use their proxies,” Rickli argued. “The Houthis this morning mentioned that they were ready to hit US warships and ships that could cross the Bab al-Mandab Strait and navigating through the Red Sea.”
Still, the problem would be the US response, he said, warning that it would probably be “much more violent”.
“Overall, the Iranians are in a very weak position for negotiation because compared to two-three years ago,” Rickli continued, saying Iran’s hand has weakened “quite dramatically with the removal of the surrogates and proxies in the region and the weakening of the ballistic missiles capabilities”.
Iran urges UN action against US’s ‘brutal aggression’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the US’s “brutal military aggression” against its “peaceful nuclear facilities“.
It called the attack “a grave and unprecedented violation” of the UN Charter and international law and held the US “fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of this egregious act of aggression”.
It said Iran will defend its “territory, sovereignty, security and people by all force and means”, adding that “silence in the face of such blatant aggression would plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos”.
It urged the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session to condemn the US’s attack on Iran unequivocally.
The foreign ministry also accused the International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Rafael Grossi, of “evident bias in favour of warmongering parties” that “paved the way for this recent catastrophe” as it called on the agency to “immediately convene and carry out its legal responsibility”.
OIC decries Israeli ‘aggression’ against Iran
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said it would set up a ministerial contact group to establish regular contact with international and regional parties to support de-escalation efforts and “stop the aggression against Iran”.
In a joint declaration following a meeting of OIC foreign ministers in Istanbul, the 57-member group condemned “the aggression of Israel” against Iran, stressing “the urgent need to stop Israeli attacks and their great concern regarding this dangerous escalation”.
It also urged the international community to take “deterrent measures to stop this aggression and make Israel accountable for crimes committed”.
Separately, the OIC said in a statement it is “deeply concerned” over the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying it considers this a “dangerous escalation that could further heighten tensions and threaten peace, security, and stability in the region”.
Iranians voice anger following US attacks on nuclear sites
Most Iranians in the country are still unable to go online due to state-imposed internet restrictions, but those who have managed to find a working proxy connection are also reacting angrily to the war.
“Thirty years of Iranian oil money and thirty years of economic opportunities that could have turned tens of millions of people into citizens like the rest of the world have become three deep pits,” wrote one user on X, in reference to the nuclear sites.
“Trump says let me just drop the heaviest bomb in the world and then it will all be about peace,” another user sarcastically wrote.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media and many hardline politicians have led a furious response after the US strikes on the three nuclear sites.
“It is now clearer than ever, not just for the Iranian nation but for the whole peoples of the region, that all US citizens and military personnel are legitimate targets. We were negotiating and progressing through a diplomatic path, but you chose to spill the blood of your soldiers,” anchor Mehdi Khanalizadeh, of state television Channel 3, said.
Read our full story here.
US would need ‘to assess extent of damage’ to Iran’s nuclear programme
Lawrence Korb, a former US assistant secretary of defence, says the “real question” after the US air attacks on the Iranian nuclear sites is what comes next.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Korb said US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s assessment that the overnight strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme was “a little preemptive”.
Iran never built nuclear weapons, but it wanted to “maintain the capacity” to build them, he argued, adding that in order to assess the success of the US’s attack, it would need to look at the level of damage it caused on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran had managed to reach 60 percent enrichment at Fordow, but “the real question is, what are they back to now? 30 percent, 20 percent?” asked Korb. “How long will that take [Iran] to get back to the level they wanted, and will the US stand by and let them do that?”
Iranian officials have repeatedly said Iran does not plan to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
Still chance for US-Iran negotiations: Ex-diplomat
Barbara Leaf, assistant secretary of state for Near-Eastern affairs under President Biden, says the top priority for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “the preservation of the Islamic Republic”.
“If the regime feels that its existence is at stake, it will use any weapons that come to hand whether the arsenal of ballistic missiles, depleted conventional forces, terrorism, asymmetrical attacks,” said Leaf.
“But it has clearly signaled throughout the nine days of this conflict with Israel that it is trying to avoid a second front, and that is a front with the US. So really at this moment, how the US comports itself I think will be the decisive factor.”
US National Terrorism Advisory System raises threat alert
The US Department of Homeland Security’s National Terrorism Advisory System has published a bulletin warning of a “heightened threat environment” in the US homeland, according to a CBS News report.
