LONDON/DUBAI, June 19 (Reuters) – Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, experts say. But they warn that any attack on the country’s nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster.

Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities in its military campaign , but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world’s oil.

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Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast – home to Iran’s only nuclear power station – only to say later that the announcement was a mistake

WHAT HAS ISRAEL HIT SO FAR?

Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran building an atom bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one.

The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, to the nuclear complex at Isfahan, including the Uranium Conversion Facility, and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran.

The IAEA said Israeli military strikes hit the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, which was under construction and had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water. The IAEA said that it was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so there were no radiological effects

In an update of its assessment on Friday, the IAEA said key buildings at the site were damaged. Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make an atom bomb.

WHAT RISKS DO THESE STRIKES POSE?

Peter Bryant, a professor at the University of Liverpool in England who specialises in radiation protection science and nuclear energy policy, said he is not too concerned about fallout risks from the strikes so far.

He noted that the Arak site was not operational while the Natanz facility was underground and no release of radiation was reported. “The issue is controlling what has happened inside that facility, but nuclear facilities are designed for that,” he said. “Uranium is only dangerous if it gets physically inhaled or ingested or gets into the body at low enrichments,” he said.

Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at London think tank RUSI, said attacks on facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle – the stages where uranium is prepared for use in a reactor – pose primarily chemical, not radiological risks.

At enrichment facilities, UF6, or uranium hexafluoride, is the concern. “When UF6 interacts with water vapour in the air, it produces harmful chemicals,” she said.

The extent to which any material is dispersed would depend on factors including the weather, she added. “In low winds, much of the material can be expected to settle in the vicinity of the facility; in high winds, the material will travel farther, but is also likely to disperse more widely.”

The risk of dispersal is lower for underground facilities.

Simon Bennett, who leads the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester in the UK, said risks to the environment were minimal if Israel hits subterranean facilities because you are “burying nuclear material in possibly thousands of tonnes of concrete, earth and rock”.

Item 1 of 2 Satellite image shows buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center in Isfahan, Iran May 17, 2025. Planet Labs PBC via REUTERS/File Photo [1/2] Satellite image shows buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center in Isfahan, Iran May 17, 2025. Planet Labs PBC via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

WHAT ABOUT NUCLEAR REACTORS?

The major concern would be a strike on Iran’s nuclear reactor at Bushehr.

Richard Wakeford, Honorary Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said that while contamination from attacks on enrichment facilities would be “mainly a chemical problem” for the surrounding areas, extensive damage to large power reactors “is a different story”.

Radioactive elements would be released either through a plume of volatile materials or into the sea, he added.

James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said an attack on Bushehr “could cause an absolute radiological catastrophe”, but that attacks on enrichment facilities were “unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences”.

Before uranium goes into a nuclear reactor it is barely radioactive, he said. “The chemical form uranium hexafluoride is toxic … but it actually doesn’t tend to travel large distances and it’s barely radioactive. So far the radiological consequences of Israel’s attacks have been virtually nil,” he added, while stating his opposition to Israel’s campaign.

Bennett of the University of Leicester said it would be “foolhardy for the Israelis to attack” Bushehr because they could pierce the reactor, which would mean releasing radioactive material into the atmosphere.

WHY ARE GULF STATES ESPECIALLY WORRIED?

For Gulf states, the impact of any strike on Bushehr would be worsened by the potential contamination of Gulf waters, jeopardizing a critical source of desalinated potable water.

In the UAE, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of drinking water, while Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100% of groundwater reserved for contingency plans, according to authorities.

Qatar is 100% dependent on desalinated water.

In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50% of the water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics.

While some Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have access to more than one sea to draw water from, countries like Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are crowded along the shoreline of the Gulf with no other coastline.

“If a natural disaster, oil spill, or even a targeted attack were to disrupt a desalination plant, hundreds of thousands could lose access to freshwater almost instantly,” said Nidal Hilal, Professor of Engineering and Director of New York University Abu Dhabi’s Water Research Center.

