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Democrats call for Donald Trump impeachment for attacks in Iran

Democrats call for Donald Trump impeachment for attacks in Iran

Sky News AU5 hours ago

Sky News host Paul Murray discusses how the Democrats are again calling for the impeachment of United States President Donald Trump for his attacks in Iran.
'Remember, if the Democrats get control of the House in November of next year,' Mr Murray said.
'They would be in exactly the position they have been twice before to be able to impeach the president for the third time.'

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US strikes on Iran: what we know
US strikes on Iran: what we know

News.com.au

time29 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

US strikes on Iran: what we know

The United States has carried out strikes that caused "extremely severe damage" to three of Iran's nuclear facilities, the top US military officer, General Dan Caine, said on Sunday. President Donald Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path to replace the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in 2018. But he ultimately decided to take military action against Iran's nuclear program, which had already been bombarded in a more than week-long Israeli campaign that has also targeted Tehran's top military brass. Below, AFP examines what we know about the US strikes on Iran -- an operation dubbed "Midnight Hammer." - Major operation - Caine told journalists the strikes involved more than 125 US aircraft including B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, fighters, aerial refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. "This mission demonstrates the unmatched reach, coordination and capability of the United States military," the general said. "No other military in the world could have done this." Caine said it was "too early" to comment on what remains of Iran's nuclear program, but that "initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction." - B-2 bombers - The US employed seven B-2s in the strikes -- aircraft that can fly 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometers) without refueling and which are designed to "penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets," according to the US military. "This was the largest B-2 operational strike in US history and the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown," according to Caine. Several B-2s proceeded west over the Pacific as a decoy while the bombers that would take part in the strikes headed east -- a "deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders," the general said. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems did not see us. Throughout the mission, we retained the element of surprise," Caine said. The United States used the B-2 in operations against Serbian forces in the 1990s, flying non-stop from Missouri to Kosovo and back, and the bombers were subsequently employed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in the 2000s. - Massive Ordnance Penetrator - Caine said the B-2s dropped 14 bombs known as the GBU-57 or Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- a powerful 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) bunker-busting weapon that made its combat debut in the Iran operation. The bombs -- which are designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (60 meters) underground before exploding -- were needed to hit deeply buried Iranian nuclear facilities. Testing of the weapons began in 2004 and Boeing was in 2009 awarded a contract to complete the integration of GBU-57 with aircraft. - Tomahawk cruise missiles - In addition to the bombers, a US guided missile submarine in the Middle East launched more than two dozen missiles at unspecified "surface infrastructure targets" at Isfahan, one of three nuclear sites struck in the operation, Caine said. The missiles are "designed to fly at extremely low altitudes at high subsonic speeds, and are piloted over an evasive route by several mission tailored guidance systems" and were first used in 1991 against Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm, according to the US military. - Aim of the strikes - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told journalists the strikes were launched to "neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defense of our troops and our allies." "This mission was not, has not been, about regime change," Hegseth told journalists. A number of key figures in Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement have vocally opposed US strikes on Iran, and his promise to extract the United States from its "forever wars" in the Middle East played a role in his 2016 and 2024 election wins. - What comes next? - Trump has called on Iran to "agree to end this war," saying that "now is the time for peace." But it remains to be seen whether the strikes will push Tehran to deescalate the conflict, or to widen it further. If Iran chooses the latter option, it could do so by targeting American military personnel who are stationed around the Middle East, or seek to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of global oil output.

Decoys, bunker-busters and stealth bombers: How America attacked Iran
Decoys, bunker-busters and stealth bombers: How America attacked Iran

The Age

time29 minutes ago

  • The Age

Decoys, bunker-busters and stealth bombers: How America attacked Iran

The US strikes that targeted Iran's nuclear sites involved a decoy mission aimed at drawing attention from flight trackers as the largest-ever deployment of B-2 stealth bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs for the first time in combat. The operation – dubbed 'Midnight Hammer' – was detailed by top Pentagon officials on Sunday night (AEST). 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. The heart of the 37-hour operation was a feint in which a group of B-2 bombers flew west across the Pacific Ocean as decoys to maintain tactical surprise, according to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. News reports on Saturday morning that picked up on flight-tracker data suggested those planes were being deployed as a way to strong-arm Iran into fresh talks on its nuclear program. While those planes got all the attention, another group of B-2s flew east carrying the bunker-busters. The officials said dozens of air-refuelling tankers, a guided missile submarine, and fourth- and fifth-generation fighters were involved in the attack, which struck nuclear Iran's facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. The briefing helped explain other data points that emerged in recent days, including a massive move by midair refuelling tankers last week that was widely reported at the time. The White House had promised on Thursday that President Donald Trump would make a decision on a strike 'within two weeks,' suggesting there might be more time. In the end, the operation on Sunday (AEST) was deemed a success by the Pentagon. No Americans were lost and Iran didn't fire at any of the US military assets, according to the officials.

Decoys, bunker-busters and stealth bombers: How America attacked Iran
Decoys, bunker-busters and stealth bombers: How America attacked Iran

Sydney Morning Herald

time30 minutes ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

Decoys, bunker-busters and stealth bombers: How America attacked Iran

The US strikes that targeted Iran's nuclear sites involved a decoy mission aimed at drawing attention from flight trackers as the largest-ever deployment of B-2 stealth bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs for the first time in combat. The operation – dubbed 'Midnight Hammer' – was detailed by top Pentagon officials on Sunday night (AEST). 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. The heart of the 37-hour operation was a feint in which a group of B-2 bombers flew west across the Pacific Ocean as decoys to maintain tactical surprise, according to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. News reports on Saturday morning that picked up on flight-tracker data suggested those planes were being deployed as a way to strong-arm Iran into fresh talks on its nuclear program. While those planes got all the attention, another group of B-2s flew east carrying the bunker-busters. The officials said dozens of air-refuelling tankers, a guided missile submarine, and fourth- and fifth-generation fighters were involved in the attack, which struck nuclear Iran's facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. The briefing helped explain other data points that emerged in recent days, including a massive move by midair refuelling tankers last week that was widely reported at the time. The White House had promised on Thursday that President Donald Trump would make a decision on a strike 'within two weeks,' suggesting there might be more time. In the end, the operation on Sunday (AEST) was deemed a success by the Pentagon. No Americans were lost and Iran didn't fire at any of the US military assets, according to the officials.

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