Iranians react after US bombs three nuclear sites in support of Israel
Iranians inside and outside the country have been closely monitoring and reacting to rapidly unfolding events after United States President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of Iran's top nuclear sites amid the ongoing conflict with Israel.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Iran vows retaliation after US strikes on nuclear sites
TEHRAN: Aerial assaults raged between Iran and Israel early Monday, while Tehran vowed retaliation over the bunker-buster bombs American warplanes unleashed at the weekend on three nuclear sites. US President Donald Trump insisted the attack had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear capabilities, but other officials said it was too soon to determine how significantly Tehran's nuclear programme had been impacted. As the world awaited Iran's reply, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the bombing campaign Israel launched on June 13 'a big mistake'. 'The Zionist enemy... is being punished right now,' Khamenei wrote on social media. Sirens sounded across Israel and Iran early Monday as the arch enemies exchanged their latest round of fire. The Israeli army said it was intercepting missiles from Iran, while Iranian state media Fars said the air defence system was working to counter a drone attack. In a sign of possible nervousness about the conflict spilling into a wider regional war, oil prices jumped by more than four percent in early trading on Monday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to help deter Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. With Iran threatening US bases in the Middle East, the State Department issued a worldwide alert cautioning Americans abroad. 'The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad,' the department's security alert said. It made no mention of the US strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. 'Regime change' In central Tehran on Sunday, protesters waved flags and chanted slogans against US and Israeli attacks. In the province of Semnan east of the capital, 46-year-old housewife Samireh told AFP she was 'truly shocked' by the strikes. 'Semnan province is very far from the nuclear facilities targeted, but I'm very concerned for the people who live near,' she said. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US strikes revealed Washington was 'behind' Israel's campaign against the Islamic republic and vowed a response. After the Pentagon stressed that the goal of American intervention was not to topple the Iranian government, Trump openly toyed with the idea. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. 'But if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Hours later he doubled down on emphasising the success of his strikes. 'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!' Trump wrote, without sharing the images he was referencing. 'The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!' he added. At a Pentagon press briefing earlier in the day, top US general Dan Caine said that while it would be 'way too early' for him to determine the level of destruction, 'initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage.' Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said his country's bombardments will 'finish' once the stated objectives of destroying Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities have been achieved. 'We are very, very close to completing them,' he told reporters. 'Grave consequences' In response to the US attack, which used over a dozen massive 'bunker buster' bombs, Iran's armed forces targeted sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, with at least 23 people wounded. Nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed Sunday in Israeli attacks on central Iran, local media reported, while three people were killed after an ambulance was struck. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people, Iran's health ministry said. Iran's attacks on Israel have killed 24 people, according to official figures. Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that craters were visible at the Fordo facility, but it had not been possible to assess the underground damage. He added that 'armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked.' The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticised the US strikes and called for de-escalation, while France, Germany and Britain called on Tehran 'not to take any further action that could destabilise the region.' North Korea, which is also at odds with Washington over its own nuclear weapons, condemned the US strikes as a violation of the United Nations charter. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of deciding to 'blow up' nuclear diplomacy with its intervention in the war. He headed to Moscow on Sunday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Sunday, Russia, China and Pakistan circulated a draft resolution with other Security Council members that calls for an 'immediate ceasefire' in Iran.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Belgium wants NATO flexibility following Spain's ‘noisy' outburst
BRUSSELS: Belgium on Monday said it was seeking 'maximum flexibility' from NATO on ramped-up defence spending targets to be agreed at a summit this week after fellow laggard Spain insisted it had won an exception. Madrid said on Sunday it would not need to hit the five percent of GDP demanded by US President Donald Trump, setting up a potential clash at a two-day gathering starting on Tuesday in The Hague. On Monday Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told local media that while Brussels had to show 'willingness to get back in line' after years of underspending, the target was beyond its 'budgetary reach'. 'We may not have done so by making a noisy statement like Spain, but I can assure you that for weeks our diplomats have been working hard to obtain the flexibility mechanisms... that could help to lighten the burden of the Belgian effort,' he told RTBF radio. 'We're asking for maximum flexibility'. Under a deal greenlit by NATO countries Sunday, allies promise to reach 3.5 percent on core military needs over the next decade, and spend 1.5 percent on a looser category of 'defence-related' expenditures such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. The pledge is seen as key both to satisfying Trump -- who has threatened not to protect allies spending too little -- and helping NATO build up the forces it needs to deter Russia. Multiple diplomats at NATO said the agreement -- set to be unveiled at the summit -- had gone through with the approval of all 32 nations and that there was no exemption for Madrid. But Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez contended he had struck an accord that would see his country keep respecting its commitments 'without having to raise our defence spending to five percent of gross domestic product'. The centre-left leader later posted online a letter from NATO chief Mark Rutte confirming the agreement 'will give Spain the flexibility to determine its own sovereign path' for reaching the alliance's military capability requirements. But a NATO diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity Monday said there was 'no opt-out'. 'It is always the case that Allies have the sovereign right to determine how they'll deliver on their commitments,' the diplomat told AFP. Belgium, like Spain, has been one of the lowest-spending NATO countries on defence in relative terms. It currently spends 1.3 percent of GDP on defence, well below the current target of two percent that the government has pledged to reach.
Daily Express
an hour ago
- Daily Express
Israel says struck military sites in west Iran
Published on: Monday, June 23, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jun 23, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: More than 15 Israeli fighter jets had struck the Kermanshah area in western Iran. (AP pic) JERUSALEM: Israel's military said it struck surface-to-surface missile launch sites in western Iran today, as fighting between the two foes raged for the 11th day. The military said in a statement that more than 15 fighter jets had struck the Kermanshah area in western Iran, 'neutralising a number of surface-to-surface missile launch and storage sites aimed toward Israeli territory'. In an earlier statement, it said the air force was 'currently striking military infrastructure sites in Kermanshah in Iran'. Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on June 13 targeting its missile and nuclear facilities, as well as military leaders and security services. Aerial assaults raged between the two foes early today, while Tehran vowed retaliation over the bunker-buster bombs American warplanes unleashed at the weekend on three nuclear sites. US President Donald Trump insisted the attack had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear capabilities, but other officials said it was too soon to determine how significantly Tehran's nuclear programme had been impacted. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
