🔴LIVE UPDATES: Arab capitals express great concern for regional stability after US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities - Region

Al-Ahram Weekly

4 hours ago

President Donald Trump said that the US military had carried out strikes Sunday on three Iranian nuclear sites and that Tehran "must now agree to end this war", following days of speculation over whether the United States would join its ally Israel's bombing campaign.
11:40 The military escalation in the Middle East risks sparking warfare with irreversible consequences, the head of the ICRC said on Sunday, following US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
"The intensification and spread of major military operations in the Middle East risk engulfing the region -- and the world -- in a war with irreversible consequences," Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a statement.
11:30 Bahrain, host of a major US naval base told most of its government employees to work from home until further notice after American air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
"A remote working system will be activated across ministries and government agencies, with a 70 percent work-from-home capacity," the official Bahrain News Agency said, citing "regional circumstances and current developments".
11:20 Saudi Arabia has expressed 'great concern' after US air strikes on nuclear facilities in its neighbour Iran.
In a statement, the Kingdom reaffirmed its earlier declaration dated 13 June 2025, in which it condemned and strongly rejected the violation of Iran's sovereignty.
Riyadh emphasized the urgent need for all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid escalation, and prioritize de-escalation efforts.
The Kingdom also called on the international community to intensify its efforts amid these highly sensitive circumstances to reach a political solution that would end the crisis and open the door to a new chapter of security and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, Oman said the US targeting of Iran threatened to 'widen the war', and is a violation of international law, according to state media.
Oman had been mediating nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran.
Qatar said it 'deplores deterioration' and 'dangerous tensions' after the US bombing would lead to 'catastrophic repercussions' on regional and international levels, its foreign ministry posted on X.
Iraq warned that the US attacks on its neighbour Iran's nuclear facilities threaten peace and stability in the Middle East.
Iraq "expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation of the targeting of nuclear facilities" in Iran, government spokesperson Basim Alawadi said. "This military escalation constitutes a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East and poses serious risks to regional stability," he added.
11:10 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the US has taken action to "alleviate" the "grave threat" of Iran's nuclear program.
'Iran's nuclear program is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat', Starmer said in a statement.
'The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.', he added.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers are set to meet on Monday to discuss the US strikes on Iran.
The EU's foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas posted on X that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb, and urged calm.
Kallas, said: 'Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security.
'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation.
'EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation tomorrow.'
Protesters in support of Iran and Palestinians in Gaza hold flags and placards during a demonstration against the actions of Israel and the United States in Sydney on June 22, 2025. (AFP)
10:30 Palestinian group Hamas condemned "blatant US aggression" against Iran.
"The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemns in the strongest terms the blatant US aggression against the territory and sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the group said in a statement.
"This brutal aggression is a dangerous escalation," the Hamas statement added, calling the attack "a flagrant violation of international law, and a direct threat to international peace and security".
10:25 Shortly after the US struck three Iranian facilities, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern at strikes carried out by the United States on Iran nuclear sites, calling them a "dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos," Guterres said in a statement. "There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace."
10:00 Israeli emergency services have said about 10 sites were hit by Iran's missiles, including in Tel Aviv, Carmel, and Haifa, after Iran launched two waves of missiles following the US bombing of its nuclear sites,
Israeli security forces and first responders gather at the site of an Iranian strike that hit a residential neighbourhood in the Ramat Aviv area in Tel Aviv on June 22, 2025. AFP
About 23 people are believed to have been injured, most not seriously, according to Israeli media outlets.
Rescuers are continuing to search the impact sites. Some buildings in Tel Aviv have been destroyed, Haaretz reported.
Israeli security forces and rescue teams work at the scene of an Iranian strike that hit Ness Ziona in central Israel on June 22, 2025. AFP
Public broadcaster KAN 11 showed images of a devastated building surrounded by mounds of rubble that it said was in central Israel.
09:50 More personnel from the United States diplomatic mission departed Iraq over the weekend as part of ongoing efforts to reduce embassy staffing amid "regional tensions," a US official said after Washington attacked Iranian nuclear sites. The embassy and the consulate remain operational.
"As part of our ongoing effort to streamline operations, additional personnel departed Iraq on June 21 and 22," the US official told AFP.
09:40 Iranian authorities said "no signs of contamination" after the US attacks on three of its nuclear facilities.
"No signs of contamination have been recorded," according to the National Centre for the Nuclear Safety System, which operates under Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.
"There is, therefore, no danger for the inhabitants living around the ... sites."
The International Atomic Energy Agency also reported that there is currently no increase in off-site radiation levels at the three nuclear sites hit by US strikes.
'IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available,' it said.
In a related statement, Saudi regulatory authorities confirmed that "no radioactive effects were detected" in the Gulf region after US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. "No radioactive effects were detected on the environment of the Kingdom and the Arab Gulf states as a result of the American military targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities," the kingdom's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission wrote in a post on X.
09:40 Iranian officials have disputed Trump's claim that their nuclear facilities were 'obliterated'.
Mohammad Manan Raisi, a lawmaker for Qom, near Fordow, told the semi-official Fars news agency the facility had not been seriously damaged.
Hassan Abedini, deputy political head of Iran's state broadcaster, said Iran had evacuated the three sites some time ago.
'The enriched uranium reserves had been transferred from the nuclear centres and there are no materials left there that, if targeted, would cause radiation and be harmful to our compatriots,' he told the channel.
09:35 A Yemeni Houthi official said that the group's response to the U.S. attack on Iran was 'only a matter of time'.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement's political bureau, told Al Jazeera that its ceasefire deal with Washington was before the 'war' on Iran.
The group has been launching attacks on shipping lanes and Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israeli war. It agreed on a ceasefire deal with the United States in May to stop attacking US ships in exchange for an end to Washington's bombings of the group.
09:20 Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel, including Ben Gurion airport, after US attacks on key nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.
"The twentieth wave of Operation Honest Promise 3 began using a combination of long-range liquid and solid fuel missiles with devastating warhead power," the armed forces said in a statement quoted by Fars news agency.
It added that the targets included the airport, a "biological research centre," logistics bases, and various layers of command and control centres.
Israel's military said it had detected two waves of missiles fired from Iran, as air raid sirens rang out in Tel Aviv and explosions rocked Jerusalem.
"At this time, the (Israeli Air Force) is operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat.", the military said in a statement.
A similar statement about another wave of missiles was issued 30 minutes later before the alert was lifted at around 8:10am (0510 GMT).
09:00 The Israeli military said it launched a fresh series of strikes targeting military targets, including missile launchers, in western Iran after the United States attacked the country's nuclear sites.
The air force began "a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran", a military statement said, adding it had "struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralised the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory a short while ago."
08:30 Iran's atomic agency said that the country will carry on with its nuclear activities despite the US attacks on key facilities.
"The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the great nation of Iran that despite the evil plots of its enemies ... it will not let the path of development of this national industry (nuclear), which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, be stopped," the organisation said in a statement published by state media.
08:20 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attacks as "lawless and criminal," stressing that his country has the right to defend its sovereignty.
Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi speaks journalists ahead the family photo during the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul. AFP
"The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences," he posted on X.
"Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."
Tehran said Sunday there were "no signs of contamination" after the US attacks and Saudi regulators said "no radioactive effects were detected" in the Gulf region.
Iranian media confirmed that part of the Fordo plant as well as the Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites were attacked.
08:05 Israel has closed its airspace until further notice "due to recent developments", the Israel Airports Authority announced on Sunday morning following the US bombing of Iran.
Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv
"The airspace of the State of Israel is closed to entry and exit due to recent developments," the authority said in a statement, specifying that "land crossing points (with Egypt) and Jordan are operating normally."
Israel had initially closed its airspace on 13 June after launching the bombing campaign against Iran but reopened it on Friday for flights repatriating Israeli citizens stranded abroad.
08:00 Trump said the US military carried out a "very successful attack" on three Iranian nuclear sites, including the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow.
US President Donald Trump (C) arrives to address the nation, alongside US Vice President JD Vance (L), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (C), from the White House in Washington, DC on June 21, 2025. AFP
"We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran," including Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site," Fordow, he said, adding that the planes were safely out of Iranian airspace and on the way home.
The president said that after the strikes, Iran "must now agree to end this war," insisting that under no circumstances should Iran possess a nuclear weapon.
Iranian media said part of the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, as well as the Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites, were attacked.
Israel raised its alert level after the strikes, permitting only essential activities until further notice, the Israeli military announced.
In a televised address to the nation from the White House, Trump warned that the United States would go after more targets if Iran did not make peace quickly.
"Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success," said Trump, adding that they targeted the crucial underground nuclear enrichment plant of Fordo along with facilities at Natanz and Isfahan.
"Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran the bully of the Middle East must now make peace," said Trump.
Trump said that future attacks would be "far greater" unless Iran reached a diplomatic solution.
"Remember, there are many targets left," he said.
Trump said earlier on his Truth Social site that a "full payload of BOMBS" was dropped on Fordo and noted that "all planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors."
The raid on the Iranian nuclear sites was carried out by B-2 stealth bombers that dropped so-called "bunker buster bombs," along with submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, US media reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on the strikes, saying, "with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history."
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