Damage seen at Iranian nuclear site after US strikes
Satellite images are showing damage to Iran's underground nuclear site at Fordo, one of three facilities targetted by US airstrikes, in alliance with Israel's mission to destroy its foe's nuclear program.
The images by Planet Labs PBC showed damage to the site's entryways and also to the mountain that Fordo is under.
Sealing those entry tunnels means that Iran would have to dig out the facility to reach anything inside.
In an address to the nation from the White House, US President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites had been "completely and fully obliterated".
Trump warned there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against US forces.
"There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran," he said.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes.
Chief Rafael Grossi, has convened an emergency meeting of the nuclear watchdog.
Leaders and international organisations around the globe are appealing for diplomacy to de-escalate the conflict.
But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the US strikes had 'launched a dangerous war' and blown up any possibility of diplomacy with the Americans or Europeans.
"Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy," Araghchi wrote on X. "What conclusion would you draw?"
Hours after the US attacks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a barrage of 40 missiles at Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which can carry multiple warheads.
Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, though one multi-storey building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its facade torn away exposing the apartments inside. Houses across the street were almost completely destroyed.
Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had "swiftly neutralised" the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran.
Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have argued it could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat.
The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of Israeli strikes that significantly degraded Iran's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities.
After the airstrikes the US president posted: "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!"
Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks.
The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant built deep into a mountain, a US official said.
In addition, US submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles.
The decision to attack, taken without congressional approval, was a risky one for Trump, who won the White House partially on the promise of keeping the US out of costly foreign conflicts.
But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a "second chance" for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision saying the US "has done what no other country on earth could do."
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had threatened to resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign, called on other Muslim nations to form "one front against the Zionist-American arrogance."
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel.
Satellite images are showing damage to Iran's underground nuclear site at Fordo, one of three facilities targetted by US airstrikes, in alliance with Israel's mission to destroy its foe's nuclear program.
The images by Planet Labs PBC showed damage to the site's entryways and also to the mountain that Fordo is under.
Sealing those entry tunnels means that Iran would have to dig out the facility to reach anything inside.
In an address to the nation from the White House, US President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites had been "completely and fully obliterated".
Trump warned there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against US forces.
"There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran," he said.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes.
Chief Rafael Grossi, has convened an emergency meeting of the nuclear watchdog.
Leaders and international organisations around the globe are appealing for diplomacy to de-escalate the conflict.
But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the US strikes had 'launched a dangerous war' and blown up any possibility of diplomacy with the Americans or Europeans.
"Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy," Araghchi wrote on X. "What conclusion would you draw?"
Hours after the US attacks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a barrage of 40 missiles at Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which can carry multiple warheads.
Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, though one multi-storey building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its facade torn away exposing the apartments inside. Houses across the street were almost completely destroyed.
Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had "swiftly neutralised" the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran.
Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have argued it could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat.
The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of Israeli strikes that significantly degraded Iran's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities.
After the airstrikes the US president posted: "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!"
Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks.
The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant built deep into a mountain, a US official said.
In addition, US submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles.
The decision to attack, taken without congressional approval, was a risky one for Trump, who won the White House partially on the promise of keeping the US out of costly foreign conflicts.
But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a "second chance" for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision saying the US "has done what no other country on earth could do."
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had threatened to resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign, called on other Muslim nations to form "one front against the Zionist-American arrogance."
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel.
Satellite images are showing damage to Iran's underground nuclear site at Fordo, one of three facilities targetted by US airstrikes, in alliance with Israel's mission to destroy its foe's nuclear program.
The images by Planet Labs PBC showed damage to the site's entryways and also to the mountain that Fordo is under.
Sealing those entry tunnels means that Iran would have to dig out the facility to reach anything inside.
In an address to the nation from the White House, US President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites had been "completely and fully obliterated".
Trump warned there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against US forces.
"There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran," he said.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes.
