US attacks Iran LIVE updates: Trump joins Israel's war after bombing Iran's nuclear facilities; Iranian top diplomat to meet Vladimir Putin
Go to latest
The latest on the crisis in the Middle East
The United States yesterday launched an assault on three nuclear sites in Iran, bringing the US directly into a conflict that threatens to escalate.
US President Donald Trump claimed in an address to the American people that nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and – crucially – Fordow, the 'nuclear mountain' that could only be penetrated by American military technology, had been 'completely and totally obliterated'.
Trump said he hoped that Iran would engage in peace talks, but he also threatened any retaliatory action would be met with force and lead to 'tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days'.
Overnight, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said America 'does not seek war' with Iran despite entering the latest Middle East conflict on the side of Israel.
What comes next? Iran's top diplomat will travel to Moscow today to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The International Atomic Energy Agency called an emergency meeting as fears grow of escalation in the Middle East. As for Trump? North America correspondent Michael Koziol writes: 'Despite his declaration of success, it is too soon to tell whether this was a master stroke or a mistake.'
How will Iran respond? The regime has threatened a full and ferocious response with 'everlasting consequences', and had already flagged its intention to target US military and diplomatic sites if America entered the war. However, Iran's options are limited, according to Middle East and security analyst Rodger Shahanan, who writes: 'It is relatively weak militarily and Israel has air supremacy. Iran's armed non-state supporting actors have either been degraded, or internal political or broader national considerations have forced them to critically re-evaluate that support.'
What about the enriched uranium? A senior Iranian source has told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium had been removed from the Fordow nuclear facility before the US attack. Experts have said chemical contamination was the most likely consequence of damage to Iranian nuclear facilities, but the prospect of nuclear fallout or widespread contamination was low. More on this from science reporter Angus Dalton here.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day.
Map: Nuclear sites hit by US military bombing raid
4.14am
Decoys and bunker-busters: How America attacked Iran
Here is a little more information to have come out of a Pentagon briefing overnight.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided some extraordinary detail about the US mission to hit Iran's nuclear sites.
They described an extensive operation that included 125 aircraft overall, strikes by Tomahawk missiles launched from a US submarine and the use of 14 massive ordnance penetrator – or bunker-buster – bombs, which were used for the first time in combat.
Potentially the most interesting part, though, was when they spoke of how the US used decoy planes to draw attention so that B-2 bombers could more easily evade flight trackers and slip into Iranian airspace.
4.11am
More details of Operation Midnight Hammer released
At a Pentagon media briefing overnight, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said America 'does not seek war' with Iran despite appearing to enter the latest Middle East conflict on the side of Israel.
Hegseth used the briefing to divulge more details of Sunday's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. The mission, called 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance, Hegseth and Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.
Seven B-2 bombers flew for 18 hours from the United States into Iran to drop 14 bunker-buster bombs, Caine said. In total, the US launched 75 precision-guided munitions, including more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles, and more than 125 military aircraft.
The attack was made without the knowledge or support of Congress. Hegseth said the Pentagon only notified US lawmakers about the operation after American aircraft had left Iran.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
20 minutes ago
- The Age
Australia supports strike on Iran nuclear facilities, Wong says
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government supports the United States' strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Sydney Morning Herald
21 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia supports strike on Iran nuclear facilities, Wong says
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government supports the United States' strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Perth Now
34 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Australia's big call on Iran strikes
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed the Australian government's support for the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday. Donald Trump confirmed the strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities on Sunday, saying the US had dropped a 'full payload of bombs'. Labor did not hold a press conference on Sunday following the strikes, instead issuing comment via a government spokesperson acknowledging Mr Trump's statement while continuing calls for 'de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy'. Asked on Today on Monday morning whether the government supported the strike on Iran, Senator Wong said they 'support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon'. 'And that is what this is – so your answer, the answer is yes,' she said. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said Australia supports the US' strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. NewsWire / Brenton Edwards Credit: News Corp Australia 'I've said that upfront.' Host Karl Stefanovic pressed Senator Wong on whether support for the US strike contradicted the government's position of advocating for de-escalation. 'Oh, what I said was Iran had to come to the negotiating table, and we urged Iran to come back to the negotiating table and engage in diplomacy,' Senator Wong said. 'It's the same thing – I think the US President was saying it's the same thing, that Prime Minister Starmer was saying it's the same thing … but we are where we are now. 'The question is what happens next.' Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie promptly shared a joint statement on Sunday, saying the Coalition 'stands with the United States of America today'. 'The Coalition supports actions taken by the United States of America to ensure that the Iranian regime is stopped from acquiring nuclear weapons,' it said. 'While Australians will never seek conflict in the world, we can never forget that the Iranian regime is a militantly theocratic autocracy. 'It expressly seeks the destruction of our allies, enacts extrajudicial killings of political dissidents and brutally represses the rights of women and girls. 'It is the Iranian people who are the victims of this brutal regime and we stand in solidarity with them.' More to come
