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Iran nuclear sites 'totally obliterated' in US strikes, Trump announces

Iran nuclear sites 'totally obliterated' in US strikes, Trump announces

Metro5 hours ago

Three key Iranian nuclear sites were 'completely and totally obliterated' in a morning attack by US bombers, President Donald Trump has announced.
The raid comes just over a week after Israel escalated the conflict in the Middle East with a surprise round of strikes on nuclear and military locations in Iran.
Over the past eight days, the two countries have exchanged missile fire, resulting in dozens of deaths – including several top Iranian military officials, as well as civilians.
The US has now officially joined Israel in its campaign to end an alleged effort by Iran – denied by its leaders – to acquire a nuclear weapon.
In a statement delivered at the White House, Trump thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli military, and 'the great American patriots who flew those magnificant machines'.
Flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, he said: 'Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.
'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.'
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency confirmed the Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites had been attacked. More Trending
Speculation over a potential US strike on Iran has been building for the past week, with Trump refusing to commit one way or the other.
There were questions over whether the US might deploy its 13,500kg 'bunker buster' bomb to penetrate the deepest levels of the Fordo facility.
While Trump confirmed B-2 stealth bombers had been involved in the raid, he did not say which type of bombs were used.
B-2 bombers are only used by the US military, and they are the only aircraft capable of carrying and delivering the penetrator bomb.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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Every time Starmer wants us to think the best of Trump, the US president proves him wrong
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The Independent

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  • The Independent

Every time Starmer wants us to think the best of Trump, the US president proves him wrong

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Diplomacy not an option, warns Iran after US attacks key nuclear sites
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Diplomacy not an option, warns Iran after US attacks key nuclear sites

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Diplomacy not an option, warns Iran after US attacks key nuclear sites
Diplomacy not an option, warns Iran after US attacks key nuclear sites

South Wales Argus

time6 minutes ago

  • South Wales Argus

Diplomacy not an option, warns Iran after US attacks key nuclear sites

Abbas Araghchi said while the 'door to diplomacy' should always be open, 'this is not the case right now'. The United States attacked three sites in Iran overnight, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying the country's nuclear programme, and President Donald Trump claimed the facilities had been 'completely and fully obliterated'. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted its nuclear programme will not be stopped. Mr Araghchi said: 'The warmongering, lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far reaching implications of its act of aggression.' He said 'there is no red line' that the US has not crossed, adding: 'The most dangerous one was what happened only last night when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities only.' Satellite images taken on Sunday show damage to the mountainside at the underground site at Fordo. The images, by Planet Labs PBC, show the once-brown mountain now has parts turned grey and its contours appear slightly different than in previous images, suggesting a blast threw up debris around the site. That suggests the use of specialised American bunker-buster bombs on the facility. Light grey smoke also hung in the air. Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes. It is not clear whether the US will continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a nine-day war with Iran. Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles in the hours after the US attack (Oded Balilty/AP) Mr Trump acted without congressional authorisation, and he warned there will be additional strikes if Tehran retaliates against US forces. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' he said. Iran's foreign ministry said Washington had 'betrayed diplomacy' with the military strikes, and that 'the US has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran'. Its statement added: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to resist with full force against US military aggression and the crimes committed by this rogue regime, and to defend Iran's security and national interests.' Hours after the American attacks, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a barrage of 40 missiles at Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which can carry multiple warheads. Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, though one multi-storey building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its entire facade torn away to expose the apartments inside. Houses across the street were almost completely destroyed. Following the Iranian barrage, Israel's military said it had 'swiftly neutralised' the Iranian missile launchers that had fired, and that it had begun a series of strikes towards military targets in western Iran. President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the White House following the air strikes (Carlos Barria/pool/AP) Iran has maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Mr Trump and Israeli leaders have argued Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel that significantly degraded Iran's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities. 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IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' Israel announced on Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks. US officials said the attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, while submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles. The decision to attack was a risky one for Mr Trump, who won the White House partially on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. But he has vowed he will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and he had initially hoped the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear programme peacefully.

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