“Coastal desalination plants are especially vulnerable to regional hazards like oil spills and potential nuclear contamination,” he said.

Some of the main desalination plants in the Gulf

(This story has been refiled to fix a typo in the byline)

Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut, Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem, Andrew Mills in Doha, Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Andrew Heavens, William Maclean

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LONDON/DUBAI, June 22 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said Iran’s main nuclear sites had been “obliterated” in military strikes overnight, including on the deeply buried Fordow facility, as the U.S. joined attacks launched by Israel on June 13.

Experts have said military strikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities pose limited risks of contamination, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Sunday no increased off-site radiation levels had been reported following the U.S. attacks.

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WHICH IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES HAVE BEEN HIT SO FAR?

The U.S. military struck sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Trump said Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated”. The attacks follow previously announced Israeli attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself.

Israel says it aims to stop Iran building a nuclear bomb and the U.S. says Tehran would not be allowed to get such weapons. Iran denies ever seeking nuclear arms.

The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has previously reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, the nuclear complex at Isfahan that includes the Uranium Conversion Facility and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran.

Israel has also attacked Arak, also known as Khondab . The IAEA said Israeli military strikes hit the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, which was under construction and had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water.

The IAEA said it was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so there were no radiological effects . Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make an atom bomb.

the main known facilities of Iran’s nuclear programme.

WHAT RISKS DO THESE STRIKES POSE?

Speaking to Reuters before the U.S. strikes took place, experts said Israel’s attacks had posed limited contamination risks so far.

Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at London think-tank RUSI, said attacks on facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle – the stages where uranium is prepared for use in a reactor – pose primarily chemical, not radiological risks.

At enrichment facilities, UF6, or uranium hexafluoride, is the concern.

“When UF6 interacts with water vapour in the air, it produces harmful chemicals,” she said. “In low winds, much of the material can be expected to settle in the vicinity of the facility; in high winds, the material will travel farther, but is also likely to disperse more widely. The risk of harmful chemicals being dispersed is lower for underground facilities.”

Simon Bennett, who leads the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester in Britain, said risks to the environment were minimal when subterranean facilities are hit because you are “burying nuclear material in possibly thousands of tonnes of concrete, earth and rock”.

James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that before uranium goes into a nuclear reactor it is barely radioactive. “The chemical form uranium hexafluoride is toxic … but it actually doesn’t tend to travel large distances and it’s barely radioactive,” he added.

Attacks on enrichment facilities were “unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences”, he said, while stating his opposition to Israel’s campaign.

Item 1 of 3 Satellite image shows the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, in Bushehr Province, Iran, May 26, 2025. 2025 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo [1/3] Satellite image shows the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, in Bushehr Province, Iran, May 26, 2025. 2025 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

WHAT ABOUT NUCLEAR REACTORS?

The major concern would be a strike on Iran’s nuclear reactor at Bushehr on the Gulf coast.

Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on June 19 when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr, only to say later that the announcement was a mistake , opens new tab

Israel says it wants to avoid any nuclear disaster.

Richard Wakeford, honorary professor of epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said that while contamination from attacks on enrichment facilities would be “mainly a chemical problem” for the surrounding areas, extensive damage to large power reactors “is a different story”.

Radioactive elements would be released either through a plume of volatile materials or into the sea, he added.

Acton of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said an attack on Bushehr “could cause an absolute radiological catastrophe”.

WHY ARE GULF STATES ESPECIALLY WORRIED?

For Gulf states, the impact of any strike on Bushehr would be worsened by the potential contamination of Gulf waters, jeopardising a critical source of desalinated potable water.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is on high alert to monitor for any possible environmental contamination after the attacks, said a source with knowledge of the matter. There have been no signs of radiological contamination so far, the source said, adding that the GCC had emergency plans in place in case of a threat to water and food security in the Gulf.

