What we know about US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
US-Iran crisis: what we know so far
U.S. President Donald Trump says he is not looking for war with Iran. But he says the US is ready to respond to any threat to the country’s nuclear programme. U.S., UK and France call on Iran to stop any further action that could destabilise the region. Iran says it will not give up its nuclear programme despite the attacks on its nuclear sites by the U.K. and Israel. The U.N. Security Council has called for an end to the strikes. The UN Security Council is expected to vote on a resolution to end the strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme on Tuesday. The vote will be followed by a vote by the US Congress on whether or not to lift the sanctions against Iran, which have been in place since the 1980s. The US and UK have also called for the end of any further attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, which they say are a threat to their security.
Vice-president JD Vance had insisted the US was “not at war with Iran, we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear programme” while US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that that the US was “not looking for war in Iran”.
US president Donald Trump has brought up the possibility of regime change in Iran following US military strikes against three of its key nuclear enrichment sites over the weekend, even as top members of his administration insisted the US was not seeking to topple the Iranian leadership. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, “Regime Change,” but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
World leaders are now awaiting Iran’s response to the US attacks. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, told France’s Emmanuel Macron: “The Americans must receive a response to their aggression.” Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said his country would consider all possible responses. “The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,” he said. He later flew to Moscow to discuss “common threats” with President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Iran’s parliament has reportedly approved the closing of the key strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Reuters reported Iran’s supreme national security council will make the final decision on the move, which could hamstring global trade by shutting the narrow passage between Iran and Oman. US secretary of state Marco Rubio urged China to advise Tehran against closing the vital trade route, telling Fox News: “I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the strait of Hormuz for their oil. If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake.”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is very close to meeting its goals in Iran of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear programme. Speaking to Israeli reporters, he said: “We won’t pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won’t finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop.” A social media account associated with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, later said Israel has made a “grave mistake” and “must be punished and is being punished”.
The UK, France and Germany released a joint statement after the US strikes, calling upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program. The three countries also urged Iran “not to take any further action that could destabilise the region”, adding: “We have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security.”
Iran’s health ministry said the US strikes had wounded an unspecified number of people but that none “showed any signs of radioactive contamination”. “For years, the ministry of health has set up nuclear emergency units in the nearest medical facilities to nuclear sites,” ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X.
Israel said its fighter jets had struck “dozens” of targets across Iran on Sunday, including a long-range missile site in Yazd in the centre of the country for the first time, Agence France Presse reported. A military statement said that “approximately 30 IAF [air force] fighter jets struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran” – including “the ‘Imam Hussein’ strategic missile command center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored”.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that “there are no planned military operations right now against Iran.” In a new interview with CBS, Rubio added that “no one will know for days” whether Iran had moved some of its nuclear materials prior to the strikes.
What to know about the US’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after Iran’s attack
Prior to attack on biggest US military base in Middle East, US had already started taking ‘force protection’ measures. Iran has responded to the United States’ direct involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict by targeting its military assets in the Middle East. On Monday, Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced that bases used by US forces “in the region or elsewhere” could be attacked. That evening, explosions were heard over Qatar’s capital, Doha, as Iran attacked Al Udeid Air Base. The 24-hectare (60-acre) base was set up in 1996 and is the forward headquarters for US Central Command, which directs US military operations in a huge swathe of territory stretching from Egypt in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. It houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, the US Air Force and the United Kingdom’S Royal Air Force. Over the years, it said, Qatar had spent more than $8bn upgrading infrastructure.
Iran has responded to the United States’ direct involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict by targeting its military assets in the Middle East.
On Monday, Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced that bases used by US forces “in the region or elsewhere” could be attacked in retaliation for US attacks on Iran’s underground nuclear sites the previous day.
Later that evening, explosions were heard over Qatar’s capital, Doha, as Iran attacked Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military base in the Middle East.
Here’s everything you need to know about Al Udeid:
What is Al Udeid?
Gas-rich Qatar, which lies 190km (120 miles) south of Iran across the Gulf, is home to the US’s largest military base in the region, Al Udeid.
The 24-hectare (60-acre) base, in the desert outside the capital Doha, was set up in 1996 and is the forward headquarters for US Central Command, which directs US military operations in a huge swathe of territory stretching from Egypt in the west to Kazakhstan in the east.
It houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, the US Air Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, and other foreign forces.
It houses around 10,000 troops.
Earlier this year, The Hill, a Washington, DC-based newspaper, reported that Al Udeid’s “long, well-maintained runways enable rapid deployment, making it a critical component of US force projection”.
The Hill also reported that Qatar’s investment in Al Udeid has kept it “at the forefront of military readiness while saving US taxpayers billions of dollars”. Over the years, it said, Qatar had spent more than $8bn upgrading infrastructure.
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The base has played a central role in air campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in humanitarian missions, including the 2021 evacuation of Kabul.
Why is it in the news?
On Monday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced it had temporarily closed its airspace amid threats of Iranian retaliation.
