Flights to Dubai and Doha are grounded as British airlines hold their breath after US attack on Iran's nuclear sites

Flights from London to Dubai and Doha have been cancelled after Donald Trump ordered an unprecedented US attack on Iran 's nuclear sites.
All of British Airways 's flights to Dubai and Doha that were scheduled to depart from Heathrow on Sunday have been cancelled, including return flights, the company said.
The airline made the call after the US struck three nuclear sites in Iran overnight prompting Tehran to launch a retaliatory ballistic missile barrage against Israel.
Israel also announced on Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks.
The fearful decision comes after a BA flight from London Heathrow to Dubai was diverted to Zurich on Saturday night.
The BA109 flight departed from the UK at 9.53pm on Saturday and reached Saudi Arabia before the Boeing 787 Dreamliner changed its course, landing in Switzerland, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
In a statement, British Airways said: 'As a result of recent events, we have adjusted our flight schedule to ensure the safety of our customers and crew, which is always our top priority.
'We are contacting our customers to advise them of their options while we work through this developing situation.'
BA is offering a flexible booking policy for customers already booked onto flights to Dubai and Doha between Sunday and Tuesday who wish to change their dates of travel.
According to Gatwick's website, flights to and from the airport to Doha and Dubai are continuing as scheduled.
The decision comes after top US officials have urged Iran to surrender after strikes on the nation's nuclear sites 'severely damaged' its nuclear capabilities overnight.
President Trump broke his two-week deadline on Saturday night as he launched 'Operation Midnight Hammer', sending a fleet of B-2 bombers to key nuclear sites.
The US strikes included 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft, which targeted three critical sites.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Sunday morning press conference that the strikes were 'bold' and 'brilliant', and warned Iran that there would be dire consequences if it does not come to the negotiating table.
Officials admitted that it is 'way too early' to say whether Iran still retains some nuclear capabilities, with sources saying the deep underground Fordow site was not entirely destroyed in the operation.
World leaders condemned Trump's decision to wade into the conflict, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying Trump 'violated' international peace.
Iran's foreign minister branded Trump a 'lawless bully' who 'betrayed' diplomacy after the US blew up three nuclear bases - as he warned the world has been thrown into an 'unprecedented level of danger'.
Early Sunday morning, Iran retaliated by targeting Israel in a devastating set of attacks - with emergency services reporting at least 16 people injured.
Meanwhile Sir Keir Starmer has urged all sides to return to negotiations but said he had taken 'all necessary measures' to protect British interests in the region if the conflict escalates.
He spoke out ahead of a Cobra meeting on Sunday afternoon, as Tehran vowed to retaliate for the strike on three facilities in the heart of the country.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds confirmed this morning that the UK was told about the airstrike in advance but played no role in it.
But he said it would be 'naïve' not to expect the UK to face a heightened risk from the already high risk of Iran-sponsored terrorism in the wake of what was happening.
The PM this morning said the attack was justified because Iran's nuclear programme was 'a grave threat to international security'.
But speaking later to broadcasters at his Chequers country retreat, the Prime Minister said there was a 'risk of escalation' adding: 'That's a risk to the region. It's a risk beyond the region, and that's why all our focus has been on de-escalating, getting people back around to negotiate what is a very real threat in relation to the nuclear programme.'
Efforts are underway to get trapped Britons out of Israel, as Tehran launched a barrage of revenge missiles at the country.
Mr Reynolds said it would be 'hours, not days' before they could be evacuated, with delays so far caused by Israeli airspace being closed.

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

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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. 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Alerts blared out on phones across Israel at 7.30am on Sunday and, just a minute or so after the blast doors were pulled tight, deep percussive thuds reverberated through the Tel Aviv bomb shelter. It was one of the largest salvos of recent days, with at least 40 ballistic missiles fired at the Jewish state from Iran. All across the country, people were hunkering down, most unaware of the overnight US strikes on Fordow and Iran's other nuclear facilities. Sleep has been hard enough for most Israelis over the last week, with phones often inundated with missile alerts and news notifications in the dead of night. The 15 to 20 people in the Tel Aviv hotel shelter sucked in a collective breath with the thud of the impacts but quickly turned to their phones to peruse reports on the night's action. One by one, smiles spread across sleepy faces with the knowledge that the US had joined Israel in its fight against Iran. This is a country where people have long believed that 'strength' is all. 'For me, the biggest message this sends is that no one f---s with us,' a young South African-born Israeli told me after the blast doors opened. Seven kilometres to the north, a ballistic missile had slammed into the densely compacted residential neighbourhood of Ramat Aviv. Others caused devastation in Ness Ziona, south of Tel Aviv, and the northern city of Haifa. There were no deaths, but more than 100 people were reported injured. The shockwave at the Tel Aviv housing estate sheared off the outside wall off an old but smart-looking concrete apartment block and destroyed multiple neighbouring houses. That block alone contained 34 apartments and an adjacent high-rise had its windows blown out from top to bottom on the blast-facing side, making hundreds homeless. It is thought that at least 20 were injured there. A senior police officer said at the scene that tragedy was averted because everyone got to their safe rooms. 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Caroline Molcho was relocated temporarily to the Dan Panorama hotel in Tel Aviv after her home was destroyed in a strike last week. The French-Israeli had been in a safe room in her apartment when the missile hit. 'I feel so lucky – it really saved my life, but now we have no idea how long this process will last, how long will I stay here. The future is now really uncertain,' she said.