In the United Arab Emirates, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of drinking water, while Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100% of groundwater reserved for contingency plans, authorities say.

Qatar is also 100% dependent on desalinated water.

In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50% of the water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics.

While some Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE have access to more than one sea to draw water from, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are crowded along the shoreline of the Gulf with no other coastline.

“If a natural disaster, oil spill, or even a targeted attack were to disrupt a desalination plant, hundreds of thousands could lose access to freshwater almost instantly,” said Nidal Hilal, professor of engineering and director of New York University Abu Dhabi’s Water Research Center.

“Coastal desalination plants are especially vulnerable to regional hazards like oil spills and potential nuclear contamination,” he said.

Some of the main desalination plants in the Gulf

Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut, Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem, Andrew Mills in Doha, Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Andrew Heavens, William Maclean and Helen Popper

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The United States struck three key nuclear sites in Iran early on Sunday, injecting itself into Israel’s war with Iran in a sophisticated mission and prompting fears of military escalation in the Middle East amid Israel’s brutal onslaught of Gaza.

In a televised address early on Sunday, US President Donald Trump justified the strikes, saying they were aimed at stopping “the nuclear threat” posed by Iran. Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow sites, which are involved in the production or storage of enriched uranium, were targeted.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” he said, warning Tehran against retaliation.

Israel and Trump claim that Iran can use the enriched uranium to make atomic warheads. But Iran insists its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes. The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has also rejected Israeli claims that Iran was on the verge of making nuclear weapons.

Condemning the strikes, which US officials said were covertly coordinated, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the time for diplomacy had passed and that his country had the right to defend itself.

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

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Iranian officials, meanwhile, have not detailed the extent of the damage and have attempted to downplay the significance of the hits. Speaking on state TV, Hassan Abedini, the deputy political director of Iran’s state broadcaster, said the three nuclear sites had been evacuated “a while ago” and that they “didn’t suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out”.

Here’s what to know about the nuclear plants hit and what the attacks mean for Iran:

Which facilities were hit?

Trump on Sunday said a full “payload” of bombs “obliterated” Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites. Iranian officials, according to the Reuters news agency, also confirmed that the three facilities were hit.

Fordow is an underground enrichment facility in operation since 2006. Built deep inside the mountains some 48km (30 miles) from the Iranian city of Qom, north of Tehran, the site enjoys natural cover. The primary focus of Sunday’s strikes, Fordow was hit with Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOPs) or “bunker-buster” bombs delivered from B-2 stealth bomber planes, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine said in a briefing on Sunday. The 13,000kg (28,700lb) GBU-57 MOP is the most powerful bunker-buster bomb, able to penetrate 60m (200 feet) below ground and delivering up to 2,400kg (5,300lb) of explosives, while the bombers are hard to detect. Caine added that 14 MOPs were delivered to at least two nuclear sites. Israel had earlier attacked Fordow on June 13, causing surface damage, but security analysts believe only US bunker busters can penetrate the facility. An independent assessment of the scale of the damage is not yet available. Natanz is considered the largest nuclear enrichment facility in Iran, located about 300km (186 miles) south of Tehran. It is believed to consist of two facilities. One is the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), which is a test and research facility located above ground and used to assemble centrifuges, rapidly rotating machines used for uranium enrichment. According to the non-profit Nuclear Threat Initiative, the facility had close to a thousand centrifuges. The other facility, located deep beneath the ground, is the Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP). Caine did not specify what weapons hit Natanz on said on Sunday. Isfahan is an atomic research facility located in the central city of Isfahan. It was built in the 1970s and was used for uranium conversion. It was the last location hit before the US bombing mission, which involved about 125 aircraft, withdrew from the Iranian airspace, according to officials. Caine said “more than two dozen” Tomahawk missiles were fired at Isfahan from US submarines. said the Iranians did not detect the mission and were notified afterwards.

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Are the sites destroyed?

Independent impact assessment of the US strikes at Fordow remains unclear.

