US says strikes 'devastated' Iran's nuclear program
Unprecedented US strikes have wrecked Iran's nuclear program, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday, though other officials cautioned the extent of damage at the three sites was unclear.
Iran's leaders struck a defiant tone and vowed to respond, while an advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed their stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed.
International concern intensified over the surprise attacks deepening conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched its bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month.
President Donald Trump said he wanted peace and urged Iran to end the conflict after he launched massive overnight strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.
"We devastated the Iranian nuclear program," Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation "did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people."
Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said "it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there."
"Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction."
- Protests in Tehran -
People gathered Sunday in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed.
Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning.
"We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it's years or beyond," he told ABC.
But he also suggested Iran still had its highly enriched uranium.
"We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel," he said. "They no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile of highly enriched uranium to weapons grade uranium."
In Tehran, AFP journalists said aircraft had roared over the city for the first time since Israel's initial attacks.
"Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn't over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain," Khamenei advisor Ali Shamkhani said in a post on X.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that the United States would "receive a response" to attacks during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told CNN that there were clear signs of the hit on Fordo.
But "no one, neither us (or) nobody else could be able to tell you how much it has been damaged," he said.
The IAEA said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said Sunday there were no signs of contamination.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prayed for Trump at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday, after hailing the strikes as a move that would "change history."
- Retaliation risk -
The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was "too soon" to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site.
The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers that flew 18 hours from the American mainland to Iran, Caine said.
In response to the attack, which used over a dozen massive "bunker buster" bombs, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv.
Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded.
In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war.
"Israel by itself would not stop... and it would take longer," he said.
At least nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed Sunday in Israeli attacks on central Iran, local media reported, as fighting between the two foes continued.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US move and called for de-escalation.
The leaders of France, Germany and Britain on Sunday urged Iran "not to take any further action that could destabilise the region."
Following his address, Trump warned Iran against retaliation. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.
Iran's Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and warships.
The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
19 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia supports US strikes on Iran
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed the Australian government's support for the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday. Donald Trump confirmed the strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities on Sunday, saying the US had dropped a 'full payload of bombs'. Labor did not hold a press conference on Sunday following the strikes, instead issuing comment via a government spokesperson acknowledging Mr Trump's statement while continuing calls for 'de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy'. Asked on Today on Monday morning whether the government supported the strike on Iran, Senator Wong said they 'support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon'. 'And that is what this is – so your answer, the answer is yes,' she said. 'I've said that upfront.' Host Karl Stefanovic pressed Senator Wong on whether support for the US strike contradicted the government's position of advocating for de-escalation. 'Oh, what I said was Iran had to come to the negotiating table, and we urged Iran to come back to the negotiating table and engage in diplomacy,' Senator Wong said. 'It's the same thing – I think the US President was saying it's the same thing, that Prime Minister Starmer was saying it's the same thing … but we are where we are now. 'The question is what happens next.' Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie promptly shared a joint statement on Sunday, saying the Coalition 'stands with the United States of America today'. 'The Coalition supports actions taken by the United States of America to ensure that the Iranian regime is stopped from acquiring nuclear weapons,' it said. 'While Australians will never seek conflict in the world, we can never forget that the Iranian regime is a militantly theocratic autocracy. 'It expressly seeks the destruction of our allies, enacts extrajudicial killings of political dissidents and brutally represses the rights of women and girls. 'It is the Iranian people who are the victims of this brutal regime and we stand in solidarity with them.'
News.com.au
20 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Australia finally takes a stance on Iran attack
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has finally confirmed Australia supports the bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities but has refused to say whether Australia's Pine Gap military base was used in the US attack. Nearly 24 hours after the US President said he had 'totally obliterated' three sites and the Coalition called for 'clarity', the Albanese Government has been forced to clarify whether Australia supported the decision. Speaking on Sunrise, Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek was the first to speak out after the Albanese Government did not conduct any television interviews on Sunday about the bombings. 'Well, yes, we do support the strikes, and I know the foreign minister is going to be in your program later. We certainly don't want to see full scale war in the Middle East,'' Ms Plibersek said. On Sunday, the Albanese Government released a statement but did not do any on camera interviews after the attacks. 'We have been clear that Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security,'' the statement said. 'We note the US President's statement that now is the time for peace.' Foreign Minister Penny Wong's first television interview was on the Today show on Monday morning where she was immediately asked to clarify that statement. 