Iranian nuclear sites sustained 'extremely severe damage' after US strikes, Pentagon says

Iranian nuclear sites sustained "extremely severe damage and destruction" in air strikes, the US has said - a stance mostly supported by the UN's nuclear watchdog.
General Dan Caine, chairman of America's joint chiefs of staff, told reporters that the destruction wrought by Operation Midnight Hammer will take "some time" to assess.
But he added that "initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction".
The sites are Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Fordow is a secretive nuclear facility buried about 80m below a mountain and one of two key uranium enrichment plants in Iran, along with Natanz.
Isfahan features a large nuclear technology centre and enriched uranium is also stored there, diplomats say.
At Fordow, satellite images taken after the attack show holes in the mountain in which the nuclear site was situated.
Other images of Natanz, which is also suspected of having an underground facility, appear to show a new hole in a rocky area.
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, said the initial assessment was that "all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and had the desired effect".
"Which means, especially in Fordow, which was the primary target here, we believe we achieved destruction of capabilities there," he added.
America's attack brings the US into direct involvement in the war between Israel and Iran, which started on 13 June. It prompted threats of reprisals from Tehran, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the facility at Natanz had been "completely destroyed", while its underground halls "suffered a lot" because of cuts to electricity as the result of Israeli attacks.
He also told CNN that the Isfahan site had suffered "very significant damage".
At Fordow, which is deep underground, he said it was difficult to know how much damage had been done.
Satellite images appear to show major damage at Isfahan.
Natanz was believed to have possibly already suffered extensive damage in Israel's strikes earlier this week.
Fourteen bunker buster bombs were used in the attacks on Fordow and Natanz, and numerous Tomahawk cruise missiles were also used in operation, which was described by Donald Trump as "very successful".
However, a senior Iranian source told the Reuters news agency that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordow was moved to an undisclosed location ahead of the attacks.
Personnel numbers were said to have been cut, too.
The IAEA said there had been "no increase in off-site radiation levels" after the strikes.
Donald Trump said no further attacks were planned and he hoped diplomacy would take over.
1:15
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned that the US strikes "will have everlasting consequences", adding that his country "reserves all options" to retaliate.
Mr Hegseth said the United States "does not seek war" but would "act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners, or our interests are threatened".
Iran has repeatedly denied it is seeking a nuclear weapon, and Mr Grossi said this month the IAEA had no proof of a "systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon".
However, the IAEA said last month that Iran had amassed 408.6kg of uranium enriched up to 60% - a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Since the war broke out more than a week ago, Iranian authorities say more than 400 people have been killed since Israel's bombardment began, mostly civilians.
Israel has taken out much of Iran's military leadership with attacks targeting air defences and military bases.
Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, and at least 24 people have been killed over the past nine days.
US Senator Chris Murphy, posting on X after the US strikes, said he and other senators received a classified briefing last week indicating that Iran did not pose an immediate threat through its nuclear programme.
"Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon," Senator Murphy said. "The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success."
2:36
The Iranian foreign minister told journalists on Sunday morning that he was flying to Moscow to have "serious consultations" with Vladimir Putin.
He described Moscow as a "friend of Iran", adding: "We always consult with each other."
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that "invaders must now await responses that will bring regret" after the US strikes.
Gulf states like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, all home to US military bases, are on high alert after the strikes, with Bahrain urging drivers to avoid main roads and Kuwait setting up shelters.
The UK has also further increased "force protection" measures for its military bases and personnel in the Middle East to their highest level.
Iran has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to "maintain international peace and condemn the US strikes", according to state media.
3:33
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the "bold decision" by Mr Trump, saying it would "change history".
The IRGC said it had launched 40 missiles at Israel on Sunday morning, including its biggest ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr-4.
Iranian missiles hit sites in northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, Ness Ziona, Rishon LeZion and Tel Aviv.
The UK is preparing to fly British nationals out of Israel.
The and reach "a diplomatic solution to end this crisis".
"Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," said Sir Keir Starmer.

