US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, at a news conference at the Pentagon, Washington D.C., June 22, 2025 (Andrew Harnik/Getty)

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Trump Joins Israel’s War on Iran

EA-Byline Times Podcast: What’s Next After Trump’s Bombing of Iran?

EA on International Outlets: Trump Administration Bombs Iran

Bombing Nuclear Sites, Trump Joins Israel’s War on Iran

UPDATE 1346 GMT:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has supported the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Addressing the Federation of German Industries, Merz said:

There is no reason to criticise what America did at the weekend. Yes, it is not without risk. But leaving things as they were was not an option either.

UPDATE 1226 GMT:

At a European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called for a rejection of “regime change” in Iran.

Emphasizing the need for negotiations, Barrot said:

The Iranian people, who have heroically resisted the regime whose actions we have condemned, [should] determine their own future and choose for themselves the time and circumstances to change the regime. It would be illusory and dangerous to think that such a change can be provoked by force and bombs.

UPDATE 1102 GMT:

Israel has confirmed that it attacked access roads to the Fordoo underground uranium enrichment plant in central Iran.

Fordoo was the target of US “bunker buster” bombs on Saturday night.

UPDATE 1027 GMT:

International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi has spoken to an emergency meeting about US bombing of Iran’s Fordoo uranium enrichment plant, buried in a mountain in the center of the country.

Given the explosive payload utilized and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred. I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared to the Agency as required under Iran’s Safeguard Agreement, and I expressed my readiness to work with Iran on this matter.

UPDATE 1020 GMT:

Defense Minister Israel Katz has described the latest Israeli strikes on Iran’s capital:

The IDF is currently striking with unprecedented force regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran, including the Basij headquarters, the Evin Prison for political prisoners and regime opponents, the “Destruction of Israel” clock in Palestine Square, the internal security headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideology headquarters, and other regime targets.

Israeli officials claimed the killing of “numerous” Revolutionary Guards troops.

Israel is dismantling the IRGC in Tehran. pic.twitter.com/3ZF1S0Q4a0 — נועה מגיד | Noa magid (@NoaMagid) June 23, 2025

The “Destruction of Israel” clock, erected in central Tehran in 2017, counts down to Israel’s ostensible demise in 2040.

The Mizan outlet of Iran’s judiciary said part of Evin Prison has been damaged but the situation is under control.

Iran’s Tasnim outlet also claimed an Israeli attack on the Fordoo nuclear facility, struck by the US late Saturday.

Video of the entrance to Evin Prison after the strikes:

Video sent to Iran International shows scenes of destruction at the Evin courthouse and judiciary building following reported Israeli strikes. pic.twitter.com/XjwMwmL8j8 — Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 23, 2025

UPDATE 0925 GMT:

Israel is carrying out another wave of attacks across Iran.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the attacks are of “unprecedented intensity” on targets in central Tehran.

Iranian media report explosions and a strike near the site of the Red Crescent.

UPDATE 0842 GMT:

Iran has fired six or seven missiles against Israel, in four waves over a 40-minute period.

There are no reports of injuries. One missile landed next to a power station in southern Israel, causing outages in nearby towns.

UPDATE 0829 GMT:

Iran’s authorities have executed another man accused of espionage for Israel.

Mohammadamin Shayesteh, arrested in late 2023, was hung early Monday. He was condemned of being “the head of a cyber-team affiliated with [Israeli intelligence service] Mossad”

UPDATE 0818 GMT:

Defying the questions over the effectiveness of US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, Donald Trump blustered late Sunday:

Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!…The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!

UPDATE 0814 GMT:

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has supported US strikes on Iran, blaming Tehran for not coming “to the table” for a resolution over its nuclear program.

The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that – that is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran’s nuclear program. We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war. We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy.

In sharp contrast, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he is looking for “evidence to do with” Iran’s nuclear program that showed Tehran was “way outside the negotiated position they’ve been taking all this time”.

Peters told Radio NZ that Iran had “been marvellously good at negotiating their way out of things and the question is, have they kept to their commitments, have they breached their international obligations”.

The world needed to “find that out before we rush to judgement”, he cautioned.

Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters that he viewed the situation with “grave concern”. He said Iran’s development of nuclear weapons must be “blocked”, but declined an invitation to support the US strikes, saying that he would respond “when appropriate”.

UPDATE 0809 GMT:

Iran’s Supreme Leader has warned Israel: “The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed a great crime; it must be punished and is being punished; it is being punished right now.”

Ayatollah Khamenei added an image of a skull with the Star of David, sitting atop a darkened city with missiles raining down.

#همین_حالا

مجازات ادامه دارد دشمن صهیونی یک اشتباه بزرگی کرده، یک جنایت بزرگی را مرتکب شده؛ باید مجازات بشود و دارد مجازات میشود؛ همین حالا دارد مجازات میشود.#الله_اکبر pic.twitter.com/wH6Wk9nNhJ — KHAMENEI.IR | فارسی (@Khamenei_fa) June 23, 2025

UPDATE 0806 GMT:

Iranian officials claim three civilians were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit an ambulance in central Iran on Sunday.

Hamidreza Mohammadi Fesharaki, a county head in Isfahan Province, said the ambulance was en route transferring a patient when it was severely damaged by a drone strike. The patient, their companion, and the driver were slain.

UPDATE 0759 GMT:

In a joint statement, the UK, France and Germany called on Iran to enter negotiations for an agreement addressing all concerns over its nuclear program.

The three countries urged Iran “not to take any further action that could destabilize the region: “We have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security.”

However, they did not go as far as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s endorsement of the Trump Administration’s strikes on nuclear facilities. Starmer posted, “Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.”

UPDATE 0753 GMT:

Donald Trump has called for regime change in Iran, contradicting his top advisors.

Trump posted on social media on Sunday night:

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!!!”

While trying to break the Iranian leadership, Israel’s Netanyahu Government has denied that its goal is regime change.

Earlier on Sunday, US Vice President J.D. Vance insisted the US was “not at war with Iran, we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program”. Secretary of state Marco Rubio declared that the Trump Administration was “not looking for war in Iran”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Questions are circulating about the effectiveness of the high-profile US strikes, including with “bunker buster bombs” on Iran’s nuclear sites on Saturday.

Announcing the strikes on social media, Trump proclaimed that the US bombs and Tomahawk missiles “totally obliterated” the nuclear facilities at Fordoo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeated at a briefing on Sunday that “Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated” by the “incredible and overwhelming success” of the attacks.

However, at the same briefing, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine acknowledged that the Bomb Damage Assessments of the operations were still being conducted.

Meanwhile, both available information and the analyses of nuclear experts posed a series of challenges to the Administration’s sweeping claims.

Did Iran’s Precautions Work?

The Administration claimed that the “bunker busters” — 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators, dropped by B-2 bombers — had reached the Fordoo uranium enrichment facility, buried deep inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom in central Iran.

Iranian officials claimed that they had moved out much of Fordoo’s equipment and uranium. The assertion is supported by satellite images of trucks carrying material from the complex in the days before the strikes.

And even if Fordoo’s structure was reached and damaged, the extent of the setback on Iran’s nuclear program is far from clear.

In a lengthy thread on social media, arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis begins:

Israel and the US have failed to target significant elements of Iran’s nuclear materials and production infrastructure. RISING LION and MIDNIGHT HAMMER are tactically brilliant, but may turn out to be strategic failures.