“The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region,” the ministry said.
The closure came several hours after the US and UK embassies urged their citizens in Qatar to shelter in place out of what it said was “an abundance of caution”.
Later, news agency Reuters cited a Western diplomat as saying there had been a credible Iranian threat against Al Udeid since noon on Monday.
That evening, Qatar’s Defence Minister, cited by Al Jazeera, said the country’s air defences had intercepted missiles directed at Al Udeid.
Was Al Udeid prepared for the attack?
Before targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, it appears that the US started taking precautionary measures.
As US President Donald Trump mulled direct involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, news agency AFP reported that dozens of US military aircraft were no longer on the tarmac at the air base, basing its assessment on satellite images published by Planet Labs PBC.
Nearly 40 military aircraft – including transport planes like the Hercules C-130 and reconnaissance aircraft – were parked on the tarmac at the base, the regional headquarters of the Pentagon’s Central Command, on June 5. But in an image taken on June 19, only three aircraft were visible.
One US official who spoke to Reuters said aircraft that were not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid base. Additionally, he said US Navy vessels had been moved from a port in Bahrain, where the US military’s 5th fleet is located.
“It is not an uncommon practice,” the official said. “Force protection is the priority.”
Was Al Udeid involved in US attacks on nuclear sites?
No.
Prior to the US attack on nuclear sites on Sunday, it was reported that B-2 bombers were heading to Guam – a ruse, as it turned out.
As all eyes looked West, seven B-2 stealth bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in the US at 00:01 EDT (04:01 GMT), according to the Pentagon. The top-secret flights flew straight over the Atlantic to Iran.
None of the US bases in the Middle East were deployed in the US offensive on Iran.
How has Qatar responded to the attack on Al Udeid?
Qatar condemned the attack on the air base, calling it a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
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“We express the State of Qatar’s strong condemnation of the attack on Al Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and consider it a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement.
Iran and Qatar enjoy fraternal diplomatic relations. Qatar has condemned the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Israel-Iran live: Trump thanks Iran for ‘early notice’ of missile attack on US base and shares hope for peace in region
Airlines warn of cancellations and delays amid escalation in the Middle East. In the wake of Iran’s missile attack on a US base in Qatar, airlines across the region have been adjusting their flight schedules. Qatar Airways has announced a “temporary suspension” of flights and expects to “resume operations when the airspace re-opens”
In the wake of Iran’s missile attack on a US base in Qatar, airlines across the region have been adjusting their flight schedules.
Here’s a roundup:
Qatar Airways has announced a “temporary suspension” of flights and expects to “resume operations when the airspace re-opens”.
Etihad Airways says it is re-routing several flights today and tomorrow due to airspace restrictions across the region. It has also warned of disruption and delays over the coming days.
Air Arabia says some flights may experience disruption “due to the escalating situation and airspace closures” across the region.
Kuwait Airways suspended departures from the country for the rest of the day. Kuwait has reopened its airspace now.
Pakistan International Airlines has cancelled flight operations from the country to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Dubai.
EgyptAir says flights to and from Gulf cities have been suspended until the situation in the region stabilises.
Air India says it has ceased all operations to the Middle East, as well as “to and from the east coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect, until further notice”. Inbound flights from North America are being diverted elsewhere.
IndiGo says its operations to and from Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, the UAE, and Georgia have been affected.
Live updates: Iran strikes U.S. forces in Qatar; retaliates for nuclear facilities attack
President Trump said Iran’s retaliatory attack on a U.S. air base in Qatar was “very weak” 13 out of 14 missiles intercepted.
“I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,” Trump wrote. “Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE.”
Trump said he wanted to thank Iran for giving the U.S. early notice of their attack.
“Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same,” he wrote.
Live updates: Trump claims US ‘obliterated’ Iran nuclear sites; world awaits response from Khamenei
The US and Iran have maintained back-channel communications throughout the current crisis. The understanding among US officials is that the 86-year-old Khamenei will need to sign off on any major diplomatic decisions. US officials believe he is in hiding amid the ongoing conflict to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has remained in contact with Iranian officials since US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, two sources familiar the matter said, as the administration continues to seek out a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
But his efforts are facing significant challenge from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been exceedingly difficult for Iranian officials to reach after he retreated to a hidden location amid escalating tensions, the sources said.
The understanding among US officials is that the 86-year-old Khamenei will need to sign off on any major diplomatic decisions. But getting information to and from him has become more difficult.
That has left communications between the US and the Iranians — either directly or through intermediaries — somewhat halting, officials said.
Khamenei has not delivered any recorded messages since the US strikes. And US officials believe he is in hiding amid the ongoing conflict to avoid assassination.
Nonetheless, Trump said he hopes that after the weekend strikes, Iran will return to negotiations that had been largely deadlocked before Israel began its attacks this month.
The US and Iran have maintained back-channel communications throughout the current crisis. Before the weekend strikes, the US conveyed a message that the actions would be contained and that Trump was still seeking to resolve the matter diplomatically, officials said.