How apocalyptic Iran could terrorise West after US blitz from horror bombings to kidnappings and crippling cyber attacks

THE world is waiting with baited breath for Tehran's response to Donald Trump's strikes on three key nuclear facilities.
Iran and Israel's conflict expanded to a global scale when the
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Firefighters, rescue workers and military tasked with civil defense and recovery operations gather at the site of a direct missile strike launched from Iran in Tel Aviv
Credit: AP
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Missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps towards Israel
Credit: Reuters
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Houthi supporters at a ceremony marking the Shiite religious Day of Eid al-Ghadir, in Sana'a, Yemen
Credit: EPA
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US President Donald Trump holds a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House in Washington
Credit: Reuters
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After declaring the
But Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that
Fears loom of
US sites decimated
A simple response from Iran would be the decimation of US sites in the Middle East using its arsenal of ballistic missiles.
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At least 50 Iranian missiles are thought to have struck down in Israel during the ten days of conflict.
But more than 450 have been intercepted by Israel's sophisticated air defences, along with around 1,000 drones, according to the latest figures from the Israeli military.
Iranian preparations for missile strikes on US military bases in the Middle East have been exposed by American intelligence officers, anonymous officials told the New York Times.
There are over 20 bases across the region - the majority of which are within 2,000km range of Iran's Sejil-2 ballistic missile.
Most read in The US Sun
US bases in Iraq and Syria would potentially be targeted first, according to
American officials said that F-22, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets had been positioned in the Middle East - prime targets for Tehran missiles.
Major general Chip Chapman told The Sun how the bases represent key targets for Iran.
He said: "It could be that they do some sort of minimal strike on one or two bases, not a theatre-wide strike, which would involve Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, all the American bases throughout the region.
"And we know from the UK perspective that the 20 plots, Iranian inspired plots against, Iranian dissidents.
"So you could see that against Israeli targets, a wide geographic region that's that prolonged, sporadic, conflict.
"It is if you had that, that people would more overtly, I think, talk about regime change in general."
Fears loom that Iran could even strike US embassies and consulates.
Several sources revealed to Sky News that the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, is likely to be attacked.
Sponsored terror attacks
Iran has not hid the fact it uses its network of regional proxies as defence.
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Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran
Credit: Reuters
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Missiles fired from Iran in retaliation for Israeli attacks are seen in the sky over the Hebron, West Bank
Credit: Getty
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Houthi supporters attend a ceremony marking the Shiite religious Day
Credit: EPA
Infamous Hezbollah and Hamas have been effectively keeping the Israeli military occupied - steering attention away from Iran.
And Yemen's Houthis have also provided distraction to the West by relentlessly targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The group already vowed to target US ships if Washington launched an attack on Iran just hours before Trump's nuke blitz - with the threat now potentially becoming a reality.
The Houthis had halted its attacks on US shipping containers after Trump boosted strikes on the group.
Crippling cyber attack
Iran and its regional proxies have claimed responsibility for various crippling cyber attacks on Israel.
Data has been destroyed and phishing campaigns launched in the past - meaning another cyber attack in response to the nuclear sites blitz could be on the cards.
The US government has desperately worked to gather information on Iranian hackers responsible for previous attacks due to the grave threats to defence.
An eye-watering $10 million reward was uploaded for details on a group known as CyberAv3ngers who US officials have tracked down to having links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
But experts have warned that Iran could struggle to actually launched large-scale cyber attacks when its regime is under extreme threat - like now.
Choking shipping lanes
Arguably Tehran's most powerful weapon against the West is the Strait of Hormuz.
The narrow path of water between Oman and Iran is vital in the global supply of oil.
Major general Chapman told The Sun that the Islamic Republic could just shut down access to the Strait and cripple shipping through the area.
He said: "The worst case from the allies perspective, America and everyone else, is that the Iranians go towards a posture of closing the Strait of Hormuz.
"20 per cent of the world's oil runs through that. And as of today, the price of a barrel of oil, Brant crude was $77.
"Now that is where the Brits may get involved, because one of the things about the British posture in the region and the opposition, it's been a longstanding British, operation in the Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East is that we have mine countermeasure vessels, co-located with the American Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
"If the Iranians were to try and close the Strait of Hormuz, that those would be a definite ask by the Americans to the Brits.
"The Iranian oil goes to China, it goes to India, places like that. They're the ones who would suffer."
Oil field blitzed
Iran has the potential to pull what's been dubbed the "last big card" and launch an attack on vital energy infrastructure in the Gulf that powers the globe.
In 2019, two major Saudi Arabian oil plants, one in Abqaiq, Bugayg, and its second largest oilfield in Khurais, where engulfed in flames after a drone attack.
The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack - but the US and Saudi governments accused Iran of orchestrating it behind closed doors.
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Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's grandson, Hassan Khomeini stands next to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Credit: Reuters
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Missiles fired from Iran in retaliation for Israeli attacks are seen in the sky over the Hebron
Credit: Getty
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Smoke rises from the building of Iran's state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran
Credit: AP
The Khurais oilfield was producing around one per cent of the world's oil and Abqaiq is the largest facility and could produce seven per cent of the global supply.
This caused global energy prices to spike, and temporarily binned half of Saudi Arabia's oil production.
Chaos unfolding
After declaring the
He said in a nationally televised speech at the White House: "
"There will be
'Remember there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal.
'But if
'Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There's no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight."
And shortly after speaking on-camera, he posted to Truth Social: "This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.
Staggering vid shows US carpet bombing Houthis in 'Operation Rough Rider' as Trump blitzed 800 targets in 44 days
"Remember,
"But if peace does not come quickly we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill."
Meanwhile Iran's foreign minister Abbas Arghchi dubbed the strikes "outrageous and will have everlasting consequences".
He also called the military action "a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations".
Arghchi added: "Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.
"In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."
A response from Iran, or from the Ayatollah in hiding, has not yet come.
Ali Khamenei is believed to be
Two informed sources inside the country told Iran International the country's ageing dictator is
Posting on Truth Social, President
Analysis of the global implications
PHILIP Ingram, expert on international security
'Iranian ballistic missiles will not reach the United States and therefore to try and respond to the United States attack Iran's going to have to do something different.
"It'll bring its coalition of the willing that it has together or as we call them the axis of evil. So we've got Iran, Russia, North Korea and China.
'China will likely sit back and wait to see what's happening, to begin with. But North Korea may provide Iran with some missile technology.
'Russia is sitting there laughing all the way to the bank effectively.
'The escalating conflict helps Russia by moving Russia-Ukraine further down the agenda so that people aren't focusing on it.
'Iran and Russia will join forces to try and cause as much disruption in different countries as possible through protest and through disinformation.
'There will be two reactions directly out of Iran. One, the stimulation of their proxy organisations that they have operating across the world. Hamas and Hezbollah have been largely destroyed by Israel.
'But they've still got the Houthis in Yemen. I think we will see a massive uptake in Houthi activity in disrupting international shipping in the Red Sea.
'The other reaction could be trying to close the Straits of Hormuz. 30 percent of the world's oil and gas goes through there.
"Even a threat to close it will put energy prices spiking to a level that will make the spike we saw when Russia invaded Ukraine seem like small change."

