‘Midnight Hammer' to Strait of Hormuz: 10 new developments after US bombs Iran's nuclear facilities

Indian Express

3 hours ago

Tensions between the United States, Iran, and Israel escalated dramatically on Sunday after US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, which President Donald Trump claimed had 'completely and fully obliterated' key sites. The attacks have triggered a deadly wave of retaliatory strikes, international condemnation, and fears of a wider regional war.
On Saturday night, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US military had struck three of Iran's nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump declared the facilities 'completely and fully obliterated."
Senior Pentagon officials on Sunday detailed a highly secretive and coordinated military operation against Iran, calling it a demonstration of American air and naval power at its most effective.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both spoke publicly, though neither could confirm whether Iran retained the ability to produce a nuclear weapon. Hegseth reiterated President Trump's claim from the previous night that the nuclear sites had been 'obliterated.' General Caine did not.
Caine said a final battle damage assessment was still pending, but initial reports indicated that all three targeted Iranian nuclear sites had sustained 'severe damage and destruction.'
A US official has confirmed that B-2 bombers flew non-stop for 37 hours from Missouri to carry out the strikes.
The global nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said that there has been 'no radiation leak' from any nuclear facility in Pakistan after the escalated military engagement with India. The Vienna-based global nuclear watchdog's reply, to a query from The Indian Express, ties in with the earlier response by the Indian Air Force that India has not hit any target in Pakistan's Kirana Hills, which is reported to house some nuclear installations. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Sunday that he will travel to Moscow later in the day to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday morning. In a post on X, Araghchi condemned the United States, accusing it of a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.
A representative of Iran's Supreme Leader said it is now Iran's turn to respond. He called for missile strikes on US naval forces in Bahrain and closure of the Strait of Hormuz to Western vessels. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned, 'They crossed a very big red line… We have to respond based on our legitimate right for self-defence."
Several areas in central and northern Israel, including Nes Ziona, Rishon Lezion, Haifa, and a neighbourhood in Tel Aviv, were struck by Iranian missiles, according to Israeli state media and Fars News Agency. Videos show significant destruction in Tel Aviv. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the US to 'expect regrettable responses' in response to its strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites, state TV reported.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump, calling the strike 'a pivot of history.' UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of 'a dangerous escalation,' and Pakistan condemned the US strike. Oman, previously mediating talks, called the attack a 'serious violation of international law.
Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, has also called for an emergency Security Council meeting. In a letter to the UN, he described the US strikes as 'heinous attacks and illegal use of force.'
Russia has "strongly condemned" bombings, calling the attacks "irresponsible" and a "gross violation of international law".
Iran's Parliament has approved the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, though the final decision will be taken by the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's Press TV reported. The Strait is in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, and accounts for a big bulk of the world's oil trade.
Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz on multiple occasions, but has never actually done it. The heightened risk of the closure is bound to raise concerns globally, including in India, particularly with regard to oil and gas supply security, and could lead to a jump in energy prices.
India is the world's third-largest consumer of crude oil and depends on imports to meet over 85 per cent of its requirement.
Israel closed its airspace as a precaution after the US strikes, though land crossings into Egypt and Jordan remain open, according to the Israel Airports Authority.
Trump, speaking Sunday, said no military 'could have done what the US military has done.' He warned Iran of 'far greater' future attacks if it does not choose peace. 'There will either be peace or tragedy for Iran,' he said, adding that he acted 'as a team' with Netanyahu.
The 'bunker buster' MOP is designed to attack 'deeply-buried facilities and hardened bunkers and tunnels' and is meant to destroy targets in well-protected facilities. Israel, or any country other than the US, does not have any non-nuclear weapon systems that can penetrate a site as deep as Fordow.
A never-before-used American bomb — the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP — which is extremely heavy and can only be dropped using the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber aircraft of the US Air Force was used for the bombing. The latest strike seems to have achieved that target, even though the extent of damage at Fordow is still under speculation, primarily because of the depth of the enrichment site.