Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates: US bombs Iran, joins Israel's war, attacks three nuclear sites; Donald Trump says full payload dropped on Fordow from B-2 bombers
Key posts
11.54am Netanyahu praises Trump, attack
11.35am Report: Six bunker-buster bombs 'obliterated' Fordow
11.12am US politicians react to Iran strikes
10.17am Trump to address attacks in under two hours
10.09am Where the US bombed Iran
9.50am US bombs Iran's nuclear sites
8.23am Report: US likely to join war
6.54am Trump intelligence chief now says Iran 'weeks away' from a nuclear weapon
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12.02pm
UN leader 'gravely concerned' by US strikes
By Charlotte Grieve
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for de-escalation in a social media post on X.
'I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.
'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.
'I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law
.'At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos.There is no military solution.
The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.'
11.55am
Make peace or get hit again: Trump
By Michael Koziol
Trump to Reuters: 'They should make peace immediately. They should stop immediately. Otherwise they'll get hit again. They should make peace immediately or they'll get hit again.'
11.54am
Netanyahu praises Trump, attack
By Angus Delaney
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked United States President Donald Trump's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, saying it could lead to prosperity and peace in the Middle East.
Here's his full statement:
'President Trump your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.'
'In Operation Rising Lion, Israel has done truly amazing things, but in tonight's actions against Iran's nuclear facilities, America has been truly unsurpassed. It has done what no other country on Earth could do.
'History will recall President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime, the world's most dangerous weapons. His leadership today has created a pivot of history that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.
'President Trump and I often say peace through strength. First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.
'President Trump, I thank you, the people of Israel thank you. The forces of civilisation thank you. God. Bless America. God bless Israel. And may God bless our unshakeable Alliance are unbreakable faith.'
11.47am
Graphic: What lies beneath Fordow
Built securely within a mountain range, centrifuges central to Iran's nuclear program were among the United States' targets at Fordow.
11.42am
Trump lied to the country: Democrats
By Michael Koziol
The leader of the Democrats in the US House of Representatives says Donald Trump misled the country about his plans regarding Iran, having said on Thursday that he would give the regime two weeks before he decided whether to intervene militarily.
'The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for all our troops in the region who have been put in harm's way,' Hakeem Jeffries said.
'President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorisation for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.'
Jeffries demanded a full briefing and said Trump 'shoulders complete and total responsibility for any adverse consequences that flow from his unilateral military action'.
Not all Democrats agreed with that position. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman said Trump made the right call.
'Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities,' he said. 'I'm grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.'
11.40am
Iran adviser downplays impact
By Charlotte Grieve
Iranian security analyst Mehdi Mohammadi, who advises speaker of Iran's Parliament Mohammad Ghalibaf, said in a post on social media that Iran had been anticipating the attacks.
'From Iran's perspective, nothing too strange has happened. Iran has been waiting for an attack on Fordow for several nights,' he wrote, according to a translation of the post published by X.
'The site had been evacuated a long time ago and the damages are not irreversible.
'Two things are certain: First, knowledge cannot be bombed, and second, the gambler will lose this time.'
The comments come as Iranian officials confirm the US attacks on three of the country's nuclear facilities.
11.35am
Report: Six bunker-buster bombs 'obliterated' Fordow
By Angus Delaney
Fox News' Sean Hannity said he spoke to Trump about 30 minutes ago and that the US used six bunker-buster bombs to destroy Iran's Fordow nuclear site.
'I just spoke to the president of the United States … Iran's nuclear ambitions are officially dead,' he said.
'It appears the United States just completely obliterated Iran's top-secret Fordow facility.
'It was initially speculated you only needed two [bunker-busting bombs] ... it turns out they used five to six, dropped by America's stealth B-2 bombers,' he said.
11.23am
Republican speaker praises attack
By Michael Koziol
Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has made a statement following the attack. Here is what he said:
'The military operations in Iran should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says.
'The president gave Iran's leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement.
'President Trump has been consistent and clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be tolerated. That posture has now been enforced with strength, precision and clarity.
'The president's decisive action prevents the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants 'death to America', from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet. This is America First policy in action.
'God bless our brave men and women in uniform — the most lethal fighting force on the planet — as we pray for their safe return home. May God bless America.'
11.15am
Why Israel needed the United States to help
By Angus Delaney
The US was the only country capable of successfully attacking Iran's 90-metre deep nuclear site, Fordow, which US President Donald Trump said was hit by 'a full payload of BOMBS'.
This is because only B-2 bombers carry the bunker-busting Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, which analysts say is the sole weapon capable of destroying Fordow.
Bunker-busting bombs penetrate deep into the surface and explode on a delayed fuse to reach maximum depth.