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Irish Examiner

an hour ago

• Irish Examiner

Trump says he is open to regime change in Iran

President Donald Trump has called into question the future of Iran's ruling theocracy, seemingly contradicting his administration's earlier calls to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting. '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???' Mr Trump posted on social media. 'MIGA!!!' The posting on Truth Social marked something of a reversal from defence secretary Pete Hegseth's Sunday morning news conference that detailed the aerial bombing on three of the country's nuclear sites. 'This mission was not and has not been about regime change,' Mr Hegseth said. "The damage to the Nuclear sites in Iran is said to be 'monumental.' The hits were hard and accurate. Great skill was shown by our military. Thank you!" –President Donald J. Trump — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 22, 2025 Secretary of state Marco Rubio warned on Fox News that any retaliation against the US or a rush toward building a nuclear weapon would 'put the regime at risk'. Mr Trump's warning to Iran's leadership comes as the US has demanded that Iran not respond to the bombardment of the heart of a nuclear programme it spent decades developing. The Trump administration has made a series of intimidating statements even as it has simultaneously called to restart negotiations, making it hard to get a complete read on whether the president is simply taunting an adversary or using inflammatory words that could further widen the war between Israel and Iran that began earlier this month. Up until the president's post on Sunday afternoon, the coordinated messaging by Mr Trump's vice president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout would be manageable and that Iran's lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table. Mr Hegseth had said that America 'does not seek war' with Iran, while Vice President JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington. But the unfolding situation is not entirely under Washington's control, as Tehran has a series of levers to respond to the aerial bombings, which could intensify the conflict in the Middle East with possible global repercussions. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on Sunday (Alex Brandon/AP) Iran can block oil being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, attack US bases in the region, engage in cyber attacks or double down on a nuclear programme might seem like more of a necessity after the US strike. Mr Trump, who had addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, returned to social media on Sunday to lambast Republican Congress member Thomas Massie, who had objected to the president taking military action without specific congressional approval. 'We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the 'bomb' right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!)' Mr Trump said as part of the post on Truth Social. At their joint Pentagon briefing, Mr Hegseth and Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 'Operation Midnight Hammer' involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance. General Caine indicated that the goal of the operation — destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — had been achieved. 'Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' he said. An electronic billboard beams an image of president Donald Trump alongside the message 'Thank you, Mr. President' referring to the US involvement in the war between Israel and Iran (Bernat Armangue/AP) While US officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticised the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington was 'fully responsible' for whatever actions Tehran may take in response. 'They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,' he said at a news conference in Turkey. 'I don't know how much room is left for diplomacy.' China and Russia, where Araghchi was heading for talks with President Vladimir Putin, condemned the US military action. The attacks were 'a gross violation of international law,' said Russia's Foreign Ministry, which also advocated 'returning the situation to a political and diplomatic course.' A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading to 'a global level'. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies. His office said he talked on Sunday with Mr Trump about the need for Tehran to resume negotiations, but Mr Trump would have posted his remarks about regime change after their conversation. The leaders of Italy, Canada, Germany and France agreed on the need for 'a rapid resumption of negotiations.' France's Emmanuel Macron held talks with the Saudi Crown Prince and the Sultan of Oman.