The report said that the bulletin does not include warning of specific threats, but says “low level cyber attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks”.
US orders departure of some personnel from Lebanon
The US State Department has ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency government personnel from Lebanon citing the volatile security situation in the region, according to a notice emailed to US citizens in the country.
The US had last year ordered the departure of family members and non-essential staff during Israel’s war on Lebanon, but that order was later lifted.
The double standard between Iran and Israel’s nuclear efforts
Iran doesn’t have nuclear arms but the US and its allies in the West painted it as the biggest threat to the region.
Meanwhile, they fully support Israel – the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons – as it carries out a genocide in Gaza and attacks Iran.
AJ+’s Tony Karon breaks down how this double standard is fueling regional instability – and strengthening the case in Iran for seeking nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
UN nuclear watchdog: Damage at Iran’s Fordow site is unclear
While it is clear US air strikes hit Iran’s enrichment site buried in a mountain at Fordow, it is not yet possible to assess the damage done underground there, the UN’s nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi says.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency that Grossi leads have not been able to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities since the first strikes by Israel on June 13.
Grossi told CNN he hoped they would be able to return to Fordow and other sites as soon as possible.
Smoke rises over Iran’s Yazd province
Footage verified by Al Jazeera shows massive plumes of smoke rising over several buildings in Iran’s central Yazd province, where Israel says it struck a missile storage facility.
Earlier, Iranian media reported massive explosions in Yazd as air defence systems mobilised.
How far will US strikes set back Iran’s nuclear programme?
The US struck three key nuclear sites in Iran early on Sunday, injecting itself into Israel’s war with Iran.
Condemning the strikes, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the time for diplomacy had passed and that his country had the right to defend itself.
Iranian officials have not detailed the extent of the damage and have attempted to downplay the significance of the hits.
Speaking on state TV, Hassan Abedini, the deputy political director of Iran’s state broadcaster, said the three nuclear sites had been evacuated “a while ago” and that they “didn’t suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out”.
Read the full story here.
US secretary of state threatens Iran against retaliation
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a threat against Iran, saying a retaliation to the United States strikes on nuclear sites would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made”.
“Regime change is certainly not the goal of what we’re working on here”, Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, claimed in an interview, adding that the US was still “prepared to talk” to Tehran just hours after bombing it.
Israel recovers bodies of three captives from Gaza
As we reported earlier, Israeli officials said bodies of three captives have been recovered in Gaza.
The army said the bodies of Ofra Keidar, Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson were recovered “in a special operation”, without providing more details.
Around 50 captives are still believed to be in Gaza, with Israeli media reporting that less than half of them are believed to be alive.
Hamas has repeatedly said it is ready to release all captives in exchange for a permanent end to the war, the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the enclave and the release of all Palestinians from Israeli jails.
However, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the terms and continued his war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed about 56,000 Palestinians.
For more, read this story.
What options is Iran faced with?
Jean-Marc Rickli, a specialist in contemporary warfare and international security, says Iran is faced with “a spectrum of possible reactions”.
He said the first would be to not take any action, something he noted would be “really bad for its reputation and also internally”. The second option would be to strike back at US interests or assets, he told Al Jazeera.
“Probably there will be actions that are in-between, but the issue with Iran is finding a way to not bring the Americans back in terms of the military – because, of course, if the US military unleashes its full potential, Iran stands no chance,” said Rickli, the head of global risk at the Geneva Centre for security policy
He also referenced the Iranian response in 2020 when Iran retaliated military commander Qassem Soleimani’s assassination by the US by bombing a US in Iraq after giving prior warning.
“Will they’ll try to do something similar? That is possible, but for now it is very difficult to say.”
Israel’s president cheers US strikes
Israel’s President Herzog said “we all need to commend President Trump for his bold decision” to strike Iranian nuclear sites.
“It’s a historic decision, an outstanding decision that clearly can shift the direction of the Middle East to a much better future,” said Herzog, adding that while “regime change” in Iran is not one of the “official goals of this war”, it would be a “very blessed side effect”.
UAE calls for de-escalation and diplomacy
The UAE has voiced deep concern over attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, and urged immediate de-escalation to prevent further instability in the region.
