Iran attacks Israel despite US strikes on nuclear sites, Trump calls for ‘peace’
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Iran attacks Israel despite US strikes on nuclear sites, Trump calls for ‘peace’
More than a dozen injuries were reported in Israel on Sunday morning after Iran launched more missiles toward the Jewish State. At least 20 people were injured in the attack and 11 of them went to the hospital.
More than a dozen injuries were reported in Israel on Sunday morning after Iran launched more missiles toward the Jewish State, striking at least 10 impact sites.
Approximately 30 missiles were used in Iran’s latest attack and about 10 made it through Israeli Air Defenses, Fox News senior correspondent Mike Tobin said in an update live from Tel Aviv.
At least 20 people were injured in the attack and 11 of them went to the hospital. A 30-year-old man is described to have moderate to severe injuries after shrapnel struck him in the chest.
“There’s a tremendous impact when these missiles do make impact so when we talk about the assessment of injuries, understand that is preliminary,” Tobin said.
Tobin shares more on the damage and injuries caused by Iranian missile strikes in the video above. Fox News Digital’s Lorraine Taylor contribute to this report.
US Strikes Iran News Live Updates: ‘Dangerous escalation has begun,’ Russia condemns ‘irresponsible’ US strikes on Iran
US President Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed that American forces had carried out a large-scale strike on three of Iran’s most critical nuclear facilities. The strikes, which Trump described as “very successful,” appear to mark the United States’ formal entry into the regional war. The New York Times noted that this is the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution that the US Air Force has directly attacked major targets within Iran. Trump had been engaged in constant briefings in the White House Situation Room over the past week, carefully reviewing military plans and possible responses to the Israeli offensive. With the U.S. now openly involved, the regional conflict appears to have entered a new and far more dangerous phase.
The strikes, which Trump described as “very successful,” appear to mark the United States’ formal entry into the regional war, a move that American presidents had avoided for decades. “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He continued, “Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”
According to reports, the underground Fordow facility—protected by layers of rock and concrete—was hit with a series of 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs. While there’s been no official confirmation yet, several US B-2 stealth bombers were seen departing from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Friday night. These aircraft are the only ones capable of delivering such heavy bombs, which are designed specifically to target deeply buried and fortified sites like Fordow.
CNN reported that these bombers were later seen flying over the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading toward Guam, although it remains unconfirmed if they were part of the Iran strike mission.
The Natanz facility, one of Iran’s main uranium enrichment centers, had already been damaged by Israeli strikes earlier in the week. The Isfahan site, near the historic city of the same name, is believed to house a stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
The New York Times noted that this is the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution that the US Air Force has directly attacked major targets within Iran. Trump’s move signals a clear break from decades of American restraint regarding direct military involvement with Iran.
According to reports, Trump had been engaged in constant briefings in the White House Situation Room over the past week, carefully reviewing military plans and possible responses. Earlier timelines had hinted at a two-week decision window, but Saturday’s strikes came much sooner.
The strikes follow nine days of escalating violence between Iran and Israel. The conflict began on June 13, when Israel launched a sweeping offensive on Iranian military and nuclear sites under “Operation Rising Lion.” In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) initiated “Operation True Promise 3,” targeting key Israeli energy and fuel production sites with a barrage of drones and missiles.
With the United States now openly involved, the regional conflict appears to have entered a new and far more dangerous phase.
Trump tells Iran to choose between peace and tragedy
U.S. strikes raise concerns about potential nuclear fallout, though international agencies reported no increase in off-site radiation levels. Iran’s foreign minister warned of “everlasting consequences” and condemned the strikes as “outrageous” President Donald Trump’s move was assailed by some conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats in Congress as illegal and grounds for impeachment. Israel’s military said sirens that sounded across the region were “due to another Iranian missile launch” in the early hours of Sunday, June 22. The health ministry said 86 people were injured overnight, but it was not immediately clear how many missiles had pierced Israel’s air defense systems, but police confirmed at least three impact sites in residential areas in central and northern Israel. The attack has drawn mixed reactions, with some praising Trump’s decision while others condemn it as a dangerous escalation and violation of the Constitution. The Pentagon used bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles in the attack, claiming to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.