Defence Secretary Hegseth on Sunday said the US’s “initial assessment is that all our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and achieved the desired effect”, citing particular damage at Fordow.

An Iranian lawmaker told Al Jazeera that the site suffered superficial damage. Israeli strikes on the plant last week only caused “limited, if any, damage” at the underground plant, according to IAEA boss Rafael Grossi.

The extent of damage at Natanz is also unclear following Sunday’s strike. Earlier Israeli attacks “completely destroyed” the above-ground plant, and caused centrifuges in the underground parts of the uranium plant to be “severely damaged if not destroyed altogether”, even though it was not directly hit, Grossi told reporters last week.

Meanwhile, the IAEA said on Sunday that six buildings at Isfahan suffered damage following the US attacks, including a workshop handling contaminated equipment. Earlier Israeli strikes had damaged four buildings on the site, the agency had reported, including the plant’s central chemical laboratory.

Initial reports from Iran and neighbouring Gulf countries such as Kuwait further indicate that there is no significant leakage of radioactive material from any of the plants. That could suggest that Iranian officials might have moved the stockpiles of enriched uranium out of the facilities targeted by the US, analysts say.

According to the IRNA news agency, Reza Kardan, the deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the head of the National Nuclear Safety System Center in the country, confirmed on Sunday that “no radiation contamination or nuclear radiation has been observed outside” the sites.

“Preliminary plans had been made and measures had been taken to protect the safety and health of the dear people of the country, and despite the criminal actions this morning in attacking nuclear facilities, due to the previously planned measures and the measures taken, no radiation contamination or nuclear radiation has been observed outside these sites and facilities,” Kardan said.

The IAEA also said the radiation levels near targeted sites had not increased.

“Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran – including Fordow – the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,” the agency said in a social media post on Sunday.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, says it is likely Iran had taken precautionary actions ahead of the US attacks.

“It appears that they already had gotten an advanced warning,” he told Al Jazeera.

“They understood that he [Trump] was buying time while moving military assets in order to actually strike. So, I think for some time they have moved those assets – where they are is unclear at this point.”

Will this derail Iran’s nuclear efforts?

The impact of the strikes on Iran’s overall nuclear programme is yet unknown.

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However, analysts say there was no clear evidence that Iran had advanced so far as to be able to reach weaponisation in its nuclear programme in the first place.

Parsi said Iran’s most valuable nuclear asset is its stockpile of enriched uranium.

“As long as they continue to have that, they still actually have very much a nuclear programme that still could be weaponised,” he added.

“And I think we are going to start to hear from the Israelis in rather short order, that this was not the type of successful strike Trump has claimed, but they are going to start making the case that there needs to be a more ongoing bombing campaign against Iran.”

Has Iran’s nuclear programme suffered setbacks before?

Israel hits Iranian nuclear research facility, says it’s preparing for possibly long campaign

Israel hit an Iranian nuclear research facility on Saturday and said it is preparing for a possibly long campaign.

Israel hit an Iranian nuclear research facility on Saturday and said it is preparing for a possibly long campaign.

Israel hit an Iranian nuclear research facility on Saturday and said it is preparing for a possibly long campaign.

Israel hit an Iranian nuclear research facility on Saturday and said it is preparing for a possibly long campaign.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel ‘s military said Saturday it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran’s foreign minister warned that U.S. military involvement in it “would be very, very dangerous for everyone.”

The prospect of a wider war threatened, too. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would resume attacks on U.S. vessels and warships in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joins Israel’s military campaign. The Houthis paused such attacks in May under a deal with the U.S.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel announced the U.S. has begun “assisted departure flights,” the first such flights from Israel since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

Israel’s military said it struck an Iranian nuclear research facility overnight and killed three senior Iranian commanders in targeted attacks as it pursued its goal to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. Smoke rose near a mountain in Isfahan, where the province’s deputy governor for security affairs, Akbar Salehi, confirmed Israeli strikes damaged the facility.