'Why did it take so long for you to publicly state your position?' Today show host Karl Stefanovic asked. 'I don't accept that characterisation, Karl. I'm here talking to you now,'' Senator Wong replied. 'That's 24 hours after the world reacted,'' Stefanovic countered. 'Well, I think you saw a statement from the government. Yesterday. The Deputy Prime Minister was obviously up in the morning. 'We support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. And that is what this is. So we support action to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.' Questions over Pine Gap But questions remain over whether or not the US used the Pine Gap facility in the attacks. 'Was the US military base in Pine Gap used in this operation?' host Stefanovic asked. But Senator Wong dodged the question. 'You wouldn't expect me to comment on intelligence matters,'' she said. 'But what I would say is the US has made it clear this was a unilateral strike.' In other words, she declined to answer the question on Pine Gap but stressed the US acted alone in bombing Iran. 'So you don't know if US, Australian and satellite communications and signals intelligence?'' Stefanovic asked. 'That's the same question, and I've answered it,'' Senator Wong said. What is Pine Gap? Pine Gap is a joint US-Australian intelligence facility located near Alice Springs, Australia that is primarily used for signals intelligence collection, including telemetry from weapons systems, signals from antimissile and anti-aircraft radars, communications satellite transmissions, and microwave emissions. It also monitors military developments, and supports US military operations, including drone strikes. Senator Wong was asked the same question on ABC TV and again declined to answer. 'We don't comment on intelligence matters. We certainly don't comment on the matters you are asking me about,'' she said. 'The US made clear publicly these were unilateral 'I think it is important to remember that the facilities that were struck only existed for the purpose of Iran's nuclear program. That's what we are talking about. The world has long agreed Iran is not in compliance with its international obligations when it comes to nuclear material and the world long agreed it's not in the interests of collective peace and security for Iran to gain access to a nuclear weapon.' Defence Minister blindsided Defence Minister Richard Marles appeared blindsided by the attacks on Sunday morning telling Sky News shortly before the US dropped the bombs that he wasn't going to speculate on whether Iran was close to building a nuclear bomb and urging de-escalation and diplomacy. Do you believe the US would be justified in using a bunker bomb on the Fordow underground site?,'' Sky News host Andrew Clennell asked. 'Well, look, I'm not about to speculate on what the United States does,'' he replied. 'I mean, the position that we have articulated in relation to this conflict has been consistent from the outset, and that is that we are worried about the prospect for escalation here, and we've been urging de-escalation, we've been urging dialogue and diplomacy.' As he spoke, the US bombs were about to be dropped in Iran. Asked if he believed Iran was close to having a nuclear weapon, Mr Marles refused to say. 'Again, I'm not about to speculate on that, other than to say what I already have, and that is that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program is most definitely a threat to the peace and stability of not only the Middle East, but the world,'' he said. Call for 'clarity' Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed President Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities as 'a last resort' urging Australia to now speak with clarity about why the US had to act. Describing the bombing as 'a necessary event', Mr Morrison stressed that the United States has launched a targeted mission that reflected the fact that it was the only ally of Israel with the military hardware to penetrate Iran's underground bunkers. 'There were no other options available to the President,'' Mr Morrison said. 'I think President Trump has been very clear about seeking to get an agreement with Iran. This was completely rejected, and made it very clear that there was no negotiation now there was the opportunity for complete capitulation and that was not offered, and they are the only military in the world that is capable of doing what it has just done, and that is what has happened.' But in a barbed observation on the conduct of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong And you're right that's going to be in less than 15 minutes from now. That address to the nation, I know I've interrupted your Sunday. I won't give you much longer. I just wanted to get one last thought, your last sort of consideration on how Australia should respond. I know you don't want to give advice to your successor unnecessarily. But do you have any views on how we should view this, this huge, quite significant development that we've seen this morning? Well, it's time for some clarity. I think there's been far too much ambiguity about this from Australia, far too much ambiguity. And it's time for clarity. And the clarity is we were dealing with a theocratic authoritarian state that sponsored an attack on a close friends in Israel back on the seventh of October, and they have shown their true colours. And Iran is not a friend of Australia. It's not a friend of Australia's interests. This is a this is a conflict not with the people of Iran who are wonderful people, creative.'
AU Financial Review
40 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
ASX to fall; investors fret Iran attack will upend long bull run
The price of oil will spike as markets open and could even soar beyond $US100 a barrel after the Trump administration's intervention into a weeks-long war between Israel and Iran unsettles financial markets. While the price of Brent crude has drifted more than 10 per cent higher since Israel first launched an attack on Iranian nuclear assets two weeks ago, traders fear US President Donald Trump's authorisation of bombing at the weekend will lead to a rapid escalation in the conflict. In particular, traders are worried that Iran could constrict travel through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. If this closes, prices could increase significantly, pushing inflation higher and disrupting expectations that central banks including the Reserve Bank of Australia will keep cutting rates. 'For markets, this shatters the illusion of containment. What was a regional proxy conflict is now a high-stakes, US-driven air war targeting [weapons of mass destruction] infrastructure – with unpredictable spillovers across energy markets, global shipping lanes, and risk sentiment,' wrote SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes of the bombing of nuclear facilities. 'This is no longer a waiting game – it's a market moment that demands positioning, not passivity,' he said in his Dark Side of the Boom newsletter. The S&P/ASX 200 is priced to open 0.2 per cent lower on Monday, although those futures were set before the weekend strikes. Wall Street had ended the last week mostly lower, although traders had hedged their bets and markets had remained largely flat for days. The S&P fell 0.2 per cent, while the Dow and the Nasdaq rose 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively. The ASX 200 eased 0.5 per cent last week, the first weekly drop in three months.
