Iran vows revenge on US, threatening to block vital shipping lane
Monitors are concerned over the whereabouts of 400kg of 60 per cent enriched uranium, enough with modest further refining for nine nuclear warheads. The uranium, which Iran has declared to the United Nations, is believed to have been moved to a safe location.
JD Vance, the US vice-president, appeared to confirm this, telling ABC News: 'We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel. They no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile of highly enriched uranium to weapons-grade uranium.'
Of more immediate concern is the 400kg of enriched uranium. 'I think those cylinders of 60 per cent highly enriched uranium are the most valuable asset in Iran right now,' said Ian Stewart, who monitors Iran's nuclear programme at the James Martin Centre for Non-proliferation Studies in Washington.
He said that Iran could have kept some enrichment centrifuges at a separate location, to enable the uranium to be processed further for a warhead. As it is at present, it could be fashioned into a crude bomb.
Around 950 Iranians, including security force personnel, have so far been killed by Israeli strikes, a Washington-based human rights group has said.
Over 3,400 people have also been injured, according to the Human Rights Activists group, which cross-checks local reports with its sources in Iran.
It said it had identified 380 of the dead as civilians and 253 as members of the Iranian security forces. It did not identify the remainder
Iran's health ministry said on Saturday that 400 people had been killed across the country and another 3,000 injured.
Air defence systems were firing early on Monday in Tehran, state media reported, while explosions were also heard in the nearby city of Karaj.
A social media account associated with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave little indication that Tehran was preparing to surrender. The punishment continues,' read a post that was illustrated with an image showing missile strikes on Israel.
Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian foreign minister, is expected to hold talks in Moscow today with President Putin over the war with Israel.
Iran, which has provided Russia with drones and missiles for its war in Ukraine, is a major Kremlin ally. Russia also maintains close links with Israel, however.
Although Moscow and Tehran signed a strategic partnership deal in January, it does not include a mutual defence pact.
The point was highlighted on Sunday by Russian state television, which stressed that: 'In the event either party is subject to aggression, the other party shall not provide any military or other assistance to the aggressor.'
Although Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is now a senior national security council official, has said 'a number of countries' are prepared to provide Iran with nuclear warheads, Putin has been far less bellicose in his comments.
'Judging by Putin's statements in recent days, he is extremely cautious. Maximally so,' said Fyodor Lukyanov, the head of Russia's Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, which advises the Kremlin.
Praise for President Trump came from his estranged former vice-president Mike Pence, who campaigned against him in last year's contest for the Republican nomination.
'I couldn't be more proud of President Trump's decisive leadership in this moment or the extraordinary professionalism and courage of our armed forces that brought about this historic mission,' Pence told Fox News, adding that he knew Trump was prepared to bomb the nuclear sites in the absence of real concessions from Iran. It was 'really a continuation of the policies of our administration where we isolated Iran as never before,' he said.
Pushed in whether he regretted saying he would not support Trump's reelection, Pence added: 'I'm not in the rearview mirror today … I really do want to commend President Trump and his entire national security team for doing what really needed to be done. The very idea that the most dangerous regime in the world would have possession of the most dangerous weapons on Earth has been intolerable.'
Iran launched missiles towards Israel, including at Tel Aviv, early on Monday as the conflict between the two countries entered its 11th day.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and the Israeli military gave the all-clear after just a few minutes. It was unclear how many missiles Iran had launched.
At least 24 people have been killed in Israel, but there have been no fatalities since June 16.
When Iranian missiles have evaded Israel's air defences, they have caused massive damage to civilian infrastructure, including at a hospital in Beersheba, a city in southern Israel that was hit last week.
In Tel Aviv, some people, especially those with small children, left the city when Israel first attacked Iran on June 13, sparking the biggest conflict in the Middle East for years.
Others immediately rush for bomb shelters or safe rooms when air raid sirens wail. The Israeli military has also produced an app that gives warnings of incoming missiles.
North Korea condemned the US strikes on Iran, calling them a violation of the United Nations charter and blaming the tension in the Middle East on the 'reckless valour of Israel'.
'The Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the US, which severely violated the UN Charter with respect for sovereignty,' said a spokesperson of the North's foreign ministry, according to a statement carried by the state news agency.
'The just international community should raise the voice of unanimous censure and rejection against the US and Israel's confrontational acts,' the statement said.
Some of President Trump's most loyal Maga cheerleaders are trying to make sense of his post last night suggesting regime change for Iran.
Trump posted that 'if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!'
The idea of US-sponsored regime change is anathema to a swath of Trump's support base who are perplexed by his post on Truth Social. It also contradicted flat denials that regime change is a consideration, made by JD Vance, the VP, and Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State.
Charlie Kirk, founder of the pro-Trump youth movement Turning Point USA, chided Maga supporters criticising Trump, interpreting the post as talking about a 'bottom-up revolution' which 'rises from the will of the people.'
But he nevertheless warned: 'America cannot get involved in a forceful decapitation effort in Persia.'Matt Gaetz, a former Florida congressman Trump nominated but withdrew for US attorney-general, cautioned on X: 'Just remember: every regime change war has been extremely popular at the start. But the historical trajectory isn't good.'
President Trump responded to growing debate about the extent of damage done by the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in a post late last night.
'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!' Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to his own description of the impact in the immediate aftermath. His senior general, Dan 'Razin' Caine, was more cautious on Sunday morning, saying that 'final battle damage will take some time but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.'
In his post, Trump continued: 'The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!'
Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane, as the world braces for retaliation for President Trump's bombing of the regime's three key nuclear installations.
The parliament in Tehran voted to block the strait, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil supply passes, but Iran's leaders also said they may pause and plan more devastating responses.
Although Saturday night's strikes are presumed to have caused huge damage to the three sites, Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, Iran said that its nuclear programme would continue.
Israel's prime minister said Israel will not end the war with Iran before it has eliminated its nuclear and missile threat.
Speaking in a prerecorded press conference broadcast on Israeli news channels late Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is 'committed to achieving our goals. When those goals are met, the operation will end and the fighting will stop,' with the caveat that the war would not continue 'beyond what is necessary.'
Netanyahu said Israel had taken out over half of Iran's missile launchers as the country's air force operated in new Iranian territory on Sunday.
He also vowed a new dawn in the Middle East, with a 'massive expansion of peace agreements,' hinting at a much sought-after normalisation with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.
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