The U.S. employed bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles in the attack, claiming to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.
The strikes raise concerns about potential nuclear fallout, though international agencies reported no increase in off-site radiation levels.
The attack has drawn mixed reactions, with some praising Trump’s decision while others condemn it as a dangerous escalation and violation of the Constitution.
The United States joined Israel’s war with Iran after President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on three nuclear targets, winning praise and condemnation from members of Congress and new defiance from Tehran.
“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said in a live address on June 21, threatening further U.S. strikes if Iran failed to accept a diplomatic solution.
Bombs and missiles launched from U.S. warplanes hit nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. No U.S. personnel were injured in the operation, which struck Iran well after midnight on June 22 local time.
Watch President Trump’s full address to nation after the Iran attacks
With 40,000 troops in the Persian Gulf region, the United States faces potential Iranian reprisals in the days ahead.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, warned that the country “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people,” saying America’s strike was “outrageous and will have everlasting consequences.”
“Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior,” he said on social media.
Trump’s move was assailed by some conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats in Congress as illegal, while others praised him after more than a week of Israeli airstrikes on Iran and retaliatory missile fire wreaking havoc in Israel.
“There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” Trump said.
A look inside the Situation Room as US bombs Iranian nuclear sites
Israel says Iran launched another round of missiles
Multiple explosions were heard in central Israel, including over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, in the early hours of Sunday, June 22. Israel’s military said sirens that sounded across the region were “due to another Iranian missile launch.”
Millions of people in the country entered safe rooms and bomb shelters as explosions rang out. The health ministry said 86 people were injured overnight.
It was not immediately clear how many missiles had pierced Israel’s air defense systems, but police confirmed at least three impact sites in residential areas in central and northern Israel.
Video from Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa further north showed rescue teams combing through debris, apartments reduced to rubble, mangled cars along a street filled with debris and medics evacuating injured people from a row of blown out houses.
Iranian foreign minister issues warning
Iran reserves all options to defend itself after U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities, Araqchi shared on X, formerly Twiter, saying the attacks were “outrageous and will have everlasting consequences.”
“Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior,” he said.
What’s the risk of nuclear fallout from the Iran attacks?
The U.S. attacks against three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, following Israeli attacks over the previous week, prompted questions about the potential risks of radiological or chemical releases.
Both “The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists” and the International Atomic Energy Agency have previously stated the offsite risks are low from attacks at Fordow and Natanz. But in a June 20 post, François Diaz-Maurin, an associate editor for nuclear affairs at the atomic bulletin, termed the offsite risk at Isfahan “moderate,” because it’s one of the “most important sites for Iran’s nuclear program.”
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency said June 22 there had been no increase in off-site radiation levels reported.
The nuclear complex in Isfahan, a key site of the Iranian nuclear program, has repeatedly been attacked and extensively damaged before June 21, said Rafael Mariano Grossi, agency director. “Based on our analysis of the nuclear material present, we don’t see any risk of off-site contamination,” Grossi said.
Attack used bunker-buster bombs
The Pentagon’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facility employed its most powerful bunker-buster bomb as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from submarines, according to a U.S. official.
Pentagon planners coordinated the attack with Israel to enter Iran’s airspace, said the official who had been briefed on the mission but was not authorized to speak publicly. B-2 bombers dropped GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, the first time they have been used in combat.
The stealth bombers were accompanied by other aircraft, the official said, though it was unclear the type of warplane. The Pentagon’s most sophisticated fighter, the F-22, was a likely candidate.
Trump declared the attack a success, saying Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities had been completely “obliterated.” The official, however, said battle-damage assessments had not reached a firm conclusion.
AOC condemns Trump’s attacks, calls it a constitutional violation
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is the latest lawmaker to take to social media in the hours after Trump’s strikes on Iran to weigh in on the move, calling it “grounds for impeachment.”
“The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” she said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, published shortly after Trump’s White House address.
Congress is the only branch of government that has the power to declare war, however, presidents have engaged in foreign conflicts in recent decades under the executive authority to authorize defensive strikes.
“He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
Other Democrats in Congress erupt at Trump
Democratic members of Congress expressed outrage over the strikes, which they said they learned about from social media.