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West Australian
30 minutes ago
- West Australian
Israel-Iran war: Donald Trump drops US into the Middle East conflict after decisive bombing raid
President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States had attacked Iranian nuclear sites, pushing America into Israel's war with its longtime rival and regional power. 'A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime, Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan,' Trump said in a speech from the White House. US Navy submarines also launched more than 30 Tomahawk missiles into Iran, two defence officials told NBC News. Trump said the US and Israel 'worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before. We've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat' to the American ally. The president congratulated the US military on 'an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully we will no longer need their services in this capacity.' 'There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left,' Mr Trump said. 'Tonight was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill, most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes,' he added. Mr Trump watched the strikes unfold Saturday from the White House Situation Room, where he was joined by his national security team and closest aides. The president initially announced the strikes on social media Saturday, where he wrote that 'a full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.' It was unclear late Saturday precisely how much damage the U.S. strikes had done to the heavily fortified Iranian nuclear sites, or whether any American military assets were still active in the country. Earlier in the day, several US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers reportedly left Missouri, heading west over the Pacific Ocean. The massive planes are some of the only US aircraft capable of carrying the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound bomb known as the 'bunker buster.' The bunker buster bombs are widely viewed as the only conventional, non-nuclear weapons capable of inflicting serious damage on the Fordo nuclear facility, which is built into the side of a mountain in Saturday's action puts the United States in direct armed conflict with Iran, a massive escalation in its involvement with Israel's effort to cripple Tehran's nuclear program and topple its regime. Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the US strikes, a White House official told NBC News. The decision to attack Iran once again engages the American military in active warfare in the Middle East — something Mr Trump had vowed to avoid during his second term in office. It also marks a major shift from just 48 hours ago, when Trump said the United States would take 'two weeks' to see if the conflict between Israel and Iran could be resolved diplomatically. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' Mr Trump said Thursday in a statement issued by the White House. Behind the scenes, the Trump administration has been trying to reach a deal with Iran over its nuclear program, and Mr Trump in recent months had reportedly urged Netanyahu to hold off on a strike. That diplomatic path may now be closed. Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said recently that 'any American military entry will undoubtedly be met with irreparable damage.' 'If they enter militarily, they will face harm that they cannot recover from,' he added in a statement read on Iranian state television. After the US strikes, it was unclear what options remained for an Iranian retaliation against the United States. One possibility with direct impacts on the global economy and supply chain would be if Tehran were to set landmines down in the Strait of Hormuz, said Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets. The narrow body of water between Iran and Oman is the transit point for about 20 per cent of the world's oil, via tanker ships. Landmines would effectively close the strait, because ships would not know where the mines were placed. 'We're already getting reports that Iran is jamming ship transponders very, very aggressively,' Croft told CNBC's 'Fast Money' on Wednesday. QatarEnergy and the Greek Shipping Ministry have already warned their vessels to avoid the strait as much as possible, Ms Croft said. More such alerts were expected following Saturday's US attack on Iranian sites. Trump and previous American presidents have long insisted that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. During his first term, Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear agreement that the Obama administration and other nations had brokered with Iran in 2015, arguing it failed to protect America or deter Tehran's enrichment aims. Israel has long claimed that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and has threatened to strike its nuclear program before. But until now, Tel Aviv has limited its military engagement to targeted assassinations and cyber attacks. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, testified before Congress in March that the U.S. intelligence community 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.' But Trump has repeatedly dismissed his own Cabinet official's assessment. 'I don't care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,' Trump said on Air Force One last week.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Masterstroke or mistake? Trump defies his base and seizes the moment to strike Iran
Washington: Five months after the starter's gun fired on Donald Trump's second presidency, he has made his most consequential decision. Perhaps not just the most consequential decision of his presidency but of several, given the decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities was one faced by many of his predecessors, who ultimately opted against the idea. The merits of this cannot and will not be known today, not until the damage to the three Iranian sites has been assessed and the regime's retaliation, whatever that may be, has taken place. But politically, this move fundamentally changes the shape of the Trump presidency. The accusation of timidity and indecision – Trump Always Chickens Out (TACO) – that has so irritated him in recent months can no longer be credibly levelled. Did that irksome critique contribute to his resolve? We don't know. But it is becoming clearer that Trump has followed a predetermined path, or at the very least, seized on an opportunity with relish – and along the way, obscured his intentions to America and the world. Loading It was not true on Thursday when Trump told Iran that he would decide within two weeks whether to intervene. It is looking increasingly untrue that Israel, when it kicked off this offensive nine days ago, acted unilaterally and without US involvement, as we were told at the time. 'We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before,' Trump said on Sunday, AEST, of the US and Israel. Of Iran's state-sponsored terrorism, he said: 'I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen.' His short speech after the US attack contrasted starkly with his rhetoric on Iran over the past weeks and months. Gone was the language of diplomacy, the love for the Iranian people, the optimism that it's never too late for a deal.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Radiation dangers of three nuclear sites struck by the US
The US has obliterated three major nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump declared on Sunday about noon AEST. Even before the US strikes, Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned Israeli bombardment of nuclear sites had 'caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in Iran'. Experts have said chemical contamination was the most likely consequence of damage to Iranian nuclear facilities and the prospect of nuclear fallout or widespread contamination was low. Strikes have mostly targeted enrichment plants, which use highly pure uranium and don't pose much of a radiological hazard, said Richard Wakeford, a professor at the University of Manchester's Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health when commenting on earlier Israeli bombings. One of the US targets, however, was Isfahan, which hosts three research reactors and a nuclear waste site. 'If reactors or reprocessing plants are hit, that could be more of a radiological problem if it causes significant damage, because then we could see releases of a range of radionuclides, although presumably on a much smaller scale than from previous reactor accidents,' Wakeford said. On Saturday (AEST) former nuclear research engineer François Diaz-Maurin, now associate editor at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, analysed the risk posed by damage or misadventure at each nuclear site, including the three targeted by US bombs. Isfahan The US struck the massive nuclear technology site at Isfahan with a barrage of submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles, The New York Times reported. Diaz-Maurin rated the risk of something going wrong at Isfahan as 'moderate'.
