US attacks on Iran put Middle East on knife edge
Protesters in support of Iran and Palestinians in Gaza hold flags and placards during a demonstration against the actions of Israel and the US in Sydney, Australia. Similar protests were held in India, South Korea, Pakistan among other countries on Sunday.
Image: AFP
THE US's surprise strikes on Iran at the weekend threaten to deepen the conflict in the Middle East after Israel also launched its own bombing campaign against Iran, with Tehran vowing to retaliate against US involvement.
In response to the US attack, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv. Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. Iran's Huthi allies in Yemen repeated their threat on Sunday to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and military warships.
This was after President Donald Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation just hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance said: "We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it's years or beyond," he told ABC. "We're not at war with Iran -- we're at war with Iran's nuclear program," he added.
"The president took decisive action to destroy that program."
The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said there were no signs of contamination. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump's decision to "target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history."
The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesperson saying it was "too soon" to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump "seeks peace, and Iran should take that path. "This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change." "We devastated the Iranian nuclear program," Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation "did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people."
People gathered in the centre of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed. Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran's official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city's north.
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Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attacks as "outrageous" and said his country had a right to defend its sovereignty.
"The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences," he posted on social media, calling the attacks "lawless and criminal" behaviour.
Araghchi later said the United States and Israel crossed "a very big red line" with the attacks, and said he would head to Moscow later Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticised the US move and urged de-escalation. The European Union called on all sides "to step back," while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to "return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis".
"Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," Starmer said on X, adding that "stability in the region is a priority".
French President Emmanuel Macron called a meeting of the country's defence council on Sunday, with his office saying he had spoken with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Oman.
France urged "all parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict", Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X.
Russia "strongly condemned" the bombings, calling them "irresponsible" and a "gross violation of international law".
"A dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security," the Russian foreign ministry added.
China's foreign ministry also condemned the US strikes, warning that they "escalate tensions in the Middle East".
"China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible," the ministry said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called on the US, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity. The UN was set to meet over the latest attacks on Sunday.
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