“According to the Constitution we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall. Full stop,” said Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, in a post on X.
Virginia Rep. Eugene Vindman said Trump’s handling of the situation was “disgraceful.” He asserted in a post that the U.S. was now at war with Iran.
“And so the United States goes to war with Iran without so much as a by your leave to the American people,” he said. “No statement, other than on social media; no notice to Congress; no serious deliberation.”
He added: “This is the stuff of autocrats. Disgraceful.”
War is something only Congress can formally declare. Lawmakers have also passed resolutions that authorized the use of military force like when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Trump has not said whether he plans to continue the bombing campaign, which he described as a “military operation” in a post on the attack.
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman says ‘this was the correct move’
At least one Democrat came to Trump’s defense, however: Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
“As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS. Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world,” Fetterman said.
Democratic Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that was critical of Trump that Congress should “fully and immediately” be briefed in a classified setting.
Republican lawmaker says Iran strike is ‘not constitutional’
Trump’s decision came under immediate criticism from at least one Republican in Congress: Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie.
The lawmaker shared Trump’s post on social media with the message, “This is not Constitutional.”
Massie had previously introduced a bill to prevent Trump from going to war with Iran without congressional authorization, which drew cosponsors that included progressive Democrats such as Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
The GOP lawmaker was one of two members of Trump’s political party who voted against his tax bill in the House of Representatives last month. Trump called him a “grandstander” ahead of the vote and said he should be “voted out of office.”
GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of Trump’s, publicly pushed for the United States to stay out of the war, a half hour before Trump announced the attack.
“Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war,” she said in a post on X.
Greene has been one of the most outspoken opponent’s within MAGA of American military involvement in the conflict that exploded on June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear sites.
“There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first,” she said on June 21. “Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”
Will Iran counterattack?
Tehran could respond to Trump’s strikes by launching counterattacks on U.S. military bases in the Middle East, current and former U.S. officials say.
American bases in Gulf countries and Iraq and Syria could become targets, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro told USA TODAY before Trump attacked Iran.
Iran could also target regional energy facilities and block oil and gas shipments from crossing the Strait of Hormuz, said Shapiro, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East in the Biden administration.
Roughly 40,000 American troops are stationed in the region. Trump warned in a Truth Social post of “far greater” force against Iran if it pursues retaliation.
Muslim civil rights group condemns U.S. strikes on Iran
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, blasted Trump’s attack as an “illegal and unjustified act of war” that favors the wishes of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu over the American people and threatens to drag the United States into a wider conflict.
“We condemn President Trump’s illegal and unjustified act of war against Iran,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. “This attack, carried out under pressure from the out-of-control Israeli government, took place despite the longstanding conclusion by our nation’s intelligence community that Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons.”
“Just as President Bush started a disastrous war in Iraq pushed by war hawks, neoconservatives, and Israeli leaders like Netanyahu, President Trump has attacked Iran based on the same type of false information put forward by those who consistently seek to drag our nation into unnecessary and catastrophic wars,” Awad said.
Pete Hegseth to hold a press conference from the Pentagon
Hours after the U.S. military launched strikes against three nuclear sites in Iran, Trump addressed the nation from the White House calling the operation a “spectacular military success.”
He said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will hold a press conference at 8 a.m. on Sunday, July 22 at the Pentagon.
Trump said the mission’s objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the “world’s number one state sponsor of terror.”
“If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill,” said Trump. “Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.”
Can Iran attack? Retaliation could happen anywhere, ex-official says
Terror alert levels should be elevated in the near term, even in major cities outside the Middle East and anywhere Iran may have sleeper cells, said Andrew Borene, a former senior official at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center.
“What happens next is largely going to be driven by Tehran’s next moves. Their shadow wars have never been confined to missiles, drones, and cyber attacks,” said Borene, who is now executive director for global security at private intelligence firm Flashpoint.
Offensive cyber operations on critical infrastructure, or terrorist attacks by Iranian proxies, also could rapidly derail hope for de-escalation and diplomacy in the near term, Borene said.
Peace of tragedy, Trump tells Iran
“There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” Trump said.