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Times

33 minutes ago

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Times letters: Britain and the tinderbox in the Middle East

Write to letters@ Sir, Sir Keir Starmer has called on Iran to 'return to the negotiating table' after the US bombed its nuclear sites. But treating Iran as a legitimate negotiating partner while it refuses to recognise Israel's right to exist only reinforces Tehran's rejectionist stance. History provides a clear road map: recognition leads to peace. Of the 164 countries that now recognise Israel, none are engaged in active warfare with it. Egypt's recognition in 1979 ended decades of conflict. Jordan's recognition in 1994 transformed enemies into sometime partners. The Abraham Accords demonstrated that recognition can unlock prosperity and co-operation even without resolving every regional grievance. Regional issues need and deserve resolution but they cannot be resolved in an environment where a significant power actively works towards the destruction of Israel. Negotiations remain preferable to conflict, but Israel needs to be involved in these talks as a recognised sovereign state. Without recognition and meaningful bilateral negotiations between Israel and Iran, the present situation will continue as a zero-sum game, which Israel simply cannot afford to lose. Tony Morcowitz Brighton and Hove Sir, When Sir Keir Starmer announced the Chagos Islands giveaway, he said that surrendering sovereignty was necessary because the UK had to be seen to uphold international law. Now he has gone on to publish statements in support of the US bombing of Iran. He is publicly supporting a flagrant breach of international law forbidding unprovoked attacks on other nations and, indeed, is speaking in defiance of advice from his attorney-general warning that any attack on Iran could be illegal. The government asserted that the international-law principles embodied by the Chagos deal would earn Britain respect in the 'global south', but in light of the UK's support for Israeli-American actions against Iran, all that the rest of the world will now observe is that Britain's commitment to international law is equivocal and inconsistent. Robert Frazer Salford Sir, International events emphasise the paucity of the UK's air defences, in particular the capability to counter attacks by ballistic missiles. Should the situation deteriorate to the extent that we are threatened, this will be critical, with Britain's best anti-missile defence platforms being six Type 45 destroyers, one of which is deployed with HMS Queen Elizabeth. Other Type 45s may or may not be available, with a number in refit, but ship-based systems are insufficient to defend the entire nation. 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The Guardian

39 minutes ago

• The Guardian

US-Iran crisis: what we know so far

US president Donald Trump has brought up the possibility of regime change in Iran following US military strikes against three of its key nuclear enrichment sites over the weekend, even as top members of his administration insisted the US was not seeking to topple the Iranian leadership. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. Vice-president JD Vance had insisted the US was 'not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear programme' while US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that that the US was 'not looking for war in Iran'. The US state department has issued a 'worldwide caution' for Americans, saying the conflict between Israel and Iran could put those travelling or living abroad at an increased security risk. World leaders are now awaiting Iran's response to the US attacks. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, told France's Emmanuel Macron: 'The Americans must receive a response to their aggression.' Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said his country would consider all possible responses. 'The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,' he said. He later flew to Moscow to discuss 'common threats' with President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Iran's parliament has reportedly approved the closing of the key strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Reuters reported Iran's supreme national security council will make the final decision on the move, which could hamstring global trade by shutting the narrow passage between Iran and Oman. US secretary of state Marco Rubio urged China to advise Tehran against closing the vital trade route, telling Fox News: 'I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the strait of Hormuz for their oil. If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake.' Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is very close to meeting its goals in Iran of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear programme. Speaking to Israeli reporters, he said: 'We won't pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won't finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop.' A social media account associated with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, later said Israel has made a 'grave mistake' and 'must be punished and is being punished'. The UK, France and Germany released a joint statement after the US strikes, calling upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program. The three countries also urged Iran 'not to take any further action that could destabilise the region', adding: 'We have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security.' Iran's health ministry said the US strikes had wounded an unspecified number of people but that none 'showed any signs of radioactive contamination'. 'For years, the ministry of health has set up nuclear emergency units in the nearest medical facilities to nuclear sites,' ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X. Israel said its fighter jets had struck 'dozens' of targets across Iran on Sunday, including a long-range missile site in Yazd in the centre of the country for the first time, Agence France Presse reported. A military statement said that 'approximately 30 IAF [air force] fighter jets struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran' – including 'the 'Imam Hussein' strategic missile command center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored'. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that 'there are no planned military operations right now against Iran.' In a new interview with CBS, Rubio added that 'no one will know for days' whether Iran had moved some of its nuclear materials prior to the strikes. Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, said the impact of the airstrikes was still being assessed, but that the bombing had hit the areas that had been identified in the planning of the operation. Hegseth said: 'The battle damage assessment is ongoing, but our initial assessment as the chairman said is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike, and had the desired effect.'