Live updates: Attack on Iranian nuclear sites thrusts US into Israel-Iran conflict

CNN

3 hours ago

Update:
Date: 8 min ago
Title: Fallout from US strikes as Israel-Iran conflict enters 11th day. Here's what you need to know
Content:
All eyes are on how Tehran will react to the US attack on three key Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday local time, which thrust America into the Israel-Iran conflict that is entering its 11th day.
Early assessments raise questions over whether the US destroyed the bulk of the country's enriched nuclear material while President Donald Trump alluded to the possibility of regime change in Iran.
Here's what you need to know:
How will Iran respond?: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country has 'a variety of options' when deciding how to respond to the US attacks. Tehran denounced the US and Israel at an emergency UN Security Council meeting and voiced skepticism about the potential for diplomacy. From striking US bases in the region, to possibly closing a key waterway – the Strait of Hormuz — to global shipping, Iran is likely mulling its next moves.
Calls for regime change: Trump floated the idea of possible of regime change in Iran in a social media post Sunday evening. 'If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Trump wrote. The president's post is a pivot from messaging by senior administration officials, though Trump did not specifically say the US would enact regime change.
Allied support: A number of close US allies have expressed support for America's strikes against Iran, arguing that Iran had presented a nuclear threat, but urging diplomacy and de-escalation. Others, including key partners in the Gulf, have expressed concern and dismay over the strikes. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, for example, said Monday that Iran 'cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon.'
Domestic criticism: Some lawmakers, including from usually highly opposed ends of the US political spectrum, have criticized Trump's decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, and the move has highlighted a divide within Trump's MAGA movement. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, said 'This is not our fight' while Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said, 'we cannot let history repeat itself.'
A misdirect: While the final call came Saturday as bombers were already in the air, those around Trump believed his mind had been largely made up for days regarding taking action in Iran. Trump directed staff to announce 2-week window – thinking the timeline could throw off the Iranians and conceal his plans, according to several sources familiar with what happened.
'Operation Midnight Hammer': B-2 stealth bombers dropped more than a dozen massive 'bunker-buster' bombs on Iran's Fordow and Natanz facilities, while Tomahawk missiles struck Isfahan, according to a US timeline of the attack. The strikes thrust the US into the Israel-Iran conflict, which has seen the two sides trade attacks for over a week. Top administration officials insist the US is not at war with Iran, but Trump has warned the US could launch more attacks if Tehran does not make peace.
Strikes continue: Israel launched fresh airstrikes targeting military infrastructure in western Iran's Kermanshah city, the Israeli military said Monday morning. Earlier, Iranian state affiliated media said Israel struck Parchin, a large military complex southeast of Tehran. Iran launched its own strike on Israel on Monday, firing a missile that was intercepted by Israel's air defenses.
Update:
Date: 17 min ago
Title: Israel launches strikes on Iranian military infrastructure
Content:
Israel launched fresh airstrikes targeting military infrastructure in western Iran's Kermanshah city, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday morning.
Earlier, Iran's state-affiliated Nour News reported that Israel had struck Parchin, a large military complex southeast of Tehran, in a strike during the early hours of Monday.
Iran launched its own strike on Israel on Monday, firing a missile that was intercepted by Israel's air defenses.
Update:
Date: 17 min ago
Title: China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, would be vulnerable to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
Content:
As calls grow within Iran for closing the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US attacks on its nuclear sites, a key diplomatic and economic backer of Tehran would stand to lose from that decision: China.
Connecting the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the open ocean, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most critical oil checkpoints in the world. Some 20 million barrels per day of crude oil, or 20% of the global consumption, flowed through the narrow strait between Iran and Oman last year, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
For China, the world's largest importer of oil and the biggest buyer of crude from Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is even more important.
China imported 5.4 million barrels of crude every day through the strait in the first three months of 2025, according to the EIA's estimates. That's equivalent to about half of China's daily average crude imports in the first quarter of the year, according to CNN's calculation based on Chinese customs data.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted that vulnerability when he called on China to dissuade Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz.
'I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,' Rubio said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, adding that closing the strait would hurt other countries' economies more than the US economy.
China remains by far Iran's largest energy buyer, though it has not reported purchases of Iranian oil in its official customs data since 2022, according to analysts. Some 90% of Iran's oil exports now go to China, according to commodities data company Kpler, providing a key lifeline to Tehran's heavily sanctioned economy.
China has condemned US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, saying the move 'exacerbates tensions in the Middle East.' It has not commented on the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Update:
Date: 16 min ago
Title: Demonstrators across US protest strike on Iran
Content:
Americans in cities across the US took to the streets Sunday to protest President Donald Trump's decision to bomb nuclear sites in Iran. From Los Angeles to New York, demonstrators expressed worries about sparking a broader war and detracting from existing problems within the US.
Update:
Date: 17 min ago
Title: Why some officials raised doubts about whether a single bombing campaign can set back Iran's nuclear program
Content:
Intelligence analysts are still working to determine how much the US attacks on three key Iranian nuclear sites hindered Tehran's ability to build a nuclear weapon if it chose to.
Prior to the strikes, US intelligence officials believed Israel's extensive missile campaign against Iran, which also killed a number of top Iranian scientists, had only set back Iran by a matter of months.
And before President Donald Trump ordered the strikes, some US officials had raised doubts about whether a single bombing campaign would be able to entirely destroy Iran's nuclear program, especially at sites like Isfahan where the equipment is deeply buried.
The Trump administration has touted the strikes as an operational success but has provided few details.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Sunday morning it was 'way too early' to comment on whether Iran still retains some nuclear capabilities.
One key question, according to a senior US lawmaker, is whether Iran had already moved any of its highly enriched uranium stockpiles from the facilities in question by the time the US dropped bombs on them. Trump had made public he was weighing striking at least one of the sites, Fordow, and 'Iranians aren't idiots,' this person said.
But without American or allied boots on the ground to physically inspect the sites, answering that question is infinitely more difficult.