Iran nuclear sites strikes may raise UK terror risk
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted its nuclear programme will not be stopped.
Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog said there are no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes.
Speaking to Sky News this morning Mr Reynolds the UK was not involved in the strikes against Iran but was informed in advance by the US.
He said "no request was made" was made to the UK by the US for support.
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He told Sky News: "We were not and have not been involved in these attacks."
But asked about the potential risk to the UK, he added: 'This is not hypothetical. There is not a week goes by without some sort of Iranian cyber attack on a key part of UK critical national infrastructure.
'There is Iranian activity on the streets of the UK, which is wholly unacceptable.'
He added: 'It's already at a significant level. I think it would be naive to say that that wouldn't potentially increase.
'But again, there's a choice here for Iran: Do they want to continue being an agent of instability in the region and the wider world? Where has that got them? Where has it got the Iranian people?
'There's a better course of action for Iran to take here, and I think they should consider that.'
His intervenition comes as politicians reacted to the US strikes.
John Swinney has said the UK must push for a diplomatic solution following the US strikes on Iran's nuclear programme.
Posting on X, John Swinney said: "The Middle East conflict has reached an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran.
The conflict must be stopped by a diplomatic solution delivered through the international community. And the UK Government must insist on that now."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said today: "Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security.
"Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.
"The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority.
"We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis."
Ireland's deputy premier said a dangerous escalation between Iran and Israel is now "more real and more likely than ever before".
Simon Harris, who is also the Irish foreign affairs minister, called for a de-escalation and negotiated solution on Iran's nuclear capabilities.
He said that staff from the Irish embassy in Tehran left Iran on Friday, and that he was being updated on Irish peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon.
"I am closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East following military action by the United States on three nuclear facilities in Iran overnight," Mr Harris said.
"The risk of an extremely dangerous spiral of escalation in relation to Iran and Israel is now more real and more likely than ever before.
"There is an urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy. This has been the focus of my engagement with EU partners and countries in the region since this current crisis began. It will remain Ireland's priority in the hours and days ahead."
He added: "Europe, including Ireland, is fully united in the clear view that Iran should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
"The way to address this was always through a negotiated solution. Any alternative to that is simply too dangerous for civilians, for the Middle East region and for global security.
"The comment from the International Atomic Energy Agency this morning is a stark reminder of these dangers.
"While there is no initial reporting of any increase in off-site radiation levels as a result of overnight developments, it is a warning as to how easily that could change should further escalation occur, and the disaster that could pose."
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said US air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were "absolutely essential".
Dame Priti told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: "America's actions were absolutely essential.
"We have got to the stage, as we've seen in the last nine days or so, where Iran coming to the negotiation table simply was not happening in any constructive way.
"We had the IAEA report disclosing the extent to which Iran's capabilities on nuclear were just increasing and they went beyond civilian capabilities.
"So these strikes were essential, I think the strikes from both Israel and from the United States - it's quite clear that the American military was the only military capable of literally dropping those bombs on Fordo."
The Witham MP added: "Iran is a terrorist state. They sponsor proxies.
"They harm us, for a start, they harm the UK and our interests, as well as chants of 'death to America' and their objective, which has always been to eliminate the state of Israel, which is simply not acceptable."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: "By targeting Iran's nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK.
"Iranian operatives have plotted murders and attacks on British soil.
"We should stand firmly with the US and Israel."
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage backed Donald Trump's decision to strike Iran.
He said: 'Reform UK stands behind the military actions of the USA overnight.
'Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, the future of Israel depends on it.'
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US signals willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid prolonged war
President Donald Trump, who had addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, allowed his national security team to speak for him the next morning, staying quiet on social media and scheduling no public appearances. The co-ordinated messaging by his vice president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout from the attack would be manageable and that Iran's lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that America 'does not seek war' with Iran while vice president JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington. Operation Midnight Hammer 'involved decoys and deception and met with no Iranian resistance', according to Mr Hegseth and air force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 'This mission was not and has not been about regime change,' Mr Hegseth added. Gen Caine said the goal of the operation – destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – had been achieved. 'Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' Gen Caine said. Mr Vance said in a television interview that while he would not discuss 'sensitive intelligence about what we've seen on the ground', he felt 'very confident that we've substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon'. Pressed further, he told NBC's Meet the Press that 'I think that we have really pushed their programme back by a very long time. I think that it's going to be many, many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon'. The vice president said the US had 'negotiated aggressively' with Iran to try to find a peaceful settlement and that Mr Trump made his decision after assessing the Iranians were not acting 'in good faith'. 'I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbours, not to a threat to the United States, and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears,' Mr Vance said. Secretary of state Marco Rubio said on CBS's Face the Nation that 'there are no planned military operations right now against Iran, unless, unless they mess around and they attack' US interests. Mr Trump has previously threatened other countries, but often backed down or failed to follow through, given his promises to his coalition of voters not to entangle the United States in an extended war. It was not immediately clear whether Iran saw the avoidance of a wider conflict as in its best interests. Much of the world is absorbing the consequences of the strikes and the risk that they could lead to more fighting across the Middle East after the US inserted itself into the war between Israel and Iran. Air strikes starting on June 12 by Israel that targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and generals prompted retaliation from Iran, creating a series of events that contributed to the US attack. While US officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticised the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Washington was 'fully responsible' for whatever actions Tehran may take in response. 