He notes that Iran’s stock of around 400 kg (880 pounds) of 60% uranium, which can potentially be further enriched to a military grade of more than 90%, was not stored at Fordoo but at the Isfahan facility in central Iran.

The only assessment so far of the damage to Isfahan on Saturday has come from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Its analysts said the Americans hit 10 buildings, four of which had already been struck by the Israelis, and there was no significant release of radiation.

Lewis notes that, as at Fordoo, uranium was likely taken out of Isfahan:

No one even knows where the HEU is now! IAEA DG Grossi says Iran moved it. Lil’ Marco Rubio says nothing can move in Iran. But trucks are moving in Iran. Trucks and heavy equipment showed up at least two days ago to seal the tunnels to protect them. @planetlabs.bsky.social took a picture. 4/17 [image or embed] — Jeffrey Lewis (@armscontrolwonk.bsky.social) June 23, 2025 at 2:27 AM

Vice President J.D. Vance implicitly admitted on Sunday that the Administration does not know where the 60% uranium is, saying it would have to “have conversations with the Iranians” about the fuel.

The Facility That Was Not Struck

Lewis continues that there was “no effort to strike the enormous underground facility next to Natanz where Iran can make more centrifuges and maybe do other things”.

A centrifuge production line was established in 2022 in the facility, estimated at more than 10,000 square meters. Like Fordoo, the new complex is 80 to 100 meters under a mountain.

Iran recently declared the “new enrichment facility in a secure location”, notifying the IAEA that it was ready to start installing centrifuges. The IAEA was set to inspect the facility before the plan was interrupted by Israel’s war.

Lewis summarizes:

This means Iran has retained 400 kg of 60% HEU, the ability to manufacture centrifuges, and one, possibly two underground enrichment sites. That is also to say nothing of possible secret sites, which opponents of the JCPOA used to invoke all the freaking time. 11/17 — Jeffrey Lewis (@armscontrolwonk.bsky.social) June 23, 2025 at 2:27 AM

The expert estimates that installing new centrifuge cascades, Iran could have weapons-grade uranium in five months.

Israel bombs entrance of notorious Iranian Evin prison where political prisoners held

Evin prison, in the heart of Tehran was one of the IRGC strongholds bombed by Israel today

Footage shows the prison blast (Image: X )

Israel bombed the entrance to Iran’s infamous Evin prison, notorious for its detention and often brutal treatment of political dissenters.

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Located in the core of Tehran, Evin prison was among the IRGC strongholds targeted by Israeli bombings today. Other sites on the hit list included the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards, Palestine Square, and the paramilitary Basij volunteer corps, an affiliate of the Revolutionary Guard.

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“The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” declared the Defense Ministry. The judiciary, through its Mizan news agency, assured, “The situation in the prison is under control and all means have been used to manage the prison complex.”

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Smoke rises over Tehran after Evin prison was hit (Image: UGC/AFP via Getty Images )

While it confirmed some damage to parts of the prison, it did not provide further details. Video clips captured a gate being blown open at the location, reports the Express US.

As of now, no fatalities have been reported from the Evin explosion, but the narrative continues to unfold as both Iran and Israel scramble to evaluate the aftermath of today’s assaults.

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“The IDF is currently striking with unprecedented force regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran, including the Basij headquarters, the Evin Prison for political prisoners and regime opponents, the ‘Destruction of Israel’ clock in Palestine Square, the internal security headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideology headquarters, and other regime targets,” Katz stated.

Evin prison is notorious for detaining ‘dual nationals’ and ‘Westerners’, which Iran notoriously employs as leverage in diplomatic wranglings with Western nations.

Boasting sections expressly for political inmates and those connected to the West, Evin operates under the tight control of the Revolutionary Guard—a force answering solely to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Subjected to U.S. and European Union sanctions, the prison is infamous for alleged torture techniques relayed by prisoners, including beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, extended solitary confinement, coerced confessions, and worse.

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More footage from Iran’s national media of the strike on Evin (Image: X )

Citing a Wall Street Journal report based on discussions with Israeli insiders, “Israel is looking to wrap up the operation soon.”

Nevertheless, these sources convey that “Iran still feels it has to respond to US strikes on Sunday.”

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Yet another Israeli official conveyed to The Times of Israel that Israel stands ready to conclude its military actions, conditional upon Iran halting their nuclear enhancement process. “It depends on Iran, not on us. We are happy to wrap it up now; if there’s an agreement at the end, Israel will be content with the result,” the official communicated.

Israel hit key Iranian targets in a fresh series of devastating airstrikes Monday, attacking the headquarters of the country’s elite military police force and blowing off the front of its most notorious, brutal prison.

The most intense bombing yet of government sites around Tehran came a day after the US joined Israel’s war on thwarting the Islamic Republic from being able to build nuclear bombs.

“The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” Israel’s Defense Ministry said of the latest attacks.

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5 The prison before an Israeli airstrike hit it. Storyful

5 Moments after an Israeli strike hit the notorious prison in Tehran. Storyful

Shocking security footage shows one missile strike blasting open the doors of Evin Prison, where the Islamic Republic held its opponents and critics in brutal conditions, with public hangings.

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Teh strike allowed an unknown number of those political prisoners to flee, according to Iran International, an outlet that opposes Tehran’s leadership.

“Viva la libertad!” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote alongside video of the doors being blown clean off their hinges.

5 Political prisoners making clothing for the Iran-Iraq War effort in a workshop at Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran in 1986. Getty Images

“We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians! They continued, including this morning,” he wrote.

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Read the latest on the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities:

Iran’s regime confirmed the strike on the prison and said sections had been damaged.

“In the latest attack by the Zionist regime on Tehran, projectiles unfortunately struck Evin prison, causing damage to parts of the facility,” the pro-government Mizan Online outlet reported.

The heavily fortified center in Iran’s capital is where the Mullahs have kept thousands of political prisoners, journalists, academics and human rights activists locked up since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

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Built in 1971 under the previous regime of the Shah in the hills of northern Tehran, the prison has been the site of numerous atrocities over the past 50 years.

In 1988, thousands of political prisoners were executed on the orders of the Ayatollah following cursory trials, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

The prison was just one target as more than 100 munitions were dropped on Tehran in just two hours, Israel’s military claims.

Further Israeli strikes on Tehran have hit the headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the country’s elite military force, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said.

5 This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows Evin prison in Tehran, Iran. AP

Many IRGC soldiers were killed in the strikes, the IDF claims.

Another strike hit a clock in Palestine Square in Tehran, which symbolically counted down to the “destruction of Israel” and was installed by the regime in 2017, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

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The clock counts down until 2040, the year by which the Islamist regime claims Israel will collapse.

5 The site of clashes in a ward of Evin prison from 2022. AP

“The IDF is currently striking with unprecedented force regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran, including the Basij headquarters, the Evin Prison for political prisoners and regime opponents, the ‘Destruction of Israel’ clock in Palestine Square, the internal security headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideology headquarters, and other regime targets,” Katz said in a statement.

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Further strikes in Iran hit the access roads to the Fordow nuclear facility, one of three sites in Iran hit during US air strikes over the weekend.

