Iran attacks US military base in Qatar, after vowing response to strikes on nuclear sites
The Middle East crisis has intensified after Iran struck back against the United States following recent US actions targeting its nuclear programme. This critical development escalates an already volatile situation, building on weeks of rising tensions between arch-rivals Iran and Israel – and now, Israel's key ally, the United States.
Since June 13, Israel and Iran have exchanged wave after wave of devastating and deadly strikes. Israel launched its aerial campaign asserting that Tehran is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran, however, vehemently denies these claims, maintaining that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
Follow live updates here as the world reacts to this critical and rapidly unfolding development.
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South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
US strikes on Iran didn't destroy nuclear programme, early assessment finds
A preliminary US intelligence assessment has determined that American strikes over the weekend on Iranian nuclear facilities have set back Tehran's programme by only a matter of months, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. The initial report was prepared by the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's main intelligence arm and one of 18 US intelligence agencies, said two of the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss classified matters. The classified assessment is at odds with the statements of US President Donald Trump and high-ranking US officials – including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. They have said the weekend strikes, which used a combination of bunker-busting bombs and more conventional weapons, essentially eliminated Iran's nuclear programme. Trump's administration on Tuesday told the UN Security Council that its weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had 'degraded' Iran's nuclear programme, short of Trump's earlier assertion that the facilities had been 'obliterated'. Asked for comment, the White House pointed to a statement by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt to CNN, which first reported the assessment, that the 'alleged' conclusion was 'flat-out wrong'. 'Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,' she said.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, early assessment suggests
An early intelligence assessment indicated that the US military strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of Tehran's nuclear programme and probably only set it back by months, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing three people briefed on it. After days of deliberation, US forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites on Saturday. US President Donald Trump said Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities had been completely and 'totally obliterated', an assertion he has since repeated. While over a dozen bombs were dropped on two of the nuclear facilities, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment plant and the Natanz Enrichment Complex, they did not fully eliminate the sites' centrifuges and highly enriched uranium, CNN reported, citing people familiar with the early assessment. Citing two people familiar with the assessment, CNN reported that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium had not been destroyed. It said the assessment was produced by the Defence Intelligence Agency – the Pentagon's intelligence arm – and is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by the US Central Command after the strikes. 03:07 What's known about the 3 Iranian nuclear sites hit by US bunker-buster bombs What's known about the 3 Iranian nuclear sites hit by US bunker-buster bombs The report by the Defence Intelligence Agency estimated that the programme was delayed less than six months, The New York Times said in another report.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
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No more US offensives on Iran, Trump tells Israel's Netanyahu after nuclear site strikes
After the United States carried out strikes on Iran, US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to expect further American offensive military action, a senior White House official said. Following Sunday's bombardment on three key Iranian nuclear sites, Trump told Netanyahu that it was time to stop the war and return to diplomatic negotiations. Trump's position was that the US had removed any imminent threat posed by Iran, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorised to comment publicly about the sensitive diplomatic talks. The US official said Netanyahu understood Trump's stance that the US had no desire to be further involved with the situation militarily. On Tuesday, the Israeli leader said his country never had a better friend in the White House than Trump, as he declared a historic victory over Iran and said its nuclear programme had been brought 'to ruin'. 03:07 What's known about the 3 Iranian nuclear sites hit by US bunker-buster bombs What's known about the 3 Iranian nuclear sites hit by US bunker-buster bombs Speaking in a televised statement, Netanyahu listed Israel's achievements in the conflict, including its attacks on top generals and nuclear scientists. He said Israel destroyed nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan, along with the Arak heavy water reactor.
