Israel-Iran live: Trump says Iranian nuclear sites were 'obliterated' by US strikes; Tehran warns of 'everlasting consequences'
The US has carried out attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran, in what Donald Trump called a "spectacular military success". Officials at the UN are "gravely alarmed" - with Iran calling for an emergency security council meeting. Watch and follow the latest from Sky News below.
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Rhyl Journal
24 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Plaid to PM: 'Don't follow Trump into Middle East conflict'
Rhun ap Iorwerth, MS for Ynys Môn, and Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, welcomed Prime Minister Keir Starmer's calls for diplomacy and de-escalation, but voiced concerns that he had fallen short of roundly condemning President Trump's authorisation of US strikes against Iran overnight. The Plaid Cymru politicians said that the pursuit of peace should take priority over any UK loyalty to the US and warned against repeating history where the UK entered a regional conflict in the Middle East as 'America's puppet.' In a joint statement, Mr ap Iorwerth and Ms Saville Roberts said: 'President Trump's decision to launch US strikes against Iran is potentially catastrophic for an already destabilised region. 'Whilst Prime Minister Keir Starmer's calls for diplomacy and de-escalation are to be welcomed, it is concerning that he has fallen short of roundly condemning President Trump's actions. 'The pursuit of peace should take priority over any UK loyalty to the US. We all remember the disastrous consequences of being dragged into a regional conflict in the Middle East as America's puppet. 'It is essential therefore that Parliament has the opportunity to veto any UK military involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict should Keir Starmer yield to any pressure from President Trump and propose some form of intervention. 'In the same way the US Democrats are divided on the issue, Keir Starmer may well face pressure from Labour hawks to follow President Trump's lead. 'Air strikes were launched against Syria in 2018 without granting Parliament an opportunity to vote on military action. At the time Plaid Cymru accused then-Prime Minister Theresa May of showing complete disregard towards democracy. 'We stand firmly by that view and reiterate our calls for restraint before more innocent civilian lives are lost.' The US strike on Iran has fuelled fears that Israel's war with Tehran could escalate to a wider regional conflict. World leaders have reacted with calls for diplomacy and words of caution. US President Donald Trump had said on Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved. In the end, it took just days, and Washington inserted itself into Israel's campaign with its early attack early on Sunday, reports the Press Association (PA).
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer warns of ‘risk of escalation' following US strikes against Iran
Sir Keir Starmer warned there was a risk of the Middle East crisis spiralling beyond the region after Donald Trump ordered US planes and submarines to attack Iran's nuclear programme. The Prime Minister urged all sides to return to negotiations but said he had taken 'all necessary measures' to protect British interests in the region if the conflict escalates. There was no British involvement in the action but the Government was informed before the US strikes. Tehran has threatened to retaliate and Mr Trump has warned of further US action if necessary, saying: 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.' Speaking at his Chequers country retreat, the Prime Minister said there was a 'risk of escalation' adding: 'That's a risk to the region. It's a risk beyond the region, and that's why all our focus has been on de-escalating, getting people back around to negotiate what is a very real threat in relation to the nuclear programme. 'In relation to the UK, we were not involved in the attack. We were given due notice, as we would expect, as close allies to the US, and we have been moving assets to the region to make sure we're in a position to protect our own interests, our personnel and our assets, and, of course, those of our allies.' The US action comes just days after Sir Keir, who attended the G7 summit in Canada with Mr Trump, said on Tuesday there was 'nothing' from the president to suggest he was about to get involved in the conflict. Mr Trump pushed ahead with the action anyway, which he claimed had 'completely and fully obliterated' key nuclear facilities. Asked if he had been left looking foolish by the UK's closest ally ignoring his calls for de-escalation and pushing ahead with military strikes, the Prime Minister said: 'It's clearly a fast-moving situation and there's been a huge amount of discussion in the days since the G7 ended.' The Prime Minister sought to dodge questions about whether the UK could get dragged into the conflict if Iran targeted the bases of the US, a Nato ally. 'I'm not going to speculate about what may happen, because all of my focus is on de-escalation,' he said. 'But I do want to reassure the public we have taken all necessary measures to protect UK interests, UK personnel and to work with our allies to protect their interests as well.' Extra RAF Typhoon jets have already been moved to the region and Defence Secretary John Healey said 'force protection is at its highest level' following the US strikes. Sir Keir will chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra crisis committee on Sunday afternoon and has held a series of calls with world leaders. The US attacked Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz which are linked to Iran's nuclear programme. The Tehran regime has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful but its uranium enrichment process has gone far beyond what is required for power stations. The strikes followed a build-up of US military equipment, with B-2 stealth bombers – which are the only aircraft to carry a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb – reportedly used to target the underground facilities. The aircraft have previously used the UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia, one of the Chagos Islands, but it is understood that was not involved in these strikes. The attack on Iran also involved US submarines, which launched around 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles. 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 also backed Mr Trump's decision to strike Iran. He said: 'Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, the future of Israel depends on it.' Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said 'robust diplomacy' was now needed to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, adding: 'Following the US strikes, it is essential that we work to de-escalate the conflict and achieve that diplomatic solution.' Scotland's First Minister John Swinney called for diplomacy, saying the Middle East conflict has reached 'an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran'. Iran launched a ballistic missile barrage against Israel in retaliation to the US action. The foreign ministry in Tehran issued a statement condemning 'the United States' brutal military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities'. It added: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran is resolved to defend Iran's territory, sovereignty, security and people by all force and means against the United States' criminal aggression.' Mr Trump said any retaliation would be met with 'force far greater' than that used in the initial strikes.