The strikes were intended to “disrupt” accessibility to the underground nuclear enrichment center, the IDF claimed.

Al Jazeera, the broadcaster which is based in Qatar, has reported that there are flares visible over Doha. It said it did not know if it is from missiles or air defence systems.

Reuters has just reported that explosions have been heard over Doha, the Qatari capital.

Axios, the American news website, is reporting that Iran has launched six missiles towards US bases in Qatar.

US national security team to meet at 6pm

President Trump is scheduled to meet with his national security team to discuss preparations for a suspected Iranian attack on US military bases in the Middle East at 1pm ET (6pm GMT).

The president has previously warned that any retaliation “will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed” during US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

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Iranian officials have said they were reserving “all options” on how to respond, which could include targeting US military bases in the region or disrupting global trade by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Americans in Qatar told to ‘shelter’

President Trump at Al Udeid last month ALEX BRANDON/AP

Earlier, the US embassy in Qatar advised Americans living in the Gulf State not to go out, with other Western embassies echoing the warning.

“Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the US embassy said on its website.

Iran has threatened American forces at Al Udeid in the past, but not after Sunday’s strike, though state television has mentioned American bases in its broadcasts.

President Trump spoke to US troops at Al Udeid last month.

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‘Imminent Iranian threat on US airbase in Qatar’

US officials are aware of an imminent threat of Iranian airstrikes on a US military base in Qatar, according to a Fox News report.

Qatar is home to Al Udeid, the largest US air base in the Middle East which hosts more than 10,000 American personnel and serves as the forward headquarters of United States Central Command.

British military personnel are also stationed at Al Udeid on rotation.

Flights bound for Doha diverted

Dozens of flights bound for Doha have been diverted after Qatar closed its airspace amid threats of retaliation from Iran.

Qatar Airways flight QR330 from Gatwick airport was rerouted to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, while flights from San Francisco, Athens, Sofia and Belgrade were also diverted to airports across the Middle East.

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More than 100 flights were bound for Doha when the airspace was temporarily closed, according to Flightradar24.

The last flight to land in Doha before the closure was the Qatar Airways flight QR740 from Los Angeles at 6.31pm local time (4.31pm GMT).

Holocaust survivor, 95, killed in Iranian attack on Israel

Yvette Shmilovitz, 95 FACEBOOK

A Holocaust survivor was killed by an Iranian missile which struck Israel last week.

Israeli media outlets reported that Yvette Shmilovitz, 95, was one of four people killed in the city of Petah Tikva.

Qatar temporarily closes airspace

Qatar has temporarily shut down its airspace, the nation’s foreign ministry has confirmed on X.

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It said the measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of Qatari residents and visitors, as tensions escalate between Iran and Israel.

Iran has repeated earlier threats to retaliate against the United States after President Trump orchestrated strikes on its nuclear sites.

There are about 20,000 Britons living and working in Qatar.

Trump turns attention to Russia

President Trump has turned his attention to Russia’s relationship with Iran, in a swipe at Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president.

In a post on Truth Social, the US leader wrote: “Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran?

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“Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS.’”

French prisoners at Evin jail ‘put at risk’

France’s foreign minister has accused Israel of putting two of its citizens in danger after an air strike hit Tehran’s Evin prison.

Jean-Noel Barrot said all strikes had to stop immediately to open the door to renewed diplomacy.

“The strike targeting Evin prison in Tehran, put our citizens Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been held for three years, in danger. It is unacceptable,” Barrot said on social media.

He said the two French citizens had not been affected by the damage on the site, but called for diplomats to be given immediate consular access to them.

“All strikes must stop now to open the way for negotiations and diplomacy,” he added.

Israel warns Tehran residents

The Israeli military said on Monday that it would keep up its air strikes on targets in the Iranian capital, urging residents to stay away from security installations.

The army “will continue to strike military targets in the Tehran area in the coming days,” read a statement posted in the Persian language on X, adding: “For your safety, we urge you to keep your distance from the regime’s weapons manufacturing facilities, military headquarters, and the security institutions.”

Britons flown to Cyprus

David Lammy said an RAF A400 has flown British citizens from Tel Aviv to Cyprus, where they will be brought back to Britain on Monday night.

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The flight became possible with the reopening of Israeli airspace.

Lammy said: “Further flights will follow in the coming days, security allowing. We will prioritise those with greatest need, and contact those allocated a seat directly.”

He urged British citizens to register with the Foreign Office, and said further updates would be sent to them.

‘Shelter in place’ alert for Britons in Qatar

The UK has joined the US and other nations in warning citizens in Qatar to “shelter in place until further notice”.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice. Follow instructions from local authorities,” the Foreign Office advice states.

“The FCDO is in contact with local authorities and international partners, and will provide further updates as the situation develops.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said earlier that the security situation in the country remained stable.

British citizen injured in Israel

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has confirmed that a British citizen has been injured in Israel during missile attacks by Iran.

Lammy told MPs that the RAF had evacuated 63 British citizens from Israel to Cyprus, and there were more flights to come.

Sirens wail in sacred city

Marc Bennetts in Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s old city, home to some of the most sacred sites for Arabs, Christians and Jews, has been sealed off to non-residents since the start of the war with Iran.

Armed police stand guard at checkpoints, while shops and businesses inside its ancient walls have been ordered to close down because they lack bomb shelters.

On Monday afternoon, an air raid siren wailed in central Jerusalem, sending people running for shelter. There have been no Iranian strikes on the city, however.

Critics say that while police have ordered all businesses in Jerusalem without shelters to close down, the rule is being enforced only in the old city.

The US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were deeply unpopular among the city’s Palestinian Arabs. “Trump has done a very dangerous thing: he didn’t think this through,” said Abed, a middle-aged man.

European ‘spy for Israel’ arrested in Iran

Iranian authorities arrested a European citizen on Monday on suspicion of spying for Israel, state TV reported.

Judicial authorities were citied as saying that a spy for Israel had been arrested in the western province of Hamadan, adding that the “spy is a citizen of a European country”.

“The spy entered the country disguised as a tourist and continued the mission of networking, gathering information, and disrupting offensive and missile systems in Iran,” the report added.

Iranian media has reported multiple arrests of individuals accused of spying for Israel in several parts of Iran. On Friday a German citizen was reportedly arrested on suspicion of espionage in Markazi province, west of Tehran.

He was also accused of approaching an “ammunition depot, an army barracks, missile tunnels and an air base to get information from them”.

Nato chief: US bombing did not violate law

Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of Nato, stressed that Tehran should not be allowed to have a nuclear bomb and suggested that US strikes on the Fordow uranium enrichment facility did not violate international law.

He said his “biggest fear” was that Tehran had a nuclear weapon which would give it a “stranglehold” on Israel and the rest of the world.

Mark Rutte speaking in the Hague on Monday SHUTTERSTOCK EDITORIAL

“When it comes to Nato’s stance on Iran’s nuclear programme, allies have long agreed that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon,” Rutte said before a Nato summit in the Hague, which starts on Tuesday. He also noted that Iran was “heavily involved” in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Pressed on the legality of Washington’s strikes against Iran, the Nato chief replied: “I would not agree that this is against international law, what the US did.”

‘Regime change must come from the people’

President Trump’s suggestion of regime change in Iran was intended as a call for the people to overthrow their leaders, rather than a statement of US intent, the White House has said.