Chief Rafael Grossi, has convened an emergency meeting of the nuclear watchdog.
Leaders and international organisations around the globe are appealing for diplomacy to de-escalate the conflict.
But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the US strikes had 'launched a dangerous war' and blown up any possibility of diplomacy with the Americans or Europeans.
"Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy," Araghchi wrote on X. "What conclusion would you draw?"
Hours after the US attacks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a barrage of 40 missiles at Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which can carry multiple warheads.
Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, though one multi-storey building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its facade torn away exposing the apartments inside. Houses across the street were almost completely destroyed.
Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had "swiftly neutralised" the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran.
Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have argued it could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat.
The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of Israeli strikes that significantly degraded Iran's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities.
After the airstrikes the US president posted: "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!"
Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks.
The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant built deep into a mountain, a US official said.
In addition, US submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles.
The decision to attack, taken without congressional approval, was a risky one for Trump, who won the White House partially on the promise of keeping the US out of costly foreign conflicts.
But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a "second chance" for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision saying the US "has done what no other country on earth could do."
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had threatened to resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign, called on other Muslim nations to form "one front against the Zionist-American arrogance."
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel.
Satellite images are showing damage to Iran's underground nuclear site at Fordo, one of three facilities targetted by US airstrikes, in alliance with Israel's mission to destroy its foe's nuclear program.
The images by Planet Labs PBC showed damage to the site's entryways and also to the mountain that Fordo is under.
Sealing those entry tunnels means that Iran would have to dig out the facility to reach anything inside.
In an address to the nation from the White House, US President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites had been "completely and fully obliterated".
Trump warned there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against US forces.
"There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran," he said.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes.
Chief Rafael Grossi, has convened an emergency meeting of the nuclear watchdog.
Leaders and international organisations around the globe are appealing for diplomacy to de-escalate the conflict.
But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the US strikes had 'launched a dangerous war' and blown up any possibility of diplomacy with the Americans or Europeans.
"Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy," Araghchi wrote on X. "What conclusion would you draw?"
Hours after the US attacks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a barrage of 40 missiles at Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which can carry multiple warheads.
Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, though one multi-storey building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its facade torn away exposing the apartments inside. Houses across the street were almost completely destroyed.
Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had "swiftly neutralised" the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran.
Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have argued it could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat.
The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of Israeli strikes that significantly degraded Iran's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities.
After the airstrikes the US president posted: "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!"
Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks.
The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant built deep into a mountain, a US official said.
In addition, US submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles.
The decision to attack, taken without congressional approval, was a risky one for Trump, who won the White House partially on the promise of keeping the US out of costly foreign conflicts.
But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a "second chance" for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision saying the US "has done what no other country on earth could do."
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had threatened to resume attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign, called on other Muslim nations to form "one front against the Zionist-American arrogance."
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
US bombing of Iran started with a fake-out
As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any US decision to strike Iran. But they were a decoy. The real group of seven bat-winged, B-2 stealth bombers flew east undetected for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum, refueling in mid-air, the US military revealed on Sunday. As the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. US fighter jets flew as decoys in front of the bombers to sweep for any Iranian fighter jets and missiles. The attack on Iran's three main nuclear sites was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. The B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each weighing 13,600 kg. The operation involved over 125 US military aircraft, according to the Pentagon. From the US military's perspective, the operation was a resounding tactical success. The Iranians were unable to get off a single round at the American aircraft and were caught completely flat-footed, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission," Caine said. "We retained the element of surprise." Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites targeted sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more confident. "It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," he said, standing alongside Caine in the Pentagon briefing room. Midnight Hammer was highly classified, Caine said, "with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of the plan." Many senior officials in the United States only learned of it on Saturday night from President Donald Trump's first post on social media. Hegseth said it took months of preparations to ensure the US military would be ready if Trump ordered the strikes. Caine said the mission itself, however, came together in just a matter of weeks.