The target was a centrifuge production site, Israel’s military said. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the attack and said the facility – also targeted in the war’s first day – was “extensively damaged,” with no risk seen of off-site contamination.

Iran again launched drones and missiles at Israel but there were no reports of significant damage. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under army guidelines to brief reporters, estimated that the military has taken out more than 50% of Iran’s launchers.

“We’re making it harder for them to fire toward Israel,” he said.

The Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, later said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the army to prepare for a “prolonged campaign.”

US aerial refueling tankers on the move

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing active U.S. military involvement in the war, and was set to meet with his national security team Saturday evening. He has said he would put off his decision for up to two weeks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said U.S. military involvement “would be very, very dangerous for everyone.” He spoke on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Turkey. Araghchi was open to further dialogue but emphasized that Iran had no interest in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continues to attack.

Barring a commando raid or even a nuclear strike, Iran’s underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered out of reach to all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs. The U.S. has only configured and programmed its B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to deliver the bomb, according to the Air Force.

On Saturday, multiple U.S. aerial refueling tankers were spotted on commercial flight trackers flying patterns consistent with escorting aircraft from the central U.S. to the Pacific. B-2 bombers are based in Missouri. It was not clear whether the aircraft were a show of force or prepared for an operation. The White House and Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.

The war erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 722 people, including 285 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,500 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.

One Tehran resident, Nasrin, writhed in her hospital bed as she described how a blast threw her against a wall in her apartment. “I’ve had five surgeries. I think I have nothing right here that is intact,” she said Saturday. Another patient, Shahram Nourmohammadi, said he had been making deliveries when “something blew up right in front of me” at an intersection.

A number of Iranians fled the country. “Everyone is leaving Tehran right now,” said one who did not give his name after crossing into Armenia.

For many Iranians, updates remained difficult. Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org said Saturday that limited internet access had again “collapsed.” A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days.

Iran has retaliated by firing more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Israel’s multitiered air defenses have shot down most of them, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and over 1,000 wounded.

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60% – a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear weapons program but has never acknowledged it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel’s military operation will continue “for as long as it takes” to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal.

No date was set for a new round of talks after ones in Geneva on Friday failed to produce a breakthrough.

More attacks on Iranian military commanders

Israel’s defense minister said the military killed a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard commander who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing 20-month war in Gaza.

Iranian officials did not immediately confirm Saeed Izadi’s death, but the Qom governor’s office said there had been an attack on a four-story apartment building and local media reported two people had been killed.

Israel also said it killed the commander of the Quds Force’s weapons transfer unit, who it said was responsible for providing weapons to Hezbollah and Hamas. Behnam Shahriyari was killed while traveling in western Iran, the military said.

Iran threatens head of UN nuclear watchdog

Iranian leaders say IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s statements about the status of Iran’s nuclear program prompted Israel’s attack. On Saturday, a senior adviser for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei, Ali Larijani, said on social media, without elaboration, that Iran would make Grossi “pay” once the war is over.

Grossi, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, on Friday warned against attacks on Iran’s nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr.

A direct hit on Bushehr “would result in a very high release of radioactivity,” Grossi said, adding: “This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences could be most serious.”

Israel has not targeted Iran’s nuclear reactors, instead focusing on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country’s Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital.

Iran previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% and restricting access to its nuclear facilities.

Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium – at lower levels – in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether.

Rising reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul; Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Samy Magdy in Cairo; Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C.; and Farnoush Amiri and Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.

The US has carried out a “very successful attack” on three nuclear sites on Iran, President Donald Trump has said, while Tehran has warned of “everlasting” consequences.

Bunker buster bombs were dropped on the heavily protected Fordow enrichment plant, which is buried deep under a mountain near the city of Qom, as well as sites at Natanz and Isfahan.

Satellite imagery has revealed some of the surface damage at Fordow after the US strikes.