Trump wrote on Truth Social last night that “if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told Fox News on Monday: “The president’s posture and our military posture has not changed.

“The president was simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking: if the Iranian regime refuses to give up its nuclear program or engage in talks … if they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn’t the Iranian people rise up against this brutal terrorist regime?”

Drone appears to hit Jordan’s capital

Video from a security camera circulating online appeared to show a drone crashing in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

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According to early reports, the drone was launched by Iran towards Israel but fell short of its target, injuring two bystanders.

Trump’s plea: ‘Keep oil prices down’

President Trump has appealed for oil prices to be kept down.

In a message on Truth Social, he posted: “EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I’M WATCHING! YOU’RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON’T DO IT!”

US bombed Iran legally, says White House

The White House has defended the legality of the US bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“The president was acting within his legal authority under article two of the constitution as commander-in-chief of the president of the United States,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokeswoman, said.

This refers to the clause that gives the president power to direct military operations. However, elsewhere in the constitution, Congress is given the sole power to declare war.

Khamenei succession plans stepped up

A three-man committee tasked with choosing a successor for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has accelerated its planning in recent days since Israel attacked Iran and threatened to assassinate him, according to Reuters.

Citing five insiders with knowledge of the discussions, the news agency said that Khamenei, 86, was being regularly briefed on the talks.

Two frontrunners have emerged, according to the report: Khamenei’s 56-year-old son Mojtaba, long seen as a continuity choice, and a new contender, Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the father of the Islamic revolution.

Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, centre VAHID SALEMI/AP

The sources said the ayatollah had repeatedly opposed the idea of his son taking over in succession discussions in the past, because of concerns about Iran returning to the kind of hereditary rule that ended with the ousting of the shah.

The committee planning for an eventual handover was created two years ago, but officially the supreme leader must be named by the Assembly of Experts, 88 clerics who are appointed in national elections.

Trump to pressure Nato on defence spending

President Trump will push Nato members to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP when he attends the alliance’s summit on Tuesday, the White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.

“One of the main topics of discussion will be that 5 per cent threshold that our Nato allies have to hit. The president has been calling on our Nato allies to do more for quite some time. He got them to step up and do more in his first term, and you’ll hear the president talk about that on this next historic trip to Europe,” Leavitt said on Monday in an interview with Fox News.

Britain and other Nato members have reportedly agreed to the new target, if it is broken down into 3.5 per cent of GDP spent on pure defence and 1.5 per cent of GDP spent on related areas.

Shah’s son urges ayatollah to step down

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution, has called for regime change in Iran, suggesting “this is our Berlin Wall moment”.

At a press conference in Paris, he condemned the Islamic Republic for its oppression of the Iranian people, and addressed this message to Ayatollah Khamenei: “Step down. And if you do, you will receive a fair trial and due process of law. Which is more than you have ever given any Iranian.”

Pahlavi, 64, who is a figurehead for some, but not all, critics of the Islamic Republic, announced that he would be forming a communications channel to strengthen Iran’s opposition.

“For those patriotic members of our armed forces, the time is now to join the nation. If you do, I will make sure your service to Iran is not forgotten and is celebrated,” he said.

The key questions after US bombing

So much remains unclear about the American bombing of Iran on Sunday and its potential consequences.

President Trump’s decision to allow the US to join the Israeli offensive against Tehran has made the situation more volatile and unpredictable.

We examine the key questions:

• Read in full: Can Iran block the Strait of Hormuz — and other key questions

Putin accuses Nato of provoking arms race

President Putin said on Monday that the world was moving “to a very dangerous point” amid conflict in the Middle East.

“We see how the situation in the Middle East has sharply worsened, and extra-regional powers are being drawn into the conflict,” he said in a televised address to a graduating class of military cadets.

He accused Nato of “provoking global militarisation and an arms race” and said that Russia would continue to develop its armed forces and increase combat capabilities in response, including ramping up production of high-speed Oreshnik ballistic missiles.

The Kremlin earlier condemned US strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, calling them a violation of international law and saying they signalled a “dangerous new escalation” in the conflict.

Tankers diverting from Strait of Hormuz

At least two supertankers have reversed course near the Strait of Hormuz after the US strikes on Iran, ship-tracking data shows, while others have also diverted away from the area.

Sentosa Shipbrokers, based in Singapore said that over the past week, empty tankers entering the Gulf were down 32 per cent while loaded tanker departures were down 27 per cent from levels in early May.

Vessels changing course dramatically in the past week include the Coswisdom Lake, a very large crude carrier that veered away from the strait on Sunday before turning back again on Monday, and the South Loyalty, which made a similar U-turn and remained outside the strait on Monday, while en route to Basra.

Italy: EU must keep relations with Israel open

Italy opposes suspending the pact that governs the relationship between EU and Israel over alleged human rights violations in Gaza.

Spain earlier called for the EU to suspend the agreement and proposed an embargo on weapons sold to Israel as well as sanctions on individuals who are undermining the two-state solution.

The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said “our position is different from that of Spain,”

and argued that it was important to keep relations open with Israel.

Take shelter, US tells its citizens in Qatar

The US embassy in Qatar emailed a message to American citizens in the Gulf state on Monday recommending that they shelter in place until further notice. The message noted that this was “out of an abundance of caution”.

Al Udeid air base, the largest US military base in the Middle East, is in Qatar.

Israeli strikes target Fordow nuclear site

The IDF carried out an air strike on Monday to obstruct access routes to the Fordow enrichment site in western Iran, Israel’s military said.

The US bombed the facility, much of which is buried underground, on Sunday as it joined Israel’s military campaign.

• Offer of talks went unanswered — so Trump sent bombers instead

Israeli jail strike denounced by French prisoner’s family

An Israeli strike on Evin prison in Tehran is “completely irresponsible” and “puts our loved ones in mortal danger,” Noemie Kohler, the sister of French national Cecile Kohler who is detained in Iran, said on Monday.

“We have no news, we don’t know if they are still alive, we’re panicking,” Kohler told AFP, urging the French authorities to “condemn these extremely dangerous strikes” and secure the release of the French prisoners.

Trump ordered strike after offer of talks ignored

The clock started ticking down towards the US bombing of Iran after the Iranian regime failed to respond within a 60-day deadline set in a private letter from President Trump to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Even as military preparations were in full swing over the past week, senior officials said Trump remained open throughout to a meaningful overture from Tehran, as indicated when he told his press secretary to announce on Thursday that he would decide “within two weeks” whether or not to join Israel’s campaign.

Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, went even further, saying on Sunday that the bombing mission could have been aborted while the planes were in the air if circumstances had changed.

• Offer of talks went unanswered — so Trump sent bombers instead

How close is Iran to a nuclear bomb?

One key issue underlying the debate over whether to attack Iran in the United States, Israel and beyond is the long-running question of how determined the regime is to actually build a nuclear weapon, and when it could do so if it chose to.

For well over a decade most western intelligence services have held two paradoxical but not contradictory positions on Iran’s nuclear programme.

The first is that Iran, as a result of a nuclear agreement with European powers in 2003, had formally halted its nuclear weapons programme, and has not since made an actual attempt to build a nuclear weapon.

• How close is Iran to actually building a nuclear bomb?

