Iranian state TV announces fresh salvo of missiles on Israel
22 June 2025 09:16
TEHRAN (AFP)Iran's state TV announced on Sunday new missile launches against Israel after the United States bombed several Iranian nuclear sites.
'These live images you are seeing are of a new salvo of Iranian missiles fired on the occupied territories,' said a presenter on air, referring to Israel. Citing "sources", a presenter said that "30 missiles have been launched at Israel from Iran".
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Khaleej Times
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US attacks Iran: What are the nuclear contamination risks from Iranian sites?
[Editor's Note: Follow our live blog for real-time updates on the latest developments in the Israel-Iran conflict.] President Donald Trump said Iran's main nuclear sites had been "obliterated" in military strikes overnight, including on the deeply buried Fordow facility, as the US joined attacks launched by Israel on June 13. Experts have said military strikes on Iran's uranium enrichment facilities pose limited risks of contamination, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Sunday no increased off-site radiation levels had been reported following the US attacks. Which Iranian nuclear sites have been hit so far? The US military struck sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Trump said Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated". The attacks follow previously announced Israeli attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran building a nuclear bomb and the US says Tehran would not be allowed to get such weapons. Iran denies ever seeking nuclear arms. The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has previously reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, the nuclear complex at Isfahan that includes the Uranium Conversion Facility and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran. Israel has also attacked Arak, also known as Khondab. The IAEA said Israeli military strikes hit the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, which was under construction and had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water. The IAEA said it was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so there were no radiological effects. Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make an atom bomb. What risks do these strikes pose? Speaking to Reuters before the US strikes took place, experts said Israel's attacks had posed limited contamination risks so far. Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at London think-tank RUSI, said attacks on facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle — the stages where uranium is prepared for use in a reactor — pose primarily chemical, not radiological risks. At enrichment facilities, UF6, or uranium hexafluoride, is the concern. "When UF6 interacts with water vapour in the air, it produces harmful chemicals," she said. "In low winds, much of the material can be expected to settle in the vicinity of the facility; in high winds, the material will travel farther, but is also likely to disperse more widely. The risk of harmful chemicals being dispersed is lower for underground facilities." Simon Bennett, who leads the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester in Britain, said risks to the environment were minimal when subterranean facilities are hit because you are "burying nuclear material in possibly thousands of tonnes of concrete, earth and rock". James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that before uranium goes into a nuclear reactor it is barely radioactive. "The chemical form uranium hexafluoride is toxic ... but it actually doesn't tend to travel large distances and it's barely radioactive," he added. Attacks on enrichment facilities were "unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences", he said, while stating his opposition to Israel's campaign. What about nuclear reactors? The major concern would be a strike on Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr on the Gulf coast. Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on June 19 when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr, only to say later that the announcement was a mistake. Israel says it wants to avoid any nuclear disaster. Richard Wakeford, honorary professor of epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said that while contamination from attacks on enrichment facilities would be "mainly a chemical problem" for the surrounding areas, extensive damage to large power reactors "is a different story". Radioactive elements would be released either through a plume of volatile materials or into the sea, he added. Acton of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said an attack on Bushehr "could cause an absolute radiological catastrophe". Why are Gulf states especially worried? For Gulf states, the impact of any strike on Bushehr would be worsened by the potential contamination of Gulf waters, jeopardising a critical source of desalinated potable water. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is on high alert to monitor for any possible environmental contamination after the attacks, said a source with knowledge of the matter. There have been no signs of radiological contamination so far, the source said, adding that the GCC had emergency plans in place in case of a threat to water and food security in the Gulf. In the United Arab Emirates, desalinated water accounts for more than 80 per cent of drinking water, while Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100 per cent of groundwater reserved for contingency plans, authorities say. Qatar is also 100 per cent dependent on desalinated water. In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50 per cent of the water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics. 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US strikes on Iran: What we know so far
The US strikes on Iran early on Sunday marked a significant escalation in the ongoing Israeli war on Iran. At midnight GMT (8pm Washington time), President Donald Trump announced that US bombers had struck three Iranian nuclear sites. He claimed all three had been "obliterated". However, the extent of the damage and the precise impact of the strikes remains unclear. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Middle East Eye takes a closer look at what we know so far. Which facilities were targeted? US forces targeted three major nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Isfahan houses a prominent nuclear research centre, while Fordow and Natanz are key uranium enrichment sites. Earlier reports suggest that Israeli warplanes had previously hit Natanz, cutting power to its centrifuge hall and potentially damaging the equipment. Fordow, considered one of Iran's most fortified facilities, is located 80–90 metres underground in a mountainous area. Israel had avoided striking Fordow earlier in the war, lacking munitions capable of penetrating to such depths. The White House has not disclosed what munitions were used, though a US official said B-2 heavy bombers took part in the operation. The scale of damage is still unknown, and no casualties have been confirmed so far. Could there be a nuclear disaster? Iranian officials have downplayed the impact of US strikes on nuclear sites, saying there is no threat to nearby residents, according to state media. The Crisis Management Headquarters in Qom province, where the Fordow facility is located, told Iran's state-run news agency IRNA: "There is no danger to the people of Qom and the surrounding area." Al Jazeera also cited an official who claimed Fordow had been "long evacuated" and had not sustained any irreversible damage. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority said no radioactive effects had been detected in Gulf countries. How has Iran responded? Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation condemned the strikes as "a barbaric act" and a violation of international law, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the attack would have "everlasting consequences" and said Iran "reserves all options" in its response. "The events this morning are outrageous," Araghchi wrote on X. "Every UN member should be alarmed by this dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour." State media reported that Iran has formally requested an emergency UN Security Council session to prevent further escalation. How has Israel responded? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for ordering the strikes. He called it an act of "awesome and righteous might" that would "change history". In a video address, Netanyahu said the United States had "done what no other country on Earth could do". Trump, in turn, lauded Netanyahu, saying the two leaders had "worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before" and had taken a major step towards "erasing this horrible threat to Israel".
The National
25 minutes ago
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Bahrain issues public guidance following US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Bahrain, home to the US Central Command's regional base, issued public safety guidance on Sunday in the wake of American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The Gulf nation is strategically close to Iran. It hosts US personnel and military officials and established ties with Israel several years ago. "In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary, to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently," an Interior Ministry statement read. Manama also said 70 per cent of government employees, including those in ministries and government agencies, will work from home, starting immediately, following the US attacks. Emergency staff are excluded from the order, Bahrain's Civil Service Bureau said. "A remote working system will be activated across ministries and government agencies, with a 70 per cent work-from-home capacity," the official Bahrain News Agency said after the US bombed Iran. Nearly 9,000 defence personnel are stationed in Bahrain, including military and civilian staff. The US Navy's Fifth Fleet provides security to ships and aircraft in the region. Kuwait emergency plan In a similar development, the Kuwaiti Finance Ministry said on Sunday it has activated its emergency plan to ensure the continuity of financial and service operations with high efficiency. The measures included preparing shelters in the building of the ministries' complex, which will accommodate about 900 people, and providing warehouses to be used when necessary. Kuwait hosts a major American military base, Camp Arifjan, which is south-east of the capital, Kuwait city. It was established in 1999 and provides primary logistics for US military operations across the region. Iran has previously threatened to target US military bases in the region if Washington intervened on Israel's side. Bahrain and other Gulf states also lie near Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor, which has reportedly been the target of Israeli strikes. Their proximity, just across the narrow waters of the Gulf, has raised regional security concerns, especially amid fears of radioactive fallout or wider escalation.