He noted that there are many other targets in Iran.
“If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes,” he said.
New York, Washington police boost security after strikes
Law enforcement in New York and Washington both increased police presence at places of worship and other sensitive sites as Americans reacted to the strikes.
“At this time, there are no known threats to the District,” Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department shared in a post on X. “However, MPD has maintained an increased presence at religious institutions across the city.”
Similarly, the New York Police Department said it’s “deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC.”
Trump says ‘future attacks’ could be worse
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” Trump said in his address to the nation. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”
He then described the tactics of the regime.
“For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Israel,'” he said. “They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs. That was their specialty.” The president appeared to be referring to attacks launched by Iran-backed militants in the years after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Netanyahu congratulates Trump on Iran bombing
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for bombing three Iran nuclear sites, saying the decision could lead the Middle East toward a future of “prosperity and peace.”
“America has been truly unsurpassed,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “It has done what no other country on earth could do. History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime the world’s most dangerous weapons.”
What is Fordow?
Fordow is an Iranian underground uranium enrichment facility located about 80 to 90 meters deep inside a mountain, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
It is located 20 miles north of the Iranian city of Qom.
Fordow was one of three nuclear sites, including Natanz and Isfahan, that were struck by US military operations on July 21 to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. “A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Bomb-carrying B-2 stealth fleet launched from Missouri base
B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in the early morning hours of June 21. The warplanes are known not only for their stealth technology but also for their ability to fly long-range and carry the big “bunker buster” bombs used in the June 21 mission.
With design and materials that limit its ability to be detected by enemy radar, the B-2 is thought to be the only aircraft equipped to carry the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or GBU-57, known as the “bunker buster.”
The entire fleet of B-2 stealth bombers is based at Whiteman, southeast of Kansas City, with the 509th Bomb Wing, part of the Air Force Global Strike Command.
Fox News reported six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site.
Can the president bomb a country without Congress?
The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war. The president is the commander in chief of the military, which means he carries out wars that Congress approves.
However, presidents of both political parties have perennially used the U.S. military to bomb or invade countries without formal approval from Congress. There have even been allegations that the Korean War and the Vietnam War were illegal. Congress attempted to limit presidents from using this type of power when it passed the 1973 War Powers Act.
Trump was most recently criticized for potentially violating the War Powers Act when he bombed the Houthis in Yemen, notoriously discussed on the SignalGate chat that embarrassed top officials in his administration.
State Department evacuations from Israel
Earlier in the day, the State Department began evacuating American citizens and permanent residents from Israel and the West Bank, U.S Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on social media.
“The Department of State has begun assisted departure flights from Israel,” Huckabee wrote in a post on X on June 21 asking people seeking government assistance to fill out a form.
How the war with Iran started
The strikes followed days of Israeli bomb and drone strikes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at disrupting Iran’s quest for a nuclear weapon, to which Iran responded by launching missiles at Israeli civilian targets. Netanyahu had been pressing Trump to enter the war, knowing the Pentagon possesses the ability to destroy Iran’s nuclear enrichment capability.
In his first term, Trump pulled out of the Iran deal brokered by President Barack Obama in 2015, saying it did not do enough to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. As the war between Iran and Israel has spiraled in recent days, he has repeated that Iran “cannot” get a nuclear weapon.
Iran has threatened that the United STates would suffer “irreparable damage” if it becomes directly involved in the conflict.
The country “should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 18.
Only US warheads could penetrate Iranian nuclear site
The U.S. Air Force has the unique capability to destroy deeply buried, fortified structures like those that house Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or GBU-57, has a “high-performance steel alloy” warhead case that allows the weapon to stay intact as it burrows deep into the ground, according to Pentagon documents.
In 2012, the Air Force conducted five tests of the weapon at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Data and visual inspections showed that each bombing run “effectively prosecuted the targets.”
There’s only one warplane in the Air Force that can carry the bomb. Each B-2 Spirit stealth bomber based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri can hold two of the penetrators.