Putin condemns ‘unprovoked aggression’ against Iran

President Putin has condemned “unprovoked aggression” against Iran which he said was “unjustified”.

Putin shook hands with Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, as they met to discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, as well as recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

President Putin and Abbas Araghchi, in Moscow

The Russian leader did not single out the US attacks, talking instead broadly of “strikes” against Iran, though the Kremlin had earlier on Monday said it condemned and regretted the “new escalation of tensions” following the US strikes.

Passing on a message from Ayatollah Khamenei, Aragachi said Iran thanked Russia for being on the “right side of history”.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Khamenei had personally written to Putin to ask for more support from Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed “deep regret” over the “new escalation of tensions in the region,” but dodged a question about whether Russia would offer military support to Iran, saying that any Russian assistance would “depend on what Iran needs”.

‘Mass casualties’ in Israeli strike on Revolutionary Guards

“Hundreds” of IRGC members may have been killed in Monday’s strikes on Tehran, Israeli media are reporting.

The Jerusalem Post, citing an Israeli security assessment, said that the “extensive” strikes had caused mass casualties.

Footage on social media showed large explosions and clouds of smoke over the Iranian capital. However there was no immediate confirmation of any deaths from the Iranian side.

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Symbolic regime targets in Israeli line of fire

Israel’s defence minister has confirmed the air force has been attacking symbolic targets in Tehran on Monday.

Israel Katz said the targets included Evin prison, a clock counting down to the “destruction of Israel” in Palestine Square, the headquarters of the IRGC and Basij militia and “other regime targets”.

The clock referred to was installed in the centre of Tehran in 2017, counting down to Israel’s ostensible demise by 2040.

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Israel targets Revolutionary Guards HQ

Ongoing Israeli strikes in Tehran on Monday are hitting headquarters belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, an Israeli military spokesman has said.

The IRGC is both Iran‘s elite military force and a powerful political and economic influence in the country.

Sir Keir Starmer has come under renewed pressure from MPs to designate the corps as a terrorist organisation since the conflict between Israel and Iran has escalated.

Iran risks devastation by attacking Strait of Hormuz

Even if its nuclear programme has been crippled for now, Iran still has a formidable weapon at the ready: geography.

On Sunday, hours after the attack on its nuclear sites, Iran was disrupting GPS signals on the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is an energy chokepoint, as narrow as the eye of a needle: barely 24 miles wide, it is the route through which 25 per cent of the world’s oil and 30 per cent of its liquefied natural gas travels.

There has already been talk of Iranian submarines planting mines along the way. A crude way of turning what started as a war between Israel and Iran, which mutated into the US and Israel versus Tehran, into Iran versus the world.

• Iran has the most to risk if it declares war on the world

Tehran prison ‘damaged by Israeli strike’

An Israeli airstrike hit Tehran’s Evin Prison on Monday, according to reports from Iran.

The opposition news outlet Iran International said the strike hit the entrance gate to the prison, apparently to allow prisoners to escape.

The heavily fortified prison is where the Iranian regime has incarcerated political prisoners, journalists, academics and human rights activists since 1979.

Among those previously held there were British-Iranians accused of spying, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was released in 2022.

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US attacks caused ‘very significant’ damage

US bombing probably caused “very significant” damage to the underground areas of Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment plant, though no one can yet tell the extent, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog has said.

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that “given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme(ly) vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” following the attacks by US B2 stealth bombers, which dropped bunker buster bombs on the site early on Sunday.

A US Air Force F15 fighter jet lands at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on Monday as US forces remain on alert BAV MEDIA

Fresh Israeli attacks ‘on Fordow nuclear site’

Israel carried out a fresh strike on Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear site south of Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Monday.

“The aggressor attacked the Fordow nuclear site again,” Tasnim news agency reported, quoting a spokesman for authorities in Qom province where the site is located.

How the US strikes on Iran unfolded

Shortly after midnight on Saturday, a large “strike package” of American B-2 Spirit stealth bombers set off from the Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, under a mission codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer.

The task for many of the pilots was to fly some 7,000 miles, into Iranian airspace undetected and destroy Tehran’s nuclear programme. Their mission was like no other that had gone before.

“The scope and scale of what occurred last night would take the breath away of almost any American if you had an opportunity to watch it in real time,” said Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, describing the operation as “bold and brilliant” in a press conference at the Pentagon on Sunday.

• Operation Midnight Hammer: how the US strikes on Iran unfolded

Will US ‘bunker-buster’ end Iran’s nuclear ambitions?

The 14 GBU-57 “bunker-busters” dropped by the Pentagon’s B2 stealth bombers on Iran’s nuclear facilities will have done a lot of damage, with about 200 tons of heavy munitions.

They may not have “fully obliterated” all three sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow as President Trump claimed, but they probably did cause “severe damage” in the more modest assessment of the Pentagon.

That does not mean, however, that Iran’s nuclear programme is dead and buried. Apart from anything else, somewhere in Iran is probably a deadly cargo of canisters in secure storage.

• Can Iran still build nuclear weapons after the US bombing?

Iran executes ‘Israeli spy’

Iran’s judiciary on Monday announced the execution of a man convicted of espionage for Israel.

Mohammad-Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh was hanged for allegedly collaborating with the “Zionist regime,” as Iran refers to Israel.

He was accused of having connections to Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, and was also found guilty of working with Iran International, a London-based Persian-language TV channel critical of the Iranian government, which Iran claims has ties to Israel.

Israel hits Iran with ‘unprecedented force’

Israel is currently attacking “regime targets” in the heart of Tehran with “unprecedented force,” defence minister Israel Katz said.

Vowing to soon reveal the extent of the damage with photos, Katz said for every Iranian strike on Israel, Iran will be “punished.”

“The IDF is now attacking regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran with unprecedented force — for every shot at the Israeli home front, the Iranian dictator will be punished and the attacks will continue with full force,” a statement published to media read on Monday.

The message comes after a heavy barrage was shot into Israel on Monday morning, causing minor damage and injuries.

Members of the Iranian Red Crescent Society on Monday placed flowers on the Red Crescent vehicle which was attacked during an Israeli air strike EPA

Israelis ‘strike Iranian ambulance’

Israeli forces overnight launched a drone strike that hit an ambulance in Najafabad county, central Isfahan province, Iran, killing all three on board.

“The ambulance … was en route to transfer a patient when it was severely damaged by a drone strike,” the Iranian news agency reported.

Some reports online suggest that the vehicle contained members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

The conflict in maps, video and satellite images

Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran began with strikes on nuclear facilities and military commanders on June 13 and has continued with daily attacks on missile launchers, air defence systems and even a state television channel.

Now the United States has directly entered the conflict by bombing three nuclear sites.

Iran responded to Israel’s attacks in kind by firing salvos of ballistic missiles at Israel, including some which have penetrated the Iron Dome missile defence system and sending the population hurrying for shelter at the sound of air raid alerts.

• The Iran-Israel conflict in maps, video and satellite images

Video ‘of power station attack’

Unverified video on social media showed the moment of impact of a ballistic missile sent from Iran that reportedly hit a power station in the southern Israeli port city of Ashdod.

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Explosions reported over Iran

Explosions are now being reported in Iran on the eleventh day of Israel’s military campaign against the country.

Several large blasts were heard in the capital Tehran, as well as Karaj, a city to the west.

