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Middle East Eye
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
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
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
At least 80 injured in port explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas
At least 80 people have been injured and transported to the hospital in a massive explosion and fire strike that hit the Shahid Rajaee port in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday. The Crisis Management Headquarters immediately declared an alert in all hospitals in Bandar Abbas, the agency said. The port's activities were suspended to extinguish the fire and considering the large number of port employees, "many people were probably injured or even killed in the incident," the agency added. National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said the blast didn't impact energy facilities. "The cause of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaee Port wharf area. We are currently evacuating and transferring the injured to medical centres," a local crisis management official told state TV. A local official told Reuters that the reason behind the explosions was not yet known. The blast occurred as Iran began a third round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman. The distance between Bandar Abbas and the Omani shoreline is approximately 84 kilometers, underscoring the city's strategic proximity to the Gulf nation. Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan Province, is Iran's principal southern port city, strategically located on the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz. The city's prominence is further underscored by the presence of the Shahid Rajaee port, which handles a significant portion of Iran's container traffic and is equipped to accommodate large vessels. The blast shattered windows within a radius of several kilometres, Iranian media said, with footage shared online showing a mushroom cloud forming following the explosion. In 2020, computers at the same port were hit by a cyberattack that caused massive backups on waterways and roads leading to the facility. The Washington Post had reported that Iran's arch-foe Israel appeared to be behind that incident as retaliation for an earlier Iranian cyberattack.
