Israel-Iran live: 'Incredible success' of US strikes on Iran hailed by Hegseth; Starmer warns conflict could escalate beyond region
US strikes on Iran 'not about regime change' - US defence secretary
The two US military leaders are now taking questions from journalists, and the first is if regime change was or is the goal.
US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth replies: "This mission was not and has not been about regime change.
"The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear programme, and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally, Israel."
The second question is if the US military believes some of Iran's nuclear capability remains, despite the strikes, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Dan Caine, replies that it is "way too early" to assess.
Iran nuclear sites suffered 'extremely severe damage and destruction' after US strikes
More to bring you now from the Pentagon news conference.
Dan Caine, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, the most senior US military official, went into details about the operation - which he revealed was called Midnight Hammer.
The US Air Force general laid out timings, as well as the weapons and equipment used.
He added initial battle damage assessments found all three sites suffered "extremely severe damage and destruction".
'Deception effort'
Caine said that at midnight on Friday, a large B-2 strike package of bombers launched from the US.
To maintain surprise, some bombers flew west into the Pacific, something described as a "deception effort".
During the 18-hour flight to the target, the US bombers underwent multiple refuellings.
"It was planned and executed across multiple domains and theatres with coordination that reflects our ability to project power globally with speed and precision at the time and place of our nation's choosing," Caine said.
Tomahawk cruise missiles hit Isfahan
As the Operation Midnight Hammer bombers entered Iran, the US deployed "several decoys" and just before it did so, at 5pm EST, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at Isfahan.
14 bunker buster bombs used in Midnight Hammer
Caine went on: "At approximately 6.40pm EST, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU 57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator weapons on the first of several Aim points at Fordo.
"As the president stated last night, the remaining bombers then hit their targets."
More than 75 weapons were used in total, including 14 30,000lbs bunker buster bombs.
This marked their first operational use.
During questions, defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that he believed they had "achieved destruction of capabilities" at Fordow.
He said: "The battle damage assessment is ongoing, but our initial assessment, as the chairman said, is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and had the desired effect, which means especially in Fordow, which was the primary target here, we believe we achieved destruction of capabilities there."
Strikes on Iran were 'an incredible and overwhelming success' - US defence secretary
Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth opens the news briefing by saying US forces "conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran".
The aim was "to destroy or severely degrade Iran's nuclear programme".
"It was an incredible and overwhelming success," he declares. "We devastated the Iranian nuclear programme."
Hegseth goes on to say that President Trump has stated for over a decade that "Iran must not get a nuclear weapon", and thanks to last night's decision, "Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated".
This operation was the "final blow" to Tehran's nuclear programme, Hegseth claims, and describes President Trump's plan as "bold" and "brilliant".
"When this president speaks, the world should listen. And the US military - we can back it up. The most powerful military the world has ever known - no other country on planet Earth could have conducted the operation that the chairman is going to outline this morning."
Nonetheless, President Trump "seeks peace", Hegseth continues, adding that Iran "should choose that path".
The defence secretary also reiterated that Iran should not retaliate, as the president emphasised last night.
"Every American involved in this operation performed flawlessly, and I want to give recognition to our allies in Israel as well," he adds.
"The United States does not seek war, but let me be clear - we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners, or our interests are threatened."
Watch live: Pentagon holds news briefing after strikes in Iran
A news briefing at the Pentagon - the home of the US military - is under way.
Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Dan Caine (the most senior US military official) are speaking in the wake of last night's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Watch live on Sky News, and in the stream at the top of this page.
Iran's response could make global economic shock of Ukraine war 'seem like small change'
A former senior British military intelligence officer has told Sky News that the world could face huge economic turbulence, depending on how Iran chooses to respond to the US strikes.
Phillip Ingram says what happens next - with the Iranian leadership likely to feel compelled to respond - could be "really, really worrying".
He told Sky News presenter Matt Barbet earlier: "If Iran does shut the Straits of Hormuz, between 20 and 30% of all the world's oil and gas goes through that strait.
"The economic shock that would cause across the world would make what happened when Russia invaded Ukraine just over three years ago seem like small change."
Iran has other options, Ingram went on, with its proxies across the region.
Some of these, Ingram said, "were scary".
They range from terrorist activity to attacking US bases in the Middle East, he said.
Watch the full interview below:
UK steps up 'force protection measures' at military bases in Middle East
The UK has further increased its "force protection" measures for its military bases and personnel in the Middle East to their highest level in the wake of the US strikes against Iran, Sky News understands.
This will involve greater security and heightened vigilance to protect British troops, equipment and bases.
EU Red Sea mission raises assessment to 'severe' for US and Israeli ships
The EU's naval mission in the Red Sea has raised its assessment level to "severe".
It applies to ships with US and Israeli interests heading through the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden, according to a statement.
Watch: On the ground in Tel Aviv - where apartments have been destroyed by Iranian strikes
Our correspondent Cordelia Lynch is reporting from Tel Aviv, where more Iranian missiles hit overnight.
The central Israeli city has been repeatedly struck since Israel initiated fighting last Friday.
Lynch reports from a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, where the front facade of a building was ripped off.
She describes how people's belongings were left exposed.
Catch up on her full report here:
Russia condemns US strikes on Iran
Russia's foreign ministry has condemned the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
It added: "The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb strikes, no matter what arguments are presented, grossly violates international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions, which previously unequivocally qualified such actions as unacceptable."
Echoing many other countries, it called for a solution through diplomatic means.
It also said damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure was of "particular concern".
The US-Russia relationship has thawed considerably under Donald Trump, but that hasn't stopped the Kremlin criticising him this time.
'Anything could be happening to my family right now,' British-Iranian tells Sky News
By Emma Birchley, Sky News correspondent
For over a week, Joe has been in "a constant state of anxiety".
"I keep thinking, oh my god, anything could be happening to my family right now.
"I have a sense of guilt."
The British-Iranian lawyer in his 20s was born and bred in Wembley, but many members of his family are in Tehran: his grandparents on his mother's side, his father's father, his aunts, uncles, cousins.
And while the public was told to evacuate before the first strikes by Israel on Friday 13 June, for many, that simply wasn't an option.
"It was not feasible for elderly people," he said. "Vulnerable people like my grandparents were forced to stay. A three-hour journey was taking 20 hours."
Watch: Israel begins a new wave of strikes in Iran
And with only a fraction of the country able to access intermittent internet, it has been hard to confirm that they are safe.
One of his cousins has been able to access social media and has posted updates to reassure relatives here in the UK.
Now, Joe is hugely worried about what lies ahead.
"The way people look at this conflict, it's like a Marvel film; looking for a good side and a bad side."
But it's not that simple, he says.
"If regime change is to come about, I wouldn't know how to feel.
"Part of me would feel relieved and happy, but part of me would feel is it Israel and the US's job to topple this regime?"
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