Irish Examiner

an hour ago

• Irish Examiner

Is Ireland sliding into a gerontocracy where the older generation dominates?

A gerontocracy is a system where the elderly hold sway, governing by and for their own interests. The concept traces back to the classical period, with Plato describing a society where 'the elder man rules, and the younger submits.' In Sparta, the Gerousia, a council of elders including two kings and nearly 30 elite full-citizen men of the city state of Sparta over 60, wielded significant judicial and legislative power, embodying this structure. The term 'senate' derives from the Latin senex, meaning old man. From antiquity to today, gerontocracy persists in places such as China, where CCP leaders seldom retire before their late 80s, perhaps adhering to that Confucian adage that 'when you meet someone older, you must respect and submit to that person's wisdom and power because he must have come across problems you encounter'. Perhaps the most vivid example of modern gerontocracy is in the world's superpower the United States where an octogenarian and septuagenarian candidate dominated the field during the last presidential election in a country where the average age is 38. Polling showed that many voters in the US were uneasy with 81-year-old Donald Trump and 78-year-old Joe Biden, before being replaced by his 60-year-old vice president Kamala Harris, as the two early nominees with age a major factor in their discontent. Beyond the executive branch, the second branch of government - the legislative - is dominated by elders. The current Senate is the second oldest, with an average age of 63, and the House of Representatives is the third oldest, averaging 57 years of age, since the foundation of the US Congress in 1789. It was president Ronald Reagan who, at the ripe old age of 78, in 1984 said he would not make age an issue during his presidential campaign against Walter Mondale. But while candidates may not make age an explicit issue during the campaign it certainly dominates their time in office. Currently, about a third of the federal budget is dedicated to Social Security and Medicare payments which benefits those over 60, who make up less than 20% of the US population. These costs are mainly borne by young workers and employers even as older generations are financially better off than younger cohorts. Talk of cuts to such programmes are usually met with voter rage as candidates and office holders alike walk a tightrope in accommodating older voters and promising to balance budgets. Aside from international examples, Ireland offers a closer look at gerontocratic rule. A recent study carried out by the Electoral Commission reveals the older generation's outsized influence on Irish elections. Titled the National Election & Democracy Study General Election 2024, the findings, carried out by Red C, indicates that 90% of those aged 65+ voted in last year's general election. But while the older generation enthusiastically headed to polling stations in their droves, young people, for the most part, stayed at home - their parents' home, that is. Housing between the generations Housing, the top electoral issue, underscores this divide. While voters express frustration with the crisis, 89% of those who turned out to vote are homeowners, with two-thirds reporting stable or improved economic conditions. Since the Troika's exit in 2013, house prices have doubled, boosting wealth for homeowners — mostly older generations. Meanwhile, wages, especially for younger people, have lagged, rising just 27% since the crash from 2013-2022. The ESRI highlights Ireland's stark generational homeownership gap: nearly 80% of those over 40 own homes, compared to just a third of those under 40. In 1993, 70% of 25-34-year-olds were homeowners; by 2016, 60% of this group were renters, and the 2022 census showed over two-thirds of 18-34-year-olds still living with their parents - way above the EU average. With 30% of Ireland's population aged 18-39, the over-40 cohort, around 10% larger, dominates both homeownership and voter turnout. Despite desperate attempts by the Millennial 'TikTok Teesh' Simon Harris to appeal to the youth, the 34th Dáil's power rests on older homeowners' support. This influence is reflected in government policy. Pensions In 2020, nearly every party opposed raising the state pension age from 66, with Sinn Féin, popular among under-65s, pledging to lower it to 65. A post-election Commission on Pensions recommended gradually raising the age to 67 by 2031. With the average life expectancy standing at 87, it only makes sense that the pension age rise concurrently. Yet the government, seemingly wary of older voters, rejected the recommendation, offering higher pensions for those retiring at 70 and proposing PRSI hikes — largely borne by younger workers. With birth rates declining and the worker-to-pensioner ratio projected to drop to 2:1 by 2050, PRSI costs will likely climb, further impacting working age people. Pensions, like housing, favour the old. Only 30% of 20-24-year-olds have some sort of pension plan, compared to over 70% of 45-54-year-olds, often tied to property wealth. Maybe the government's refusal to raise the pension age is informed by the last time geriatric rage was elicited. Following the crash, and the imposition of brutal austerity, the Fianna Fáil-Green-PD government did away with the automatic entitlement for over 70s to free healthcare and a medical card. This sparked major protests with opposition leaders, including Fine Gael's Enda Kenny and Labour's Eamon Gilmore, addressing some demonstrators. Fearing the electoral repercussions, the coalition government backtracked on their plans but ploughed ahead with gruelling cuts for mainly younger, working-age people. Shortly after the crash, Ireland registered one of the highest unemployment rates among those aged 15-24 at over 40%. Many young people emigrated — nearly 10% during the recession — rather than protest. The housing trap Housing remains the starkest indicator of youth disenfranchisement. Average rents now exceed €2,000 monthly, and post-crash rules requiring 10-20% deposits trap young people in a cycle of paying more in rent than a mortgage would cost. House prices are seven times the average income, compared to 1.5 times in the 1980s. A new report from the Central Bank of Ireland found that the wealthiest 10% of households held just below half of the total net wealth in 2024 mainly due to high house prices. According to the bank, Irish households have financial assets worth €570bn. 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Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos While some younger candidates did manage to get elected during the last general election, including Barry Heneghan at age 27, the spectre of career politician and septuagenarian Michael Lowry giving Paul Murphy the two fingers in the Dáil chamber as the new government was formed could not have shown more clearly whose interests they will represent. Minister of state for international development and the diaspora, Neale Richmond, recently mentioned that Ireland's greatest export was its people. With 70% of young people in Ireland contemplating emigration, you can expect bumper figures for exports in the future if this situation continues. The fissures between old and young are widening with housing causing the rupture and youth despair filling the crevice. Going back to first principles and re-examining who housing policy should represent and what the purpose of a home is would go a long way in stabilising that societal chasm.