Israel had sought the Pentagon to drop the bombs because their penetrating weapons cannot reach the depth necessary to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Contributing: Reuters
Trump says US ‘obliterates’ Iran nuclear sites, Tehran reserves ‘all options’ to defend itself
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites in strikes overnight with massive bunker busting bombs. Iran has responded to Israel’s sudden blitz on its nuclear and military apparatus since June 13 with missile fire on Israeli cities. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran was weighing its options for retaliation and would consider diplomacy only after carrying out its response. Israel has long said its aim was to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme. But only the United States possesses the massive 30,000-pound bombs – and the huge batwing B2 bombers that drop them – designed to destroy targets like Iran’s most sensitive uranium enrichment plan at Fordow built beneath a mountain. Israel killed much of Iran’s military leadership and spoke of pressing on until it topples the Islamic Republic’s clerical rulers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on a “bold decision”. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also praised Trump, saying the world was now a safer place. Iranians contacted by Reuters described their fear at the prospect of an enlarged war involving the United Nations.
Israel’s ambulance service says at least 16 hurt in Iranian missile barrage
Trump says US wiped out Iran’s three main nuclear installations with cruise missiles, bunker-busting bombs
Iran says most nuclear materials at underground Fordow plant moved elsewhere before US bombing
Satellite imagery appears to show some damage in immediate area of underground Fordow nuclear plant
ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM, June 22 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said he had “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites in strikes overnight with massive bunker busting bombs, joining an Israeli assault in a significant new escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
Tehran vowed to defend itself, and responded with a volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and destroyed buildings in its commercial hub Tel Aviv.
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But, perhaps in an effort to avert all-out war with the superpower, it had yet to follow through on its main threats of retaliation – to target U.S. bases or choke off the quarter of the world’s oil shipments that pass through its waters.
Trump , in a televised address to the U.S. people, called the strikes a “spectacular military success” and warned Tehran against retaliation, saying it would face more devastating attacks if it did not agree to peace.
Iran, which has responded to Israel’s sudden blitz on its nuclear and military apparatus since June 13 with missile fire on Israeli cities, called the U.S. attack a grave violation of international law that would have “everlasting consequences”.
“Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests and people,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote in a social media post, noting that the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran came despite ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran.
The U.S. strikes, with bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles, push the Middle East to the brink of a major new conflagration in a region already aflame for more than 20 months with wars in Gaza and Lebanon and a toppled dictator in Syria.
Israel has long said its aim was to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme. But only the United States possesses the massive 30,000-pound bombs – and the huge batwing B2 bombers that drop them – designed to destroy targets like Iran’s most sensitive uranium enrichment plan at Fordow built beneath a mountain.
During the past nine days of war, Israel killed much of Iran’s military leadership and spoke of pressing on until it topples the Islamic Republic’s clerical rulers.
Trump had veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it, at one point musing publicly about killing Iran’s supreme leader. His decision ultimately to join the fight is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career.
Still, he held out the prospect of averting a wider conflict if Iran accedes to demands. Iran’s future held “either peace or tragedy” and “if peace does not come quickly we will go after those other targets,” he said. CBS News reported that Washington had contacted Tehran to say it did not aim for regime change.
Speaking in Istanbul, Iran’s Araqchi said Tehran was weighing its options for retaliation and would consider diplomacy only after carrying out its response.
“The U.S. showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on a “bold decision”. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also praised Trump, saying the world was now a safer place.
Iranians contacted by Reuters described their fear at the prospect of an enlarged war involving the United States.
“Our future is dark. We have nowhere to go – it’s like living in a horror movie,” Bita, 36, a teacher from the central city of Kashan, said before the phone line was cut.
Item 1 of 7 Emergency personnel work at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran on Israel, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura [1/7] Emergency personnel work at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran on Israel, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said they had fired 40 missiles at Israel overnight and, warning of more to come, added that they had not yet made the main part of their capabilities operational.
Air raid sirens sounded across most of Israel, sending millions of people to safe rooms and bomb shelters as explosions rang out and missile interceptions were seen above Jerusalem and in other parts of the country.
In Tel Aviv, Aviad Chernovsky, 40, emerged from a bomb shelter to find his house had been destroyed in a direct hit. “It’s not easy to live now in Israel (right now), but we are very strong. We know that we will win,” he said.
