US attacks Iran LIVE updates: Trump joins Israel's war after bombing Iran's nuclear facilities; Iranian top diplomat to meet Vladimir Putin

The Age

3 hours ago

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The latest on the crisis in the Middle East
The United States yesterday launched an assault on three nuclear sites in Iran, bringing the US directly into a conflict that threatens to escalate.
US President Donald Trump claimed in an address to the American people that nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and – crucially – Fordow, the 'nuclear mountain' that could only be penetrated by American military technology, had been 'completely and totally obliterated'.
Trump said he hoped that Iran would engage in peace talks, but he also threatened any retaliatory action would be met with force and lead to 'tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days'.
Overnight, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said America 'does not seek war' with Iran despite entering the latest Middle East conflict on the side of Israel.
What comes next? Iran's top diplomat will travel to Moscow today to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The International Atomic Energy Agency called an emergency meeting as fears grow of escalation in the Middle East. As for Trump? North America correspondent Michael Koziol writes: 'Despite his declaration of success, it is too soon to tell whether this was a master stroke or a mistake.'
How will Iran respond? The regime has threatened a full and ferocious response with 'everlasting consequences', and had already flagged its intention to target US military and diplomatic sites if America entered the war. However, Iran's options are limited, according to Middle East and security analyst Rodger Shahanan, who writes: 'It is relatively weak militarily and Israel has air supremacy. Iran's armed non-state supporting actors have either been degraded, or internal political or broader national considerations have forced them to critically re-evaluate that support.'
What about the enriched uranium? A senior Iranian source has told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium had been removed from the Fordow nuclear facility before the US attack. Experts have said chemical contamination was the most likely consequence of damage to Iranian nuclear facilities, but the prospect of nuclear fallout or widespread contamination was low. More on this from science reporter Angus Dalton here.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day.
Map: Nuclear sites hit by US military bombing raid
4.14am
Decoys and bunker-busters: How America attacked Iran
Here is a little more information to have come out of a Pentagon briefing overnight.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided some extraordinary detail about the US mission to hit Iran's nuclear sites.
They described an extensive operation that included 125 aircraft overall, strikes by Tomahawk missiles launched from a US submarine and the use of 14 massive ordnance penetrator – or bunker-buster – bombs, which were used for the first time in combat.
Potentially the most interesting part, though, was when they spoke of how the US used decoy planes to draw attention so that B-2 bombers could more easily evade flight trackers and slip into Iranian airspace.
4.11am
More details of Operation Midnight Hammer released
At a Pentagon media briefing overnight, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said America 'does not seek war' with Iran despite appearing to enter the latest Middle East conflict on the side of Israel.
Hegseth used the briefing to divulge more details of Sunday's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. The mission, called 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance, Hegseth and Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.
Seven B-2 bombers flew for 18 hours from the United States into Iran to drop 14 bunker-buster bombs, Caine said. In total, the US launched 75 precision-guided munitions, including more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles, and more than 125 military aircraft.
The attack was made without the knowledge or support of Congress. Hegseth said the Pentagon only notified US lawmakers about the operation after American aircraft had left Iran.