Spectator
31 minutes ago
- Spectator
Iran is isolated against the US and Israel
America's entry into the war against Iran is the latest step up an escalation spiral that began in October 2023. What started with an attack by a Palestinian Islamist organisation on a poorly defended Israeli border, and then became a fight between Israel and a series of Iran-supported Islamist paramilitary groups by the end of 2023, and then extended to limited exchanges between Israel and Iran itself in April 2024, and then turned into war between Iran and Israel, has now become a confrontation pitting the US and Israel against their longest standing and most powerful adversary in the Islamic world. Now at war with both Israel and the US, it has no major power interested in fighting alongside it. So what are the implications of this latest turn, and what may happen next? While prediction remains unwise regarding the current US president, the notion that the Trump administration will be dominated by isolationism can be laid to rest. In Washington a few weeks ago, I found that much of the talk behind the scenes was worried assessments concerning the rise of isolationism and of individuals professing such views at the top reaches of the administration. People with past associations with hawkish or pro-Israel circles were having trouble getting confirmed for posts. Vice President J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr, I heard, were the most senior and influential members of the rising camp. An old friend of mine who has interviewed the President on a number of occasions cautioned against despair. His advice: don't take too much notice of the people around Trump. Pay attention to Trump himself, and to what his track record suggests regarding his views on Israel. Possessing no special insights of my own, I hoped he was right. It appears he was. Over the last two years, much ink has been spilled regarding a supposedly emergent axis of anti-western states. This axis, as usually depicted, is headed by China, with Russia, Iran and North Korea as members. Cooperation between these countries has indeed measurably increased over the last half decade. Chinese purchase of Iranian oil to foil Trump's strategy of 'maximum pressure' on Tehran during his first term is one example of this growing operational closeness. Yearly joint naval exercises between the Chinese, Russian and Iranian navies, the role of Iranian Shahed 136 drones and North Korean ground troops in the Ukraine war, the provision of advanced air defence systems by Moscow to Tehran all support this view. But while the eventual emergence of such an axis may be likely, it is also the case that no such crystallised alliance currently exists. Russia is bogged down in its own forever war in Ukraine. There are no indications that Moscow supports Tehran's ambition for a nuclear weapon, and still less that Russia would jeopardise its own interests, security or relations with other states in support of this goal. Moscow is a rival but not an enemy to US-aligned Israel, and clearly prefers to maintain this ambiguous status, which brings some benefits. As for China, while rumours have abounded regarding mysterious Chinese cargo planes reaching Iran in recent days, Beijing's interest in the region and its growing influence depends on stability and relations with all sides. The mood music from China has shifted over the last two years, with increasingly harsh criticism of Israel. Beijing has strongly condemned Jerusalem's pre-emptive action against Iran. But China has also sought to build diplomatic leverage on the basis of strong commercial ties with all major regional powers. It has no interest in involving itself in conflicts. What all this means is that Iran currently finds itself isolated. Now at war with both Israel and the US, it has no major power interested in fighting alongside it. This is no doubt a matter for concern and consternation on the part of the mullahs. It's a blessing for the rest of us. So, isolated and faced with attacks by powers enjoying massive technical advantage, what are the options now available to Tehran? Tehran could, of course, agree to a new nuclear deal which sees the final abandonment of uranium enrichment on Iranian soil. This would represent a historic victory for the US and for Israel. As of now, Tehran may not yet feel that the regime faces existential danger. Short of this, surrender appears unlikely. If it wants to opt for defiance, Iran has a number of means of possible pressure. It will need to consider carefully, of course, if it wishes to use them, and thus invite further US retribution. Tehran still has its proxies, even in depleted form. The Houthis are likely to recommence attacks on US flagged vessels on the Gulf of Aden-Red Sea route now. The Iraqi Shia militias are relatively unscathed from the last 20 months of regional war. The US has bases in Iraq, at Erbil and ain al-Asad. Iran itself or its client militias might attempt missile or drone attacks on these facilities, or on the remaining US presence in northeast Syria. Theoretically, Tehran could order its once powerful Lebanese Hizballah proxy back into the fray. But to do so would be to risk the final decimation of an organisation that has already been battered by Israel. US bases throughout the region could potentially be targeted by Iranian missiles. Iran might also seek to hit at US allies in the Gulf, and their oil producing capacity as it did in 2019. But Israeli attacks on launch sites and supply chains throughout Iran in recent days have significantly reduced Iranian capacities in this regard. Iran could block the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of global petroleum exports are shipped. This is a potent threat, which would cause oil prices to rise. But this would also almost certainly precipitate a full US entry into the war. Finally, of course, Tehran could accelerate efforts toward the testing of a nuclear weapon. All these potential courses of action bring with them the likelihood of increased global isolation, and increased US counter measures. These, in turn, would lead to deteriorating internal conditions in the country, which could hit at the regime's legitimacy and stability. Then again, acceptance of defeat, and surrender might have a similar effect. Supreme Leader Khamenei and his isolated regime have few good options at present. Whichever one they take, they are likely to be privately cursing the memory of their brother and comrade Yahya Sinwar, deceased former Hamas leader, whose decision to launch the massacres in October 2023 has led directly to Tehran's current predicament.