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami, centre, attending a meeting with senior commanders IRANIAN ARMY MEDIA OFFICE/AFP/GETTY

Israeli power cuts after Iranian strike

The Israel Electric Corporation has reported power cuts in the wake of Iranian ballistic missile strike near a “strategic infrastructure facility” in southern Israel.

“Teams are on their way to several locations on the ground with the aim of restoring power supply as soon as possible. The operations include infrastructure repairs and the removal of safety hazards, and are being carried out in coordination with security forces,” the IEC said.

EU warns Iran against targeting Strait of Hormuz

Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz last year MORTEZA NIKOUBAZL/GETTY IMAGES

An Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz would be dangerous and “not good for anybody”, the European Union’s top diplomat said on Monday.

“The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge, especially closing of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is something that would be extremely dangerous and not good for anybody,” Kaja Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers.

Iran’s Press TV reported on Sunday that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council needed to make a final decision on whether to close the strait, after parliament was reported to support the measure.

About 20 per cent of global oil and gas demand flows through the channel.

Beijing urges Iran and Israel to prevent ‘spillover’

China urged Iran and Israel on Monday to de-escalate in order to prevent the “spillover” of their conflict.

“The Chinese side urges the parties to the conflict to prevent the situation from escalating repeatedly, resolutely avoid the spillover of war, and return to the path of political resolution,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had urged China on Sunday to help deter Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route, following American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Israeli power station ‘hit in Iranian attack’

There are reports that an Israeli power station in Ashdod was among up to seven locations in the country hit during Monday’s missile attack.

Pictures posted online showed a large plume of smoke following the attack, but the power station apparently suffered only minor damage.

Fires also broke out in open areas in northern and southern Israel after the strikes, but health services said no injuries were immediately reported.

How how long can Iran attack Israel?

The regime’s response to Israel’s operation, Rising Lion, has underscored the limitations of Tehran’s missile programme.

Many of its missile sites were destroyed before Iran even fired a shot in response. And that was before the United States entered the conflict with devastating bombing raids on its nuclear sites.

What was left has so far been used with devastating effect, levelling apartment blocks and killing at least 24 people over three days in a series of strikes that have pierced Israel’s much-vaunted protective shield, the Iron Dome defence system.

Iran, however, cannot maintain the intensity of these attacks which, in turn, have little to no impact on Israel’s ability to strike back at will.

• What weapons does Iran have and how long can it attack Israel?

Iran fires at least two missiles salvos

Israel’s search and rescue teams headed to reported impact sites from Iranian missiles on Monday morning after air raid sirens sounded nationwide for an unprecedented amount of time.

Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and in southern Israel after at least two missile salvos were fired from Iran.

Israelis take shelter in Tel Aviv on Monday BERNAT ARMANGUE/AP

Blasts ‘heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv’

Blasts have reportedly been heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv after the Israeli military warned of incoming missiles.

Lammy dodges question of whether US strikes were legal

Britain does not need to take a view on the legality of US strikes because we were not involved, the foreign secretary said.

David Lammy said that “is for the Americans to discuss those legal issues” as he accepted it was legitimate to ask if the military action breached international law.

Asked why Britain had nothing to say on the issue despite criticising Russia so strongly for attacking Ukraine, he said: “This was not the UK’s action. We were not involved. We were clear when this began and Israel’s attacks began that we were not involved.”

Revolutionary Guards ‘should be treated like terrorists’

Members of the IRGC march in Tehran SOBHAN FARAJVAN/PACIFIC PRESS/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY

The former defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said the UK should treat the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “like the terrorists they are”.

“I think we’ve seen the IRGC for too long reach way out of the realms of a conventional force and into terrorism and into disrupting our friends and our allies,” Wallace told Times Radio when asked if the UK government should now proscribe the IRGC.

A proscribed organisation is an organisation or group that is illegal to join or show support for due to its links to terrorism.

“The IRGC will be active in Yemen, helping support the Houthis, attack our friends, the Saudi Arabians and our other allies in the region, the UAE. And we should treat them like the terrorists they are.”

He added that in retrospect the West should have “been tougher early on, then maybe we wouldn’t have got to this position”.

Israeli air raid alert ‘as Iranian missiles launched’

Air raid alerts sounded in northern Israel on Monday after the IDF said missiles were being launched from Iran towards the country.

“At this time, the Air Force is working to intercept and attack wherever necessary to eliminate the threat,” the IDF said.

‘1,000 Brits asking UK to evacuate them from Israel’

About 1,000 Britons are asking for government help getting out of Israel, the foreign secretary has said.

David Lammy said he was negotiating with Israel on opening the country’s airspace to evacuate stranded British nationals, saying he hoped it would happen “in the coming days”.

Lammy told BBC Breakfast: “We’ve got about 4,000 or so people who have indicated that they are in Israel, and a quarter of those have said that if we can help them to get out, they would like to take that. So we are negotiating with the Israeli government to ensure that the airspace is opened up to allow us to do.”

Pollard refuses 9 times to say if the UK supports strikes

The armed forces minister has refused nine times to say if Britain supported the US attack on Iran.

Luke Pollard was challenged repeatedly on the question but insisted he could not comment.

Asked six times by LBC, Pollard said: “The American activity has now happened,” adding that Britain’s “focus is on the diplomatic solution”.

It came after he was asked the same question three times by Sky News, saying: “I’m not going to be able to comment given that question.”

I remain an optimist, Lammy says

The foreign secretary said he was “an optimist” and believes diplomacy “must and can prevail” in the Middle East.

Asked how worried he was about the situation, David Lammy told BBC Breakfast: “I’m an optimist. You have to be an optimist if you’re the chief diplomat for a wonderful country like the United Kingdom.

“Of course, this is a stressful time. I said it was perilous on Friday, but I still believe that diplomacy must and can prevail.”

Let’s take diplomatic off-ramp, Lammy urges

David Lammy told BBC Breakfast that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was “somewhere in Iran, in a bunker”.

“Messaging to him cannot be easy, but I would urge them to step back at this point and — given that Iran no longer has any air defences at this time, given that they no longer have the proxies in Hezbollah, Hamas is degraded for all of those reasons and their own vulnerability — let’s deal with the nuclear programme.

“Let’s take the diplomatic off-ramp. Let’s get serious and calm this thing down.”

Lammy warns Iran not to retaliate against US

Abbas Araghchi spoke to David Lammy on Sunday ALAMY

David Lammy said he had told Iran it would be a “catastrophic mistake” to attack US military bases or blockade the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation, adding that he thinks the country’s leadership “gets that”.

The foreign secretary said he had urged his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Sunday to “be very careful about not escalating in response to the attack on their nuclear sites”, and that the minister had said “he would take that to the supreme leader”.

Lammy suggested that a harmless symbolic retaliation by Iran could be a face-saving way for Tehran to end the crisis in the Middle East, citing Iran’s response to Israel last October.

“You will remember that they did fire missiles into Israel, but it was a calibrated response that allowed those missiles to be taken down,” he told BBC Breakfast.

We will end war US started, Iran says

Recent hostile action by the United States started a “war” with Iran, a spokesman for Iran’s military has said.

Ebrahim Zolfaqari said on Monday that the American strikes had expanded the scope of legitimate targets for Iran’s armed forces.

