‘Gone': US move stopped world in its tracks
The United States has joined Israel's war against Iran, with President Donald Trump announcing American warplanes had dropped bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran.
The three sites that were hit included Iran's mountain facility at Fordo, the heavily fortified underground facility in Iran that is critical to its nuclear program, and a larger plant at Natanz, which had already been targeted by Iran.
The third site was at Isfahan, which is where Iran is believed to keep its near-bomb-grade enriched uranium.
'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,' Mr Trump announced on social media.
Later in a speech at the White House, Mr Trump said the attack's objective was 'the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capability and a stop to the world's number one state sponsor of terror'.
'I can report to the world the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,' he said.
'Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.'
Retired US army officer John Spencer has told the ABC News the 13 tonne massive ordnance penetrators used in the attack could strike about 60 metres into the ground.
'Fordow is anywhere from 30-400 feet (nine to 121m deep). It's not one small site; it's multiple sites. We'll learn later how many bunker busters were dropped,' he said.
Iran built the facility at Fordo in the 2000s, knowing that it needed to bury it deep to prevent it from being attacked.
Iranian state media reported the three nuclear sites had been evacuated 'some time ago'.
An official also told the IRNA news agency: 'There are no materials in these three nuclear sites that cause radiation.'
Many believed the bombing could stop the potential of a weaonpised nuclear bomb from being created.
US security analyst Mike Lyons told the ABC News the attack on Fordow meant Iran's nuclear program was now crippled and its uranium 'enrichment program is over, that they won't have any capability to create a weaponised nuclear bomb'.
Israel had claimed Iran was rapidly nearing the capability of creating nuclear weapons, which Iran had denied alleging it was for a peaceful purposes such as a civilian power program.
The US intelligence community has determined Iran's leaders were not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, but did describe its uranium stockpile as unprecedented.
CBS news is also reporting that the US had reached out to Iran diplomatically on Saturday to indicate the strikes on nuclear facilities is the only attack planned by Washington and it wasn't seeking to force a regime change.
Mr Trump 'continues to hold out hope that diplomacy will now be able to proceed', according to CNN network's sources.
However, Mr Spencer warned that Iran could still go the 'irrational route' and retaliate.
'It could go with Hezbollah, which still has a lot of capabilities, against Israel, (and where) there are hundred of thousands of American citizens,' he said.
'It could (activate) Shia-backed militia groups in Iraq to attack American bases. It's ballistic program, which is about 50 per cent destroyed, it could make that fatal mistake of launching ballistic missiles at American bases within its range.'
Other experts argue that Iran might see a disproportionate attack as the only way to deter further strikes and could target American bases.
Jonathan Panikoff, the director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said Iran could seek full retaliation, which would mean 'a significant escalatory spiral that could get out of hand quickly'.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee, who heads the IDF's Arab media unit, indicated that it is anticipating a reliatory attack and issued a warning.
'It was decided to move all regions of the country to the level of essential work,' he wrote on X.
'The instructions include prohibiting educational activities, gatherings, and work centres, with the exception of essential work areas.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video in response to the US attack on Iran.
'Congratulations President Trump,' he said.
'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.'
'(The United States) has done what no other country on Earth could do,' he continues.
'That President Trump acted to deny the world's most regime the world's most dangerous weapons.'
Meanwhile, the reaction from US politicians has been mixed.
Republican Senate leader John Thune supported the bombing declaring 'the misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped'.
'As we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm's way,' he wrote on X.
There are more than 40,000 US troops and civilians working for the Pentagon in the Middle East, across several countries and they could be in Iran's direct line of fire depending on the country's response.
While the US had pulled personnel out of the Middle East earlier this month, the largest land base, according to The Washington Post, is the Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq – about 240 kilometres west of Baghdad.
It houses thousands of troops and has been attacked in the past by Iran. US troops are also in other locations include Jordan, Syria, Turkey and the Persian Gulf.
Omar Rahman, from the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, told the ABC that Iran is likely to retaliate and the US attack could push it further towards its nuclear program.
'Iran has its back to the wall for the moment and it needs to retaliate to show some sort of credibility for the regime,' he said.
'I think you're going to see some sort of military response here against US assets and military installations in the region
That could be against aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, it could be against any number of the bases and tens of thousands of US soldiers stationed in the region.'
Meanwhile, Republican senator Lindsey Graham described it as 'the right call' adding the 'regime deserves it'.
However, Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie said the US attack was 'not constitutional'.
US senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders condemned the attack as 'so grossly unconstitutional'.
'All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the US Congress. The president does not have the right,' he said.
Back in Australia, The Greens labelled the attack a 'blatant breach of international law'.
'From Iraq to Afghanistan, we have seen Australia follow the US into devastating and brutal wars that have done untold damage to the people of the Middle East. We know that you cannot bomb your way to peace,' Greens leader Larissa Waters said.
'Australia must always work for peace and de-escalation. Australia is not powerless, and we cannot be involved in another brutal war in the Middle East.
'Australia must take this opportunity to get out of AUKUS, have an independent foreign policy that centres peace, and must not allow the use of Australian US military bases like Pine Gap in this conflict.'
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I think they were very close to having one,' Trump said on Air Force One last week.