In a statement, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to prioritise diplomacy and dialogue to resolve disputes, calling for comprehensive efforts that promote “stability, prosperity, and justice”.
Israeli stock market surges to record highs
Israeli stocks have hit record highs after US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The broad Tel Aviv 125 index closed 1.8 percent higher, extending gains to nearly 8 percent over the past week, while the blue-chip TA-35 gained 1.5 percent.
UNSC to hold emergency session on US attacks today
At the request of Iran, the UN Security Council will meet later today to discuss the US attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The emergency session is expected to start at 19:00 GMT.
Beijing has strong words but ‘unlikely’ to get involved in conflict
China has released a brief statement, but it didn’t mince its words.
It says it strongly condemns this attack by the US on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and that it’s a violation of the UN Charter and international law.
Beijing said that this will only worsen the situation in the Middle East, and that all parties must return to dialogue. It also said it stands ready to work with the international community to find a peaceful solution.
China is very anxious about the situation escalating to a greater conflict. The question, though, is whether it will itself participate or get involved.
I think it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see any action from Beijing, apart from these strong words, because they do remain very cautious when it comes to international conflicts. China doesn’t want to get itself embroiled in this conflict unless there’s a very, very good reason.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed with the latest developments:
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calls the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites “unforgivable”, says Iran has “to respond based on our legitimate right to self-defence”.
- The US military confirms it used B-2 bombers, which it says appeared to completely evade Iran’s air defences, to carry out the overnight strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities.
- It also says initial battle damage assessments indicate the facilities “sustained extremely severe damage and destruction”.
- While Iran has accused the US of blowing up diplomacy, US Vice President JD Vance has expressed hope Tehran will return to the table and agree to a “long-term settlement”.
- Israel’s attacks on Gaza continue, with 51 killings recorded over the past 24-hour reporting period, according to the Health Ministry in the besieged territory.
What’s happening in Gaza and the occupied West Bank?
In parallel to attacking Iran, and making periodic attacks on Lebanon, Israel is continuing to target civilians across Gaza.
More than 50 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24-hour reporting period, medical sources say, with the attacks concentrated in southern Khan Younis, central Gaza, and northern Gaza City. At least six of those were killed while waiting for aid.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have continued to carry out a raid on the village of Sanur, south of Jenin, for a second consecutive day.
Soldiers imposed a curfew and turned entire neighbourhoods into military posts, Wafa news agency reported.
Separately, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said Israeli authorities have issued or renewed administrative detention orders against 34 Palestinian detainees.
Palestinian Civil Defence teams said they responded to 17 incidents involving falling shrapnel over the past 24 hours, as Israel and Iran
Israel’s army says four Iranian regions targeted
An Israeli army spokesman said Israeli jets carried out dozens of strikes on Iran today, targeting military sites in Isfahan, Bushehr, Ahvaz and Yazd.
He claimed the strike in Yazd hit a site where Khorramshahr ballistic missiles were being stored, while strikes in Isfahan, Bushehr and Ahvaz targeted missile launch platforms, sites where air defence batteries were being manufactured and a drone warehouse.
Some of the strikes killed Iranian military personnel who were detected operating at launch platforms, the army said.
US attacks Iran: What to know
The US decision to intervene militarily to aid the Israeli attacks on Iran has prompted fears of a serious escalation across the Middle East and brought back memories of the devastation in Iraq following the 2003 US invasion.
Israel launched unprecedented attacks on Iran on June 13, targeting its nuclear sites and top military commanders.
More than 400 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Iran, while retaliatory strikes by Tehran have killed at least 24 people in Israel.
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera have put together a comprehensive piece answering the key questions about the US attacks. Check it out here.
Maersk says ships continue to sail through Strait of Hormuz
The Danish shipping company says, however, it’s ready to re-evaluate the safety of its vessels moving through the Strait based on available information.
“We will continuously monitor the security risk to our specific vessels in the region and are ready to take operational actions as needed,” Maersk said in a statement.
Investors and energy markets have been on high alert since Israel launched a wave of surprise air strikes across Iran on June 13, fearing disruption to oil and gas flows out of the Middle East, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which 20 percent of global energy supplies moves.