RTÉ News​

an hour ago

• RTÉ News​

UN Security Council meets amid push for a ceasefire

The UN Security Council met to discuss US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. "The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council yesterday. "We must act - immediately and decisively - to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme," he added. Russia and China condemned the US strikes. "Peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved by the use of force," said China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong. "Diplomatic means to address the Iranian nuclear issue haven't been exhausted, and there's still hope for a peaceful solution," he added. But acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council the time had come for the US to act decisively, urging the Security Council to call upon Iran to end its efforts to eradicate Israel and terminate its drive for nuclear weapons. "Iran long obfuscated its nuclear weapons programme and stonewalled our good-faith efforts in recent negotiations," she said. "The Iranian regime cannot have a nuclear weapon." Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia recalled former US Secretary of State Colin Powell making the case at the UN Security Council in 2003 that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein constituted an imminent danger to the world because of the country's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. "Again we're being asked to believe the US's fairy tales, to once again inflict suffering on millions of people living in the Middle East. This cements our conviction that history has taught our US colleagues nothing," he said. Cost of inaction 'catastrophic' Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting yesterday. Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused Israel and the US of destroying diplomacy, said all US allegations are unfounded and that the nuclear non-proliferation treaty "has been manipulated into a political weapon." "Instead of guaranteeing parties' legitimate rights to peaceful nuclear energy, it has been exploited as a pretext for aggression and unlawful action that jeopardise the supreme interests of my country," Mr Iravani told the council. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon praised the US for taking action against Iran, saying: "This is what the last line of defence looks like when every other line has failed." He accused Iran of using negotiations over its nuclear programme as camouflage to buy time to build missiles and enrich uranium. "The cost of inaction would have been catastrophic. A nuclear Iran would have been a death sentence just as much for you as it would have been for us," he told the council. It was not immediately clear when the council could vote on the draft resolution. Russia, China and Pakistan have asked council members to share their comments by this evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass. The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran's nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel. "Military action alone cannot bring a durable solution to concerns about Iran's nuclear programme," Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the council. "We urge Iran now to show restraint, and we urge all parties to return to the negotiating table and find a diplomatic solution which stops further escalation and brings this crisis to an end," she added. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said that while craters were visible at Iran's enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, "no one - including the IAEA - is in a position to assess the underground damage." Mr Grossi told the Security Council that entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran's sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again. "Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites," said Mr Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency.