Donald Trump Iran plan: US President suggests ‘regime change' could ‘Make Iran Great Again'
US President Donald Trump says a 'regime change' may be needed to 'Make Iran Great Again'.
After authorising B-2 pilots to drop an enormous payload of bombs on Iranian nuclear targets as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, the US President issued a warning to the Middle Eastern nation, saying peace was needed to avoid 'future attacks'.
'Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,' Mr Trump said from the White House on Saturday (local time).
'If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.'
As the region grapples with the intensity of the US strike and the direct involvement of the leader of the free world, Mr Trump has suggested Iran's Government may need to be toppled.
'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 wrote on Truth Social, adding 'MIGA!'.
Mr Trump in another post confirmed that the pilots who dropped the bombs on Iran were back on US soil.
'The GREAT B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri. Thank you for a job well done!' he wrote.
The posts come as the United States and the world waits for signs of potential retaliation from Iran after Mr Trump said key nuclear sites in Tehran had been 'obliterated', joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council 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 said 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.
Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body 'to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.'
Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel 'do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.'
Mr Danon told reporters before the council meeting that it was still early when it came to assessing the impact of the US strikes. When asked if Israel was pursuing regime change in Iran, Mr Danon said: 'That's for the Iranian people to decide, not for us.'
- With Reuters.
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- Sky News AU
Major doubts raised about impact of US strikes on Iran's nuclear program as intelligence shows enriched uranium moved
Experts have raised major doubts about the impact of US strikes on Iran's nuclear program, with intelligence indicating large amounts of enriched uranium were moved ahead of time. President Trump has claimed the strikes caused "monumental" damage to the nuclear sites, while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is "very close" to eliminating the nuclear program. The US was the only country with weapons capable of destroying Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, which is built 80 to 90 metres under a mountain. Satellite imagery of the site shows six large holes where B2 stealth bombers dropped 14 massive bunker buster bombs - each weighing 13.6 tonnes and capable of penetrating 18 metres into concrete and 61 metres into earth. But satellite imagery expert Decker Eveleth, an associate researcher with the CNA Corporation, said the hall containing hundreds of centrifuges is "too deeply buried for us to evaluate the level of damage based on satellite imagery". Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of Fordow before the strike early Sunday morning and could be hiding it and other nuclear components in locations unknown to Israel, the U.S. and U.N. nuclear inspectors. They noted satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed "unusual activity" at Fordow on Thursday and Friday, with a line of 13 cargo trucks waiting outside an entrance of the facility. A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday most of the near weapons-grade 60 per cent highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the U.S. attack. The New York Times has also reported that Israeli officials with knowledge of the intelligence believe Iran had moved equipment and uranium from the site in recent days, including 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity. This was confirmed by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who told the Times Iran had "made no secret" of the fact they had moved the materials. US Vice President JD Vance has also admitted the White House does not know the fate of the enriched uranium. The uranium would need to be enriched to around 90 per cent purity to be used in a weapon, but it is reportedly enough to make nine or 10 atomic bombs. Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey said there were "almost certainly facilities that we don't know about" and the strikes have likely only set back Iran's nuclear program "by maybe a few years". US Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona and a member of the Senate intelligence committee who said he had been reviewing intelligence every day, expressed the same concern. "My big fear right now is that they take this entire program underground, not physically underground, but under the radar," he told NBC News. "Where we tried to stop it, there is a possibility that this could accelerate it." Iran lashed out at the US after the attacks, accusing it of crossing a "very big red line" by striking the nation's "peaceful" nuclear facilities. The nation's foreign minister also hinted that Iran may withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - which Iran's parliament began preperations after Israel launched its first strikes "It cannot be emphasised enough how much of a devastating blow that the US, a permanent member of the Security Council, dealt to the global Non-Proliferation regime," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a press conference in Turkey. According to Arms Control Association head Daryl Kimball, "the world is going to be in the dark about what Iran may be doing". Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer who served in the Pentagon during Trump's first term, told the New York Times the US strike would "likely set back the Iranian nuclear weapon program two to five years'. -With Reuters
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
‘Once the inner wall is breached, it's all over': Mike Pezzullo reveals devastating impact of US strike on Iran's Fordow nuclear facility
Former Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo has offered a detailed technical breakdown of the United States' recent airstrike on Iran's heavily fortified Fordow nuclear site, revealing how precision-guided bunker-busting bombs were used to penetrate up to 100 metres of rock and concrete. Speaking to Sky News Australia, Pezzullo explained that seven B-2 stealth bombers — the only aircraft capable of carrying the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) — were deployed in the mission, delivering 14 of the 13.5-tonne bombs designed to destroy deeply buried infrastructure. Pezzullo explained that the precision-guided munitions were dropped from high altitude, creating either a single deep shaft or multiple entry points to punch through to the vast subterranean chambers housing uranium enrichment centrifuges. 'They just keep firing them in,' he said. 'Precision-guided, so they'll go into the same hole or create multiple shafts. Once the inner wall is breached, it's all over. 'That compressive energy just destroys everything that's got oxygen in it.' According to Pezzullo, once the MOP reaches the internal halls beneath the mountain, the sheer force of the explosion makes survival or salvage of the facility virtually impossible. 'Well, the speculation and I've got to be careful here because when I was in government, I actually read all the intelligence reports but that is that you're looking at about 60 to 80 metres of protection, and then a 20-metre hall,' he said. 'Once a 2.5-tonne explosive gets into a large hall which has obviously open space and then corridors and ventilation shafts, it's all over at that point. 'In order to ensure that it's a decisive kill, they would have put a number of others in through the same hole until they get through to the cavernous halls where the centrifuges were.' The B-2s involved in the mission flew east from their base in Missouri, crossing the Atlantic and navigating through the Mediterranean. Pezzullo said it appeared likely that the UK was notified ahead of the strike, potentially to allow access to its base in Cyprus in case of emergency. As part of the strike package, fighter jets - possibly including F-22s, F-35s, and electronic attack aircraft - cleared the airspace ahead of the bombers, targeting any Iranian systems that might have posed a threat but principally attacking the deeply buried infrastructure at Fordow.' A full damage assessment is still underway. While some attention has turned to whether Australia was briefed or involved, Pezzullo made clear the lack of consultation was not unusual - and likely a result of the US choosing to fly east. 'If they'd gone west, I think we'd be having a very different conversation,' he explained, noting that previous missions involving B-2 bombers over Yemen took a western route that may have required Australian airspace or logistical support. Pezzullo added that with US military build-up continuing in Northern Australia will eventually need a clearer policy position on how and when it supports allied strikes - not necessarily in executing them, but in providing refuelling, overflight clearance, or basing access. 'I think the government's going to have to come up with a new policy framework to say not only do we concur in the American actions that have taken place, but we were prior notified and we provided support,' he said.
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an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'We aren't a central player in this conflict': Albanese backs US attack on Iran
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran's nuclear program." In response to a question about whether the attacks were in breach of international law, Mr Albanese did not directly answer. "Iran has an interest ... In ensuring that there is not an escalation in the region," he said. "The United States have made clear their position, and we continue to call for dialogue. Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], then circumstances would have been different." He said Australia's support of the US bombings was consistent with comments made over the past week about a need for de-escalation. "We are not a central player in this conflict," he said. The Prime Minister said he remained "deeply concerned about any escalation in the region." "We don't want escalation and a full-scale war," he said. "We've been upfront about the challenge facing the international community that is dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation, and that's why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. "Iran didn't come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations. We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region." When asked if he had been briefed by the Trump administration before the bombings, Mr Albanese repeated: "This was a unilateral action." The Prime Minister's press conference followed criticism by the Coalition for his decision to remain silent in the aftermath of the attacks on Sunday. The government initially released a cautiously worded statement from an unnamed spokesperson, saying Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was a threat to international peace and security while calling for "de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy". Opposition home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie told Sky this "was not good enough." The Prime Minister "should have called a National Security Committee meeting, and he should have stood up and spoken to the Australian people," Mr Hastie said. "This is a very significant moment, and he was nowhere to be seen ... The Coalition supports this military action by the United States." Earlier on Monday, ACT Labor senator and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told ABC Canberra radio: "We certainly support action that's been taken to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon." When asked if this meant US President Donald Trump "did the right thing" in bombing Iran, Senator Gallagher responded: "I'll use the Foreign Minister's language that she's used, because she's the spokesperson for the government on these matters." "I understand people's concerns, it's been raised with me over the weekend," she said. "Most Australians just want to see peace in the Middle East. They don't want to see the loss of civilian lives. "They don't want to see the damage that's been done to communities in the Middle East that we've been witnessing in Gaza and now are seeing in Iran [and] in Lebanon." Senator Wong told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning that Iran "is not in compliance with its obligations under the non-proliferation arrangements that it has signed up to." "What happens now matters ... We do call for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue because the world does not want to see full-scale war in the Middle East." She said about 1300 Australians and their families were registered with DFAT seeking assistance to return to Australia from Israel, along with 2900 Australians and their families trapped in Iran. The government was seeking to make use of a potential window to fly citizens out of Israel if the airspace opened for "a limited period", she said. "In Iran, it is a very difficult situation ... We've deployed Australian officials to the Azerbaijani border, so if Australians do get there, we can provide them with support." Greens defence and foreign affairs spokesperson David Shoebridge blasted the Albanese government for supporting "the illegal bombing of Iran." Senator Shoebridge said the attack was "unprincipled, contrary to international law and another blow to international peace." "The Greens condemn Labor's support for the US attack," he said. "The decision to side with Trump and Netenytanu, reckless warmongers, over the people and peace will follow the Albanese government for decades to come." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran's nuclear program." In response to a question about whether the attacks were in breach of international law, Mr Albanese did not directly answer. "Iran has an interest ... In ensuring that there is not an escalation in the region," he said. "The United States have made clear their position, and we continue to call for dialogue. Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], then circumstances would have been different." He said Australia's support of the US bombings was consistent with comments made over the past week about a need for de-escalation. "We are not a central player in this conflict," he said. The Prime Minister said he remained "deeply concerned about any escalation in the region." "We don't want escalation and a full-scale war," he said. "We've been upfront about the challenge facing the international community that is dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation, and that's why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. "Iran didn't come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations. We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region." When asked if he had been briefed by the Trump administration before the bombings, Mr Albanese repeated: "This was a unilateral action." The Prime Minister's press conference followed criticism by the Coalition for his decision to remain silent in the aftermath of the attacks on Sunday. The government initially released a cautiously worded statement from an unnamed spokesperson, saying Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was a threat to international peace and security while calling for "de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy". Opposition home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie told Sky this "was not good enough." The Prime Minister "should have called a National Security Committee meeting, and he should have stood up and spoken to the Australian people," Mr Hastie said. "This is a very significant moment, and he was nowhere to be seen ... The Coalition supports this military action by the United States." Earlier on Monday, ACT Labor senator and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told ABC Canberra radio: "We certainly support action that's been taken to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon." When asked if this meant US President Donald Trump "did the right thing" in bombing Iran, Senator Gallagher responded: "I'll use the Foreign Minister's language that she's used, because she's the spokesperson for the government on these matters." "I understand people's concerns, it's been raised with me over the weekend," she said. "Most Australians just want to see peace in the Middle East. They don't want to see the loss of civilian lives. "They don't want to see the damage that's been done to communities in the Middle East that we've been witnessing in Gaza and now are seeing in Iran [and] in Lebanon." Senator Wong told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning that Iran "is not in compliance with its obligations under the non-proliferation arrangements that it has signed up to." "What happens now matters ... We do call for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue because the world does not want to see full-scale war in the Middle East." She said about 1300 Australians and their families were registered with DFAT seeking assistance to return to Australia from Israel, along with 2900 Australians and their families trapped in Iran. The government was seeking to make use of a potential window to fly citizens out of Israel if the airspace opened for "a limited period", she said. "In Iran, it is a very difficult situation ... We've deployed Australian officials to the Azerbaijani border, so if Australians do get there, we can provide them with support." Greens defence and foreign affairs spokesperson David Shoebridge blasted the Albanese government for supporting "the illegal bombing of Iran." Senator Shoebridge said the attack was "unprincipled, contrary to international law and another blow to international peace." "The Greens condemn Labor's support for the US attack," he said. "The decision to side with Trump and Netenytanu, reckless warmongers, over the people and peace will follow the Albanese government for decades to come." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran's nuclear program." In response to a question about whether the attacks were in breach of international law, Mr Albanese did not directly answer. "Iran has an interest ... In ensuring that there is not an escalation in the region," he said. "The United States have made clear their position, and we continue to call for dialogue. Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], then circumstances would have been different." He said Australia's support of the US bombings was consistent with comments made over the past week about a need for de-escalation. "We are not a central player in this conflict," he said. The Prime Minister said he remained "deeply concerned about any escalation in the region." "We don't want escalation and a full-scale war," he said. "We've been upfront about the challenge facing the international community that is dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation, and that's why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. "Iran didn't come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations. We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region." When asked if he had been briefed by the Trump administration before the bombings, Mr Albanese repeated: "This was a unilateral action." The Prime Minister's press conference followed criticism by the Coalition for his decision to remain silent in the aftermath of the attacks on Sunday. The government initially released a cautiously worded statement from an unnamed spokesperson, saying Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was a threat to international peace and security while calling for "de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy". Opposition home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie told Sky this "was not good enough." The Prime Minister "should have called a National Security Committee meeting, and he should have stood up and spoken to the Australian people," Mr Hastie said. "This is a very significant moment, and he was nowhere to be seen ... The Coalition supports this military action by the United States." Earlier on Monday, ACT Labor senator and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told ABC Canberra radio: "We certainly support action that's been taken to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon." When asked if this meant US President Donald Trump "did the right thing" in bombing Iran, Senator Gallagher responded: "I'll use the Foreign Minister's language that she's used, because she's the spokesperson for the government on these matters." "I understand people's concerns, it's been raised with me over the weekend," she said. "Most Australians just want to see peace in the Middle East. They don't want to see the loss of civilian lives. "They don't want to see the damage that's been done to communities in the Middle East that we've been witnessing in Gaza and now are seeing in Iran [and] in Lebanon." Senator Wong told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning that Iran "is not in compliance with its obligations under the non-proliferation arrangements that it has signed up to." "What happens now matters ... We do call for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue because the world does not want to see full-scale war in the Middle East." She said about 1300 Australians and their families were registered with DFAT seeking assistance to return to Australia from Israel, along with 2900 Australians and their families trapped in Iran. The government was seeking to make use of a potential window to fly citizens out of Israel if the airspace opened for "a limited period", she said. "In Iran, it is a very difficult situation ... We've deployed Australian officials to the Azerbaijani border, so if Australians do get there, we can provide them with support." Greens defence and foreign affairs spokesperson David Shoebridge blasted the Albanese government for supporting "the illegal bombing of Iran." Senator Shoebridge said the attack was "unprincipled, contrary to international law and another blow to international peace." "The Greens condemn Labor's support for the US attack," he said. "The decision to side with Trump and Netenytanu, reckless warmongers, over the people and peace will follow the Albanese government for decades to come." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran's nuclear program." In response to a question about whether the attacks were in breach of international law, Mr Albanese did not directly answer. "Iran has an interest ... In ensuring that there is not an escalation in the region," he said. "The United States have made clear their position, and we continue to call for dialogue. Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], then circumstances would have been different." He said Australia's support of the US bombings was consistent with comments made over the past week about a need for de-escalation. "We are not a central player in this conflict," he said. The Prime Minister said he remained "deeply concerned about any escalation in the region." "We don't want escalation and a full-scale war," he said. "We've been upfront about the challenge facing the international community that is dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation, and that's why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. "Iran didn't come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations. We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region." When asked if he had been briefed by the Trump administration before the bombings, Mr Albanese repeated: "This was a unilateral action." The Prime Minister's press conference followed criticism by the Coalition for his decision to remain silent in the aftermath of the attacks on Sunday. The government initially released a cautiously worded statement from an unnamed spokesperson, saying Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was a threat to international peace and security while calling for "de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy". Opposition home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie told Sky this "was not good enough." The Prime Minister "should have called a National Security Committee meeting, and he should have stood up and spoken to the Australian people," Mr Hastie said. "This is a very significant moment, and he was nowhere to be seen ... The Coalition supports this military action by the United States." Earlier on Monday, ACT Labor senator and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told ABC Canberra radio: "We certainly support action that's been taken to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon." When asked if this meant US President Donald Trump "did the right thing" in bombing Iran, Senator Gallagher responded: "I'll use the Foreign Minister's language that she's used, because she's the spokesperson for the government on these matters." "I understand people's concerns, it's been raised with me over the weekend," she said. "Most Australians just want to see peace in the Middle East. They don't want to see the loss of civilian lives. "They don't want to see the damage that's been done to communities in the Middle East that we've been witnessing in Gaza and now are seeing in Iran [and] in Lebanon." Senator Wong told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning that Iran "is not in compliance with its obligations under the non-proliferation arrangements that it has signed up to." "What happens now matters ... We do call for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue because the world does not want to see full-scale war in the Middle East." She said about 1300 Australians and their families were registered with DFAT seeking assistance to return to Australia from Israel, along with 2900 Australians and their families trapped in Iran. The government was seeking to make use of a potential window to fly citizens out of Israel if the airspace opened for "a limited period", she said. "In Iran, it is a very difficult situation ... We've deployed Australian officials to the Azerbaijani border, so if Australians do get there, we can provide them with support." Greens defence and foreign affairs spokesperson David Shoebridge blasted the Albanese government for supporting "the illegal bombing of Iran." Senator Shoebridge said the attack was "unprincipled, contrary to international law and another blow to international peace." "The Greens condemn Labor's support for the US attack," he said. "The decision to side with Trump and Netenytanu, reckless warmongers, over the people and peace will follow the Albanese government for decades to come."