'They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,' he said at a news conference in Turkey. 'I don't know how much room is left for diplomacy.' China and Russia, where Mr Araghchi was heading for talks with President Vladimir Putin, condemned the US military action. The attacks were 'a gross violation of international law', said Russia's Foreign Ministry, which also advocated 'returning the situation to a political and diplomatic course'. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading to 'a global level'. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies, but that he was focused on finding a solution. The leaders of Italy, Canada, Germany and France agreed on the need for 'a rapid resumption of negotiations'. France's Emmanuel Macron held talks with the Saudi crown prince and sultan of Oman. Iran could try to stop oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, which could create the same kind of inflationary shocks that the world felt after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Oil prices have increased in the financial markets as the war between Israel and Iran had intensified, climbing by 21% over the past month. The Pentagon briefing did not provide any new details about Iran's nuclear capabilities. Mr Hegseth said the timeline for the strikes was the result of a schedule set by Mr Trump for talks with Iran about its nuclear ambitions. 'Iran found out' that when Mr Trump 'says 60 days that he seeks peace and negotiation, he means 60 days of peace and negotiation', Mr Hegseth said. 'Otherwise, that nuclear programme, that new nuclear capability will not exist. He meant it.' — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025 That statement was complicated as the White House had suggested last Thursday that Mr Trump could take as much as two weeks to determine whether to strike Iran or continue to pursue negotiations. But the US benefited from Iran's weakened air defences as it was able to conduct the attacks without resistance from Iran. 'Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission,' Gen Caine said. Mr Hegseth said that a choice to move a number of B-2 bombers from their base in Missouri earlier Saturday was meant to be a decoy to throw off Iranians. He added that the US used other methods of deception as well, deploying fighters to protect the B-2 bombers that dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Iran's site at Fordo.
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
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US signals willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid prolonged war
President Donald Trump, who had addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, allowed his national security team to speak for him the next morning, staying quiet on social media and scheduling no public appearances. The co-ordinated messaging by his vice president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout from the attack would be manageable and that Iran's lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that America 'does not seek war' with Iran while vice president JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington. Operation Midnight Hammer 'involved decoys and deception and met with no Iranian resistance', according to Mr Hegseth and air force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 'This mission was not and has not been about regime change,' Mr Hegseth added. Gen Caine said the goal of the operation – destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – had been achieved. 'Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' Gen Caine said. Mr Vance said in a television interview that while he would not discuss 'sensitive intelligence about what we've seen on the ground', he felt 'very confident that we've substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon'. Pressed further, he told NBC's Meet the Press that 'I think that we have really pushed their programme back by a very long time. I think that it's going to be many, many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon'. The vice president said the US had 'negotiated aggressively' with Iran to try to find a peaceful settlement and that Mr Trump made his decision after assessing the Iranians were not acting 'in good faith'. 'I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbours, not to a threat to the United States, and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears,' Mr Vance said. Secretary of state Marco Rubio said on CBS's Face the Nation that 'there are no planned military operations right now against Iran, unless, unless they mess around and they attack' US interests. Mr Trump has previously threatened other countries, but often backed down or failed to follow through, given his promises to his coalition of voters not to entangle the United States in an extended war. It was not immediately clear whether Iran saw the avoidance of a wider conflict as in its best interests. Much of the world is absorbing the consequences of the strikes and the risk that they could lead to more fighting across the Middle East after the US inserted itself into the war between Israel and Iran. Air strikes starting on June 12 by Israel that targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and generals prompted retaliation from Iran, creating a series of events that contributed to the US attack. While US officials urged caution and stressed that only nuclear sites were targeted by Washington, Iran criticised the actions as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Washington was 'fully responsible' for whatever actions Tehran may take in response. 'They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,' he said at a news conference in Turkey. 'I don't know how much room is left for diplomacy.' China and Russia, where Mr Araghchi was heading for talks with President Vladimir Putin, condemned the US military action. The attacks were 'a gross violation of international law', said Russia's Foreign Ministry, which also advocated 'returning the situation to a political and diplomatic course'. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading to 'a global level'. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies, but that he was focused on finding a solution. The leaders of Italy, Canada, Germany and France agreed on the need for 'a rapid resumption of negotiations'. France's Emmanuel Macron held talks with the Saudi crown prince and sultan of Oman. Iran could try to stop oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, which could create the same kind of inflationary shocks that the world felt after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Oil prices have increased in the financial markets as the war between Israel and Iran had intensified, climbing by 21% over the past month. The Pentagon briefing did not provide any new details about Iran's nuclear capabilities. Mr Hegseth said the timeline for the strikes was the result of a schedule set by Mr Trump for talks with Iran about its nuclear ambitions. 'Iran found out' that when Mr Trump 'says 60 days that he seeks peace and negotiation, he means 60 days of peace and negotiation', Mr Hegseth said. 'Otherwise, that nuclear programme, that new nuclear capability will not exist. He meant it.' — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025 That statement was complicated as the White House had suggested last Thursday that Mr Trump could take as much as two weeks to determine whether to strike Iran or continue to pursue negotiations. But the US benefited from Iran's weakened air defences as it was able to conduct the attacks without resistance from Iran. 'Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission,' Gen Caine said. Mr Hegseth said that a choice to move a number of B-2 bombers from their base in Missouri earlier Saturday was meant to be a decoy to throw off Iranians. He added that the US used other methods of deception as well, deploying fighters to protect the B-2 bombers that dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Iran's site at Fordo.