Pope Leo tells world not to forget suffering in Gaza
The head of the Roman Catholic Church has urged people to stay mindful of the suffering in Gaza, where daily Israeli attacks continue to kill and wound hundreds, even as Israel’s conflict with Iran escalates following the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population, especially in Gaza and other territories, risks being forgotten, where the need for adequate humanitarian support is becoming increasingly urgent,” Pope Leo said in a weekly prayer with pilgrims.
The pontiff, the first-ever from the US, also warned against a broader “irreparable” war.
“Let diplomacy silence the weapons, let nations chart their future with peace efforts, not with violence and bloody conflicts,” Leo said. “Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility: to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”
Israel’s objectives in Iran include potential ‘regime change’
Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House and expert on Israeli politics, says Israel is not contemplating economic consequences as it sees fighting with Iran as an existential war.
“The only way forward, according to this government — and most Jewish Israelis subscribe to this opinion — was actually using military force. So in this sense, the economic calculus is sidelined, at least for now,” Mekelberg said.
“Obviously, the consequences will be seen later.”
When it comes to Israel’s objectives in the war, Mekelberg outlined three key objectives: first to “prevent Iran from developing nuclear military capabilities”; second to curb Iran’s “influence in the region”, particularly its support for groups hostile to Israel; and third, an emerging focus on “regime change”.
“But all of this is not necessarily only in the hands of Israel. It’s also the United States,” he said.
Iran: Nuclear facility attacks ‘not new’; progress will continue
Following US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, says efforts to develop the civilian nuclear sector will go on.
“This is not the first time our facilities are attacked,” Kamalvandi told Iran’s YJC news agency. “Considering our capabilities, the nuclear industry must continue.”
The organisation confirmed attacks took place on its Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz sites. Iran said there were no signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations.
Iran has maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, and US intelligence agencies assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a nuclear bomb.
‘A lot of deception’ involved in US attack on Iran
Colin Clarke, director of research at The Soufan Center, a global intelligence security consultancy, has said the US has been preparing the attack on Iran “for quite a long time”.
“The US military always has a various kind of … portfolio of options for any type of target,” Clarke told Al Jazeera.
“Given the US’s recent history in the Middle East, CENTCOM or Central Command plays a really significant role in a lot of that planning, and so I think the president likely selected from a number of different options.”
Clarke said “there was a lot of deception” involved in terms of what the US said it was going to do versus what it actually did – and more importantly, “when it did that”.
He added that it will be difficult to rely solely on satellite imagery “to really get at the extent of the damage” of the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites.
“I think just the massive scale of the damage here and the magnitude of the strikes with the weapons involved, makes it more likely than not that we’re gonna have to wait a while for a proper battle damage assessment,” he said.
Pentagon briefing sent message of not ‘open-ended operation’
A very clear message from the United States that this is not an open-ended operation, although there was a warning that while it is intentionally limited, the capabilities of the US military are not.
Therefore, in the words of the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff during the Pentagon news conference, retaliation on US or American assets, interests, people, and allies, as well, would be a “very poor choice”.
What is clear is this was a well-coordinated operation. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would give the Iranians a two-week window. The decision was made probably sometime later on Thursday or early on Friday, and that is when everything started in motion.
The Americans are saying this was a huge success, but as we heard from the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, they obviously still have to get full intelligence from the site, and this will take some time. So they don’t know whether it has been a huge success. But what it does do is send a real message.
And if there was one irony throughout that 30-minute news conference, it was that several times they talked about how it was important to keep the circle of knowledge very tight.
Of course, when there was an attack in Yemen earlier this year, Pete Hegseth not only included a journalist in the talks about what was going to happen, he also included his wife, so the idea that the security is much tighter, perhaps that really was a lesson to be learned for the defence secretary.
‘Wait-and-see mode’ as to how Iran responds to US attack
Abbas Alani, senior research fellow at the Centre for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, says the “wall of mistrust” between the US and Iran “has been standing very tall”.
“Iran thinks that the United States, at least for some time, has been using [nuclear] negotiations as cover to impose pressure as well as to initiate an attack against the country in order to weaken it at the negotiating table,” Alani said.
“So that’s why the country is not willing to engage in [de-escalation] discussions.”
Alani said Iran has many cards to play. “It could withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. It could scale up nuclear activities. It could decrease the level of cooperation with the IAEA. We are in a kind of wait-and-see mode to see how things will proceed,” he told Al Jazeera.