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
US bombing of Iran started with a fake-out
As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any US decision to strike Iran. But they were a decoy. The real group of seven bat-winged, B-2 stealth bombers flew east undetected for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum, refueling in mid-air, the US military revealed on Sunday. As the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. US fighter jets flew as decoys in front of the bombers to sweep for any Iranian fighter jets and missiles. The attack on Iran's three main nuclear sites was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. The B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each weighing 13,600 kg. The operation involved over 125 US military aircraft, according to the Pentagon. From the US military's perspective, the operation was a resounding tactical success. The Iranians were unable to get off a single round at the American aircraft and were caught completely flat-footed, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission," Caine said. "We retained the element of surprise." Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites targeted sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more confident. "It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," he said, standing alongside Caine in the Pentagon briefing room. Midnight Hammer was highly classified, Caine said, "with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of the plan." Many senior officials in the United States only learned of it on Saturday night from President Donald Trump's first post on social media. Hegseth said it took months of preparations to ensure the US military would be ready if Trump ordered the strikes. Caine said the mission itself, however, came together in just a matter of weeks.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
US strikes on Iran: what we know
The United States has carried out strikes that caused "extremely severe damage" to three of Iran's nuclear facilities, the top US military officer, General Dan Caine, said on Sunday. President Donald Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path to replace the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in 2018. But he ultimately decided to take military action against Iran's nuclear program, which had already been bombarded in a more than week-long Israeli campaign that has also targeted Tehran's top military brass. Below, AFP examines what we know about the US strikes on Iran -- an operation dubbed "Midnight Hammer." - Major operation - Caine told journalists the strikes involved more than 125 US aircraft including B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, fighters, aerial refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. "This mission demonstrates the unmatched reach, coordination and capability of the United States military," the general said. "No other military in the world could have done this." Caine said it was "too early" to comment on what remains of Iran's nuclear program, but that "initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction." - B-2 bombers - The US employed seven B-2s in the strikes -- aircraft that can fly 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometers) without refueling and which are designed to "penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets," according to the US military. "This was the largest B-2 operational strike in US history and the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown," according to Caine. Several B-2s proceeded west over the Pacific as a decoy while the bombers that would take part in the strikes headed east -- a "deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders," the general said. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems did not see us. Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise," Caine said. The United States used the B-2 in operations against Serbian forces in the 1990s, flying non-stop from Missouri to Kosovo and back, and the bombers were subsequently employed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in the 2000s. - Massive Ordnance Penetrator - Caine said the B-2s dropped 14 bombs known as the GBU-57 or Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- a powerful 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) bunker-busting weapon that made its combat debut in the Iran operation. The bombs -- which are designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (60 meters) underground before exploding -- were needed to hit deeply buried Iranian nuclear facilities. Testing of the weapons began in 2004 and Boeing was in 2009 awarded a contract to complete the integration of GBU-57 with aircraft. - Tomahawk cruise missiles - In addition to the bombers, a US guided missile submarine in the Middle East launched more than two dozen missiles at unspecified "surface infrastructure targets" at Isfahan, one of three nuclear sites struck in the operation, Caine said. The missiles are "designed to fly at extremely low altitudes at high subsonic speeds, and are piloted over an evasive route by several mission tailored guidance systems" and were first used in 1991 against Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm, according to the US military. - Aim of the strikes - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told journalists the strikes were launched to "neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defense of our troops and our allies." "This mission was not, has not been, about regime change," Hegseth told journalists. A number of key figures in Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement have vocally opposed US strikes on Iran, and his promise to extract the United States from its "forever wars" in the Middle East played a role in his 2016 and 2024 election wins. - What comes next? - Trump has called on Iran to "agree to end this war," saying that "now is the time for peace." But it remains to be seen whether the strikes will push Tehran to deescalate the conflict, or to widen it further. If Iran chooses the latter option, it could do so by targeting American military personnel who are stationed around the Middle East, or seek to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of global oil output.