“Mr. Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” Zolfaqari said in English at the end of a recorded video statement.

Iranian army chief vows reprisal against US

The head of the Iranian army has threatened reprisals against US forces.

General Amir Hatami said every time US “committed crimes, they received a decisive response, and it will be the same this time too”, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

Amir Hatami IRANIAN PRESIDENCY/HANDOUT/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY

The general was speaking to other senior Iranian military commanders and claimed that Israel had “been forced to call upon” the US and “drag it into a direct confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

Some 40,000 US personnel remain in the region. In previous attacks, US bases in Iraq, for example, have previously been targeted with unguided rockets by Iranian-aligned militia groups.

UK minister declines to back US strikes

Luke Pollard MILO CHANDLER/ALAMY

The armed forces minister has declined to say the UK supported America’s strikes on Iran.

Asked whether Britain endorsed the military action taken over the weekend, Luke Pollard told Times Radio: “That was a decision that the US has taken. Our focus has been on the diplomatic effort that is necessary to get a lasting peace.

“That’s why that’s been the focus of the prime minister’s actions over the last few days, it’s why the defence secretary, myself, the foreign secretary and the minister for the Middle East have been engaging in diplomatic activity in the region, because we need to make sure that there is a route to a lasting peace here.

“The way to do that is with a diplomatic solution that brings Iran back to the negotiating table.”

US on alert for Iranian cyberattacks

The US is on high alert over concerns of retaliation from Iran after its strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.

On Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory warning of low-level cyber-attacks from “pro-Iranian hacktivists”.

It also warned of larger attacks if Iranian leaders issue a religious ruling “calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.”

“The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could contribute to US-based individuals plotting additional attacks,” the advisory said.

US strikes are highly risky, Wallace warns

Wallace said it remained to be seen whether the bombings had succeeded BEN BIRCHALL/PA

Ben Wallace has said if the US strike were successful, “it was worth it,” but if not “it’s going to be pretty dangerous territory for the next few months and years”.

“There’s no point starting down this path if it’s done by half,” the former defence secretary told Times Radio.

“And that’s the big question for the intelligence assessors right now, the people who’ll be looking over, gathering, looking at the photographs, gathering intelligence, did it, was it successful? If it was successful, then many of us, including myself, would say, well, it was worth it.

“If it isn’t, it’s going to be pretty dangerous territory for the next few months and years, because I suspect what you’ll do is harden the regime and bring the Iranian people together rather than disperse them,” he added.

Israel strikes Iranian airports and warplanes

Six airports were hit in Iran in the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes, according to Israel’s military.

The IDF said: “The strikes damaged runways, underground bunkers, a refuelling plane, and F-14, F-5, and AH-1 aircraft belonging to the Iranian regime.”

The IDF said the aircraft were intended for use in attacks against Israel.

US citizens urged to ‘exercise increased caution’ abroad

The US State Department has issued a “worldwide caution” alert due to the potential for attacks against US nationals abroad.

“The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution,” the US State Department wrote.

“There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad.”

‘Thank you, Mr President’

Advertising billboards reading “Thank you Mr President” have appeared in Tel Aviv in the wake of Donald Trump ordering US B2 stealth bombers to attack Iran’s nuclear sites with bunker busting bombs.

The president earlier claimed that the targets had been “obliterated” in a social media post, adding “Bullseye!!!”

Huge banners have appeared in Tel Aviv following the US strikes NIR KEIDAR/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

Iran shoots down Israeli drone

An Israeli drone was shot down over western Iran this morning, the IDF confirmed, following Iranian media reports.

“During operational activity, an Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle was downed in Iran. There is no fear of information leaking,” the Israeli military said.

Iranian media reported that the drone, shot down over the Khorramabad area, was a Hermes model.

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Limited Iranian retaliation overnight

Iran apparently launched a single missile towards Israel overnight, which was shot down, according to Israeli media.

The overnight launch triggered sirens throughout central Israel, sending millions to bomb shelters around 3 am. It was intercepted, the military said, and there were no reports of injuries as a result of the attack.

Despite another intense night of Israeli airstrikes against targets in Iran, the Islamic Republic’s own retaliation was more limited than previous exchanges of fire.

Oil prices steady as investors wait for Iran response

Oil prices eased back after an initial spike in trading in Asia as investors waited to see how Iran will respond to US attacks on its nuclear sites.

Brent crude prices rose close to $80 a barrel at one stage but is now trading at $77.90 — still a rise of 1.13 per cent — as many analysts still do not expect Tehran to act on its threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, in part because it would be likely to harm Iranian allies and customers more than it would hurt America.

• Business live: Oil price eases back after spike

Charu Chanana, the chief investment strategist at Saxo, said: “That said, any sign of Iranian retaliation or threat to the Strait of Hormuz could quickly shift sentiment and force markets to reprice geopolitical risk more aggressively.”

Oil prices to surge if Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz

Bulk carriers and oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s parliament has voted to block ALAMY

Oil prices will surge above $100 a barrel if Iran blocks the world’s most important crude shipping route in retaliation for America bombing its nuclear sites, analysts believe.

Iran’s parliament voted on Sunday to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint through which tankers carry about a fifth of global oil supplies.

All eyes are on whether Iran’s Supreme National Security Council decides to approve the often-threatened but never-implemented step, which analysts described as a “worst-case scenario”.

• Read in full: Oil ‘will surge above $100 a barrel’ if Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz

Israel strikes Iranian military sites

Israel launched strikes on military sites in western Iran’s Kermanshah on Monday, as fighting enters its 11th day.

The Israeli air force “is currently striking military infrastructure sites in Kermanshah in Iran”, the country’s military said. Earlier, Israel’s air force said it intercepted an unmanned aircraft launched towards Israeli territory.

It added: “The air force intercepted, a short time ago in the Eilat area, an unmanned aircraft before it crossed into Israeli territory. In accordance with policy, no alerts were activated.”

Pakistan condemns Trump after Nobel praise

Pakistan has condemned President Trump’s bombing of Iran, less than a day after declaring he deserved a Nobel peace prize for defusing a recent crisis with India.

Intense diplomatic efforts, led by the US, resulted in a truce between the two nuclear-armed south Asian countries for which Trump took credit.

Pakistan announced its formal recommendation for the US president to receive the Nobel peace prize on Saturday night. However, less than 24 hours later it condemned the US for attacking Iran, saying the strikes “constituted a serious violation of international law” and the statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Australia backs the US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities

Canberra backed the US intervention but wanted to avert a spiral into “full-scale war” in the Middle East, the Australian government said Monday.

“The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon, and we support action to prevent that. That is what this is,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a news conference.

“We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war. We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy.

“Iran didn’t come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations. We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region.”

Iran strongly condemns ‘lawless’ US attacks on its ‘peaceful nuclear facilities’

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said that the US attacks had crossed every red line.

“The warmongering and lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of ­aggression,” he said.

Araghchi had met David Lammy, the foreign secretary, and European counterparts on Friday for talks aimed at averting Trump’s strikes, but they failed to make progress.

Iran strongly condemns ‘lawless’ US attacks on its ‘peaceful nuclear facilities’, says foreign minister

Concern over whereabouts of Iranian-enriched uranium

Monitors are concerned over the whereabouts of 400kg of 60 per cent enriched uranium, enough with ­modest further refining for nine ­nuclear warheads. The uranium, which Iran has declared to the United Nations, is believed to have been moved to a safe location.