Legality of US attacks on Iran disputed
In the lead-up to the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, lawmakers from both main parties pushed measures to require Trump to first seek congressional approval, as Congress has the constitutional authority to declare war or authorise the use of force for specific purposes.
Trump’s decision to bypass Congress in launching the strikes has again led to accusations from critics that he is disregarding the constitution.
“Trump said he would end wars; now he has dragged America into one,” Senator Christopher Van Hollen Junior said in a statement. “His actions are a clear violation of our Constitution – ignoring the requirement that only the Congress has the authority to declare war.”
Read more here.
How US stealth bombers hit Iran’s deepest bunkers
The B-2 stealth bombers flew 13,000km from the US state of Missouri to Iran and air-refuelled en route to deploy GBU-57 “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” bombs – the heaviest conventional weapons (13,600kg) in the US’s arsenal.
Designed to pierce 60 metres of concrete/rock before detonating their 2,400kg warheads, these bunker-busters can target underground facilities.
No deaths in US attacks on nuclear sites: Iranian Red Crescent
The head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, Pir Hossein Kolivand, says there have been no fatalities in the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Fortunately, we did not have any martyrs in last night’s events of the US aggression against Iran’s nuclear facilities,” he said, according to state television.
Iran’s Health Ministry said on Saturday that at least 430 civilians have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded since Israel’s launched its surprise attack on June 13.
Israeli forces kill 51 Palestinians in Gaza
As Israel’s conflict with Iran rages, the Israeli military also continues deadly attacks on Gaza.
The Health Ministry said it registered the killing of at least 51 people in the past 24-hour reporting period, with another 104 wounded.
The latest figures bring the number of people killed in Israeli attacks since the start of Israel’s war in October 2023 to at least 55,959, with 131,242 others wounded.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said attacks have been concentrated in southern Khan Younis, central Gaza, and northern Gaza City.
“The majority of people feel that Israel’s military has taken advantage of the distraction created by the rising escalation with Iran to continue carrying out more deadly attacks [in Gaza],” he said.
US pursuing ‘long-term settlement’ with Iran: Vance
Vice President JD Vance has claimed the US attacks had successfully set back Iran’s nuclear weapons programme, adding that Trump now hopes to pursue a diplomatic solution.
“We do not want to protract this or build this out any more than it’s already been built out. We want to end their nuclear programme,” Vance told NBC’s Meet the Press.
“We want to talk to the Iranians about a long-term settlement here,” he added.
As we’ve been reporting, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the US strikes have blown up any possibility of diplomacy.
China says US attack ‘seriously violates’ international law
Beijing has “strongly condemned” the US attack on Iran, noting its nuclear facilities were under the safeguards of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The actions of the US seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“China calls on the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and start dialogue and negotiation.”
Hegseth: Scope of attack ‘intentionally limited’; Iran can still ‘come to table’
The US defence secretary says he still hopes Iran will return to negotiations where “they know precisely what steps they can take” to meet US demands.
“I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table,” Pete Hegseth told reporters.
The US and Iran had been engaged in nuclear talks before Israel launched a surprise strike on Iran, backed by the US, earlier this month.
Hegseth also said the scope of the US attack was “intentionally limited – that’s the message we’re sending”. However, he said the US military’s capabilities are “nearly unlimited”.
Damage report on Iran nuclear sites still not clear: US general
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff says an assessment of the destruction sustained at Iran’s nuclear facilities will take time to confirm.
“I think PDA [preliminary damage assessment] is still pending and it would be way too early for me to comment on what or what my not still be there,” General Dan Caine told reporters at the Pentagon.
He declined to comment on specific moves taken to protect US troops based in the Middle East from potential Iranian retaliation.
“Our joint force remains ready to defend the United States – our troops and our interests in the region,” said Caine.
Hegseth says US mission ‘not about regime change’
Asked whether regime change in Iran is off the table as a US policy goal, Hegseth replied: “This mission was not, is not about regime change.”
He described the attack as a “precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear programme”.
As we’ve been reporting, many experts have disputed the US claims that Iran’s nuclear programme posed any threat, while Iran has been insisting its programme is for civilian purposes.
US General Dan Caine, when asked whether Iran still retains some nuclear capacity after the attack, said it would be premature to comment before the damage assessment is complete.
“Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” he had said earlier during his opening remarks.
Top US general outlines ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’
US General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the attack on Iran was “planned and executed across multiple domains” of the military.
He confirmed B-2 bombers were launched from the United States on Friday for an 18-hour flight to their targets for the “strike package”.
“Operation Midnight Hammer” included several “deception and decoy” manoeuvres. High-speed suppression fire was used to protect the B-2s, and Caine said there’s no indication “any shots were fired” by Iranian defences.
“Iran’s fighters did not fly and it appears Iran’s missile systems did not see us,” Caine told a press conference at the Pentagon.
Hegseth says US attacks took ‘months’ of planning, involved ‘misdirection’
We now have more from the US defence secretary.
“This is a plan that took months and weeks of positioning and preparation, so that we could be ready when the president of the United States called,” he told reporters.
“It took a great deal of precision. It involved misdirection and the highest [level] of operational security. Our B-2 bombers went in and out of these nuclear sites without the world knowing at all.”
US strikes ‘devastated’ Iran’s nuclear weapons programme: Hegseth
The US secretary of defence says the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites were an “incredible and overwhelming success”, without providing any details.
“The order we received from our commander-in-chief [Trump] was focused; it was powerful and it was clear. We devastated the Iranian nuclear programme,” Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon.
Pentagon chief makes televised statement
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has begun a news conference at the Pentagon.
We’ll bring you his remarks shortly.
Explosions in central, southwestern Iran: Report
Iran’s Shargh news outlet reports an explosion in Iran’s central Yazd province, where it said air defence systems have been activated.
A separate “loud explosion” was also heard in the southwestern province of Bushehr, it also reported.
We’ll bring you more information as we have it.
Israelis broadly back US attack, hail it as ‘historic’
This is a major victory for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the international stage, but it’s also a victory for him domestically.
This is a man who does not have the confidence of a large part of the Israeli public, and he’s very concerned about his legacy. He was able to speak to the Israeli people to tell them that he had promised to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and now he has delivered.
Attacking Iran, of course, is a point of consensus among Israelis. That’s why we’ve heard people from across the political spectrum – both leaders of the opposition and members of the coalition government – congratulating and thanking US President Donald Trump for what they see as a historic day.
Israel, and specifically Netanyahu, has been trying to achieve this for three decades.
Gulf states on high alert after US strikes Iran
Gulf states, home to multiple US military bases, are on high alert after the bombardment of Iran raised the possibility of a widening war in the Middle East.
Bahrain has told 70 percent of government employees to work from home until further notice.
“In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said in a post on X.
Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the risk of an open conflict between the US and Iran could plunge the region into a devastating and potentially protracted conflict.
“While the war has so far been contained in direct hostilities between Israel and Iran, direct US involvement is a critical threshold that risks dragging the Gulf states – notably Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, which host large US military facilities – into the conflict,” he said.
Pezeshkian says US behind Israel’s hostile actions
We have some comments from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Pezeshkian accused the US of being the “main cause” of Israel’s hostile actions against Iran, according to translated comments published on the IRNA news agency.
“Although they initially tried to conceal their role, after the decisive and deterrent response of our country’s armed forces and the observation of the Zionist regime’s [Israel’s] obvious inability, they inevitably came to the fore,” he said, referring to the US.
According to IRNA, Pezeshkian said despite the losses suffered by the country, it was now time to set aside differences and “activate the great capacities of the people”.
France’s Macron convenes emergency meeting after US attack
President Emmanuel Macron will convene an emergency cabinet meeting to assess developments in the Middle East following US air strikes on Iran.
Macron has spoken with several leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and plans to hold additional discussions with European and regional leaders throughout the day, the French presidency said in a statement.
France is taking all necessary measures to expedite the evacuation of its citizens wishing to leave Iran and Israel, it added.
IRGC warns US of ‘regrettable responses’
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned the US to prepare for retaliation.
The IRGC said it would “use options beyond the understanding” of the US and Israel that “must expect regrettable responses”.
It described retaliation as “its legitimate right to self-defence”.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is well aware of the terrain of this combined and full-scale imposed war and will never be intimidated by the clamor of Trump and the criminal gang ruling the White House and Tel Aviv,” an IRGC statement said.