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
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Efforts under way to evacuate Irish citizens from Israel
Simon Harris, Ireland's foreign affairs minister, said an operation was ongoing to evacuate 15 Irish citizens and their dependants from Israel, working with EU member states. He said they were working with a smaller number of citizens in Iran who had requested an evacuation. Around 29 Irish citizens in Iran had registered with the Irish embassy and around 200 in Israel. I'm deeply concerned by the very real risk of an extremely dangerous spiral of escalation now in the Middle East. Urgent de-escalation & diplomacy are crucial. I will travel to Brussels to meet European counterparts. My full statement on latest developments is below. ⬇️ — Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 22, 2025 Mr Harris said he spoke to Iran's deputy foreign minister on Sunday, at their request, who was 'full of anger'. 'He did say to me that it was the view of Iran that the aggressors would have to learn lessons and pay a price,' he told reporters at Government Buildings. 'Of course I articulated in the strongest possible terms that Ireland and the European Union doesn't want to see that, we want to see people step back from the brink and engage in dialogue.' Mr Harris said the US strikes on Iran had made a 'volatile situation even more dangerous' and added an 'extra layer of complexity' to what was already a 'tinderbox'. Irish premier Micheal Martin and Mr Harris have both called for an 'urgent' de-escalation and a negotiated solution over Iran's nuclear facilities. They said they are in close contact with their European counterparts before a meeting of EU foreign leaders on Monday and of EU leaders later in the week. 'Diplomacy and dialogue is ultimately the only way to resolve these issues,' Mr Martin said. 'Iran should commit not to develop nuclear weapons and disavow its nuclear and uranium enrichment programme. 'Nuclear safety is an issue here, modern warfare is very destructive. It is civilians who ultimately suffer, and that is why we need an end to these wars and bring an end to conflict.' There is an urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue & diplomacy in the Middle East. Iran should unequivocally disavow the development of nuclear weapons. A negotiated solution is the way forward. We remain in close contact with international partners ahead of the EU Council. — Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 22, 2025 Mr Martin said the escalation on Sunday should not draw attention away from the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. 'We shouldn't lose sight of the catastrophe that is still unfolding in Gaza while the war between Iran and Israel continues,' he said. 'What is happening in Gaza is appalling and a breach of international humanitarian law, and again, innocent civilians and children are being starved there, and we need that to come to an end.' Staff from Ireland's embassy in Tehran left the country on Friday as the embassy was closed, and updates are being provided on more than 300 Irish peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon. Mr Harris said there were no plans to withdraw Irish troops and that 'decisions are being made constantly' to ensure their safety. When asked whether he supported US President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran, Mr Harris said: 'I think it's resulted in an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox. 'We're now entering a moment of particular danger, because I think the chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.' He said there was only a 'very small' number of Irish citizens, many dual nationals, seeking an evacuation, and they were working with European counterparts. He said a significant update on this would be available in the hours ahead. 'Thank god we woke this morning to the International Atomic Energy Agency saying they haven't detected any increase in radiation,' he told RTE Radio. 'But imagine if we were waking up this morning to a situation where radiation levels were extraordinarily high, and the health and human danger that that would have presented far beyond Iran as well. So this is an extraordinarily dangerous time.' He said that it was 'sadly true' that international legal norms are not being adhered to, citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel's 'genocidal activity' in Palestine and now the Iran-Israel conflict. He said there was a diplomatic process in train and his understanding from readouts was 'there was a commitment from the Iranian side to further talks'. Mr Harris said Ireland and Europe are 'fully united in the clear view' that Iran should not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. 'The way to address this was always through a negotiated solution. Any alternative to that is simply too dangerous for civilians, for the Middle East region and for global security. 'Together with my EU counterparts, we will in the coming hours and days discuss and review the latest developments and consider the next steps Europe can usefully play to support de-escalation.' Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan said people woke up on Sunday 'terrified, really, to be quite honest, about the prospect of what's unfolding'. He told RTE's The Week In Politics it is 'terrifying' for citizens in Iran and Israel. 'It does take great people to make leaps of faith in particular places in time to come forward, whether it was in relation to (Anwar el-Sadat) in Egypt, and later on in relation to Bill Clinton and what he did, we do now require people to actually get people around the table,' he said. 'Because, ultimately, as the Taoiseach said, this is terrifying – not only for the innocent communities that are living in both countries, but as well as that for the neighbouring countries in the Middle East, who we obviously all hope are not drawn into a much bigger conflict.'