JD Vance, the US vice-president, ­appeared to confirm this, telling ABC News: “We’re going to work in the ­coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel. They no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile of highly enriched uranium to weapons-grade uranium.”

Of more immediate concern is the 400kg of enriched uranium. “I think those cylinders of 60 per cent highly enriched uranium are the most valuable asset in Iran right now,” said Ian Stewart, who monitors Iran’s nuclear programme at the James Martin Centre for Non-proliferation Studies in Washington.

He said that Iran could have kept some enrichment centrifuges at a separate location, to enable the uranium to be processed further for a warhead. As it is at present, it could be fashioned into a crude bomb.

Around 950 Iranians killed in Israeli strikes

Around 950 Iranians, including security force personnel, have so far been killed by Israeli strikes, a Washington-based human rights group has said.

Over 3,400 people have also been injured, according to the Human Rights Activists group, which cross-checks local reports with its sources in Iran.

It said it had identified 380 of the dead as civilians and 253 as members of the Iranian security forces. It did not identify the remainder

Iran’s health ministry said on Saturday that 400 people had been killed across the country and another 3,000 injured.

Air defence systems were firing early on Monday in Tehran, state media reported, while explosions were also heard in the nearby city of Karaj.

A social media account associated with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave little indication that Tehran was preparing to surrender. The punishment continues,” read a post that was illustrated with an image showing missile strikes on Israel.

Iranian foreign minister to hold talks in Moscow with Putin

Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian foreign minister, is expected to hold talks in Moscow today with President Putin over the war with Israel.

Iran, which has provided Russia with drones and missiles for its war in Ukraine, is a major Kremlin ally. Russia also maintains close links with Israel, however.

Although Moscow and Tehran signed a strategic partnership deal in January, it does not include a mutual defence pact.

The point was highlighted on Sunday by Russian state television, which stressed that: “In the event either party is subject to aggression, the other party shall not provide any military or other assistance to the aggressor.”

Although Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is now a senior national security council official, has said “a number of countries” are prepared to provide Iran with nuclear warheads, Putin has been far less bellicose in his comments.

“Judging by Putin’s statements in recent days, he is extremely cautious. Maximally so,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, the head of Russia’s Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, which advises the Kremlin.

‘I couldn’t be more proud of President Trump’s decisive leadership,’ says former VP Pence

Praise for President Trump came from his estranged former vice-president Mike Pence, who campaigned against him in last year’s contest for the Republican nomination.

“I couldn’t be more proud of President Trump’s decisive leadership in this moment or the extraordinary professionalism and courage of our armed forces that brought about this historic mission,” Pence told Fox News, adding that he knew Trump was prepared to bomb the nuclear sites in the absence of real concessions from Iran. It was “really a continuation of the policies of our administration where we isolated Iran as never before,” he said.

Pushed in whether he regretted saying he would not support Trump’s reelection, Pence added: “I’m not in the rearview mirror today … I really do want to commend President Trump and his entire national security team for doing what really needed to be done. The very idea that the most dangerous regime in the world would have possession of the most dangerous weapons on Earth has been intolerable.”

Iranian missiles fired towards Israel

Iran launched missiles towards Israel, including at Tel Aviv, early on Monday as the conflict between the two countries entered its 11th day.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and the Israeli military gave the all-clear after just a few minutes. It was unclear how many missiles Iran had launched.

At least 24 people have been killed in Israel, but there have been no fatalities since June 16.

When Iranian missiles have evaded Israel’s air defences, they have caused massive damage to civilian infrastructure, including at a hospital in Beersheba, a city in southern Israel that was hit last week.

In Tel Aviv, some people, especially those with small children, left the city when Israel first attacked Iran on June 13, sparking the biggest conflict in the Middle East for years.

Others immediately rush for bomb shelters or safe rooms when air raid sirens wail. The Israeli military has also produced an app that gives warnings of incoming missiles.

North Korea denounces US strikes

North Korea condemned the US strikes on Iran, calling them a violation of the United Nations charter and blaming the tension in the Middle East on the “reckless valour of Israel”.

“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the US, which severely violated the UN Charter with respect for sovereignty,” said a spokesperson of the North’s foreign ministry, according to a statement carried by the state news agency.

“The just international community should raise the voice of unanimous censure and rejection against the US and Israel’s confrontational acts,” the statement said.

Maga loyalist perplexed by Trump’s actions on Iran

Some of President Trump’s most loyal Maga cheerleaders are trying to make sense of his post last night suggesting a change of regime for Iran.

Trump posted that “if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”

The idea of a US-sponsored regime change is anathema to a swath of Trump’s support base who are perplexed by his post on Truth Social. It also contradicted flat denials that a regime change is a consideration, made by JD Vance, the vice-president, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state.

Charlie Kirk, founder of the pro-Trump youth movement Turning Point USA, chided Maga supporters criticising Trump, interpreting the post as talking about a “bottom-up revolution” which “rises from the will of the people.”

But he warned: “America cannot get involved in a forceful decapitation effort in Persia.” Matt Gaetz, a former Florida congressman Trump nominated but withdrew for US attorney-general, cautioned on X: “Just remember: every regime change war has been extremely popular at the start. But the historical trajectory isn’t good.”

‘Monumental damage’ done to all nuclear sites in Iran, says Trump

A B-2 bomber arrives at Whiteman Air Force Base after strikes on Iranian nuclear sites DAVID SMITH/AP

President Trump responded to growing debate about the extent of damage done by the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in a post late last night.

“Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to his own description of the impact in the immediate aftermath. His senior general, Dan ‘Razin’ Caine, was more cautious on Sunday morning, saying that “final battle damage will take some time but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.”

In his post, Trump continued: “The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!”

Iran vows revenge on US as it threatens to block Strait of Hormuz

Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane, as the world braces for retaliation for President Trump’s bombing of the regime’s three key nuclear installations.

The parliament in Tehran voted to block the strait, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply passes, but Iran’s leaders also said they may pause and plan more devastating responses.

Although Saturday night’s strikes are presumed to have caused huge damage to the three sites, Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, Iran said that its nuclear programme would continue.

Netanyahu pledges to ‘eliminate Iranian threat’

Israel’s prime minister said Israel will not end the war with Iran before it has eliminated its nuclear and missile threat.

Speaking in a prerecorded press conference broadcast on Israeli news channels late Sunday, Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel is “committed to achieving our goals. When those goals are met, the operation will end and the fighting will stop,” with the caveat that the war would not continue “beyond what is necessary.”

Netanyahu said Israel had taken out over half of Iran’s missile launchers as the country’s air force operated in new Iranian territory on Sunday.

He also vowed a new dawn in the Middle East, with a “massive expansion of peace agreements,” hinting at a much sought-after normalisation with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.

Lammy warns Iran not to retaliate against the US

Abbas Aragachi spoke to David Lammy on Sunday ALAMY

David Lammy said he had told Iran it would be a “catastrophic mistake” to attack US military bases or blockade the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation, adding that he thinks the country’s leadership “gets that”.

The foreign secretary said he had urged his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Aragachi, on Sunday to “be very careful about not escalating in response to the attack on their nuclear sites”, and that the minister had said “he would take that to the supreme leader”.

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