SATELLITE IMAGERY
Satellite images of the mountainous area covering the subterranean Fordow uranium enrichment plant obtained by Reuters appear to show some damage after the U.S. strikes, and possible damage to nearby entryways.
It was largely impossible to assess the extent of the damage inside Iran on Sunday morning. Communication both within Iran and with the outside world has been sharply curtailed in recent days, with internet access shut.
Iran says hundreds of people have been killed in Israeli bombing, most of them civilians.
Iranian state media, which broadcast vivid footage of damage to civilian targets in the first days of Israeli bombardment, have stopped showing regular images of damage. Much of Tehran, a city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing into the countryside as Israel pounded the capital.
Gulf Arab states, which have in recent years tried to cool long-time rivalries with Iran and fear their crucial energy exports could be targeted in any expanded conflict, expressed concern at the escalation.
Trump’s decision is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his two presidencies and he was flanked during the announcement by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He said U.S. bombing had taken out Iran’s three principal nuclear sites : Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, which are involved in production or storage of enriched uranium, a material used as fuel for power plants but also to make atomic warheads.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the U.S. strikes, and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi announced an emergency meeting of its 35-nation board of governors for Monday.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordow had been moved elsewhere before the attack and the number of nuclear personnel there had been reduced to a minimum.
Mohammad Manan Raisi, a member of parliament for Qom, near Fordow, told the semi-official Fars news agency the facility had not been seriously damaged, without elaborating.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said it would not allow development of its “national industry” to be stopped.
Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, and that it has a sovereign right to pursue it under the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Western countries have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, and the IAEA concluded this month that Iran had violated its treaty obligations.
Araqchi would not rule out Iran withdrawing from the NPT.
Reporting by Reuters; writing by William Mallard, Angus McDowall and Peter Graff; editing by Sonali Paul and Mark Heinrich
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Live updates: Iran-Israel conflict continues with more strikes; US moves B-2 bombers
World leaders have reacted after the United States struck Iran’s nuclear facilities. France: Foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France had noted the US strikes overnight “with concern,” adding that it had not participated. Japan: Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said “a de-escalation as soon as possible is more important than anything” China: “China strongly condemns the US attack on Iran and the nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency” European Council President Antonio Costa: ‘Diplomacy remains the only way to bring peace and security to the Middle East region’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says “stability must be the priority” and “respect for international law is critical”
UK: Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Iran “to show restraint and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis” in a post on X, insisting that the UK did not participate in the US strikes. Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier urged Iran to return to the negotiating table after the US’ strikes, calling Iran’s nuclear program “a grave threat to international security.”
France: Foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France had noted the US strikes overnight “with concern,” adding that it had not participated. “France has repeatedly expressed its very firm opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. France is convinced that a lasting resolution to this issue requires a negotiated solution within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he continued. “It remains ready to contribute to this in collaboration with its partners.”
Germany: Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said the German cabinet met on Sunday after American bombs were dropped on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “The Federal Chancellor and the ministers of the Security Cabinet will consult closely with their partners in the EU and the USA on further steps during the course of the day. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his call on Iran to enter into immediate negotiations with the USA and Israel and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict,” he said.
China: A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said: “China strongly condemns the US attack on Iran and the nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. This move by the US seriously violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and exacerbates tensions in the Middle East.”
“China calls on the parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and start dialogue and negotiations. China is willing to work with the international community to pool efforts, uphold justice, and make efforts to restore peace and stability in the Middle East” it added.
Japan: Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said “a de-escalation as soon as possible is more important than anything” but that “at the same time, Iran’s nuclear weapons development must be stopped.” He told reporters in Tokyo on Sunday that “we are closely monitoring the situation there with grave concern.”
The European Union: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said “stability must be the priority” and “respect for international law is critical.” She said: “Now is the moment for Iran to engage in a credible diplomatic solution. The negotiating table is the only place to end this crisis.”
European Council President Antonio Costa said he was “deeply alarmed by the news arriving from the Middle East.” He said: “Diplomacy remains the only way to bring peace and security to the Middle East region. Too many civilians will once again be the victims of a further escalation. The EU will continue engaging with the parties and our partners to find a peaceful solution at the negotiating table,” he added.