Image: A satellite image showing two clusters of holes at the Fordow nuclear site in Iran following US strikes on the facility. Pic: Maxar

The dramatic escalation brings the US into direct involvement in the war between Israel and Iran. Tehran’s threat of reprisals raises fears of a wider regional conflict.

Follow latest: US bombers strike three Iranian nuclear sites

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the US strikes “will have everlasting consequences”, adding that his country “reserves all options” to retaliate.

Image: Pete Hegseth calls on reporters for questions during a news conference at the Pentagon. Pic: AP

Operation Midnight Hammer

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said America’s ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ had “devastated the Iranian nuclear programme” but confirmed the strikes were “not about regime change”.

“The United States does not seek war, but let me be clear – we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners, or our interests are threatened,” he said.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the facility at Natanz had been “completely destroyed”, while its underground halls “suffered a lot” because of cuts to electricity as the result of Israeli attacks.

He also told CNN that the Isfahan site had suffered “very significant damage”.

With Fordow, he said it was difficult to know how much damage had been done.

Iran has repeatedly denied it is seeking a nuclear weapon, and Mr Grossi said this month the IAEA had no proof of a “systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon”.

However, the IAEA said last month that Iran had amassed 408.6kg of uranium enriched up to 60% – a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:48 How could Iran retaliate to US strike?

US Senator Chris Murphy, posting on X after the strikes, said he and other senators received a classified briefing last week indicating that Iran did not pose an immediate threat through its nuclear programme.

“Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon,” Senator Murphy said. “The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success.”

The Iranian foreign minister told journalists on Sunday morning that he was flying to Moscow to have “serious consultations” with Vladimir Putin.

He described Moscow as a “friend of Iran”, adding: “We always consult with each other.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said that “invaders must now await responses that will bring regret” after US strikes.

Iran has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to “maintain international peace and condemn the US strikes”, according to state media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the “bold decision” by Mr Trump, saying it would “change history”.

Read more:

What we know about the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it launched 40 missiles at Israel on Sunday morning, including its biggest ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr-4.

Iranian missiles hit sites in northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, Ness Ziona, Rishon LeZion and Tel Aviv.

Image: Rescue workers inspect the site of an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday. Pic: AP

Image: A rescue worker evacuates two children in Haifa, Israel after an Iranian missile strike. Pic: AP

The UK is preparing to fly British nationals out of Israel, and Israeli airspace will temporarily open today for repatriation flights to land.

Countries trying to evacuate their citizens are waiting for the airspace to reopen fully to charter flights out.

Gulf states like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, all home to US military bases, are on high alert after the strikes, with Bahrain urging drivers to avoid main roads and Kuwait setting up shelters.

The UK has also further increased “force protection” measures for its military bases and personnel in the Middle East to their highest level.

Nuclear negotiations ‘blown up’

The UK’s prime minister called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” and reach “a diplomatic solution to end this crisis”.

“Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,” said Sir Keir Starmer.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:34 Trump: Iran strikes ‘spectacular success’

However, Mr Araghchi said the US and Israel had “blown up” negotiations and asked: “How can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:28 ‘Iran could attack US embassy in Baghdad’

Read more:

Iran’s secretive ‘nuclear mountain’ and its protection

Analysis: If Israel breaks Iran it will end up owning the chaos

Addressing the nation in the hours after the strikes, Mr Trump said that Iran must now make peace or “we will go after” other targets in Iran.

“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” he said.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:20 ‘Trump’s bold decision will change history’

In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “All planes are safely on their way home”, and he congratulated “our great American Warriors”.

He also threatened further strikes on Iran unless it doesn’t “stop immediately”, adding: “Now is the time for peace.”

Sky News understands there was no UK involvement in the strikes.

Image: The US attacked the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites in Iran

‘Fordow is gone’

Fordow is a secretive nuclear facility buried about 80 metres below a mountain and one of two key uranium enrichment plants in Iran, along with Natanz.

Isfahan features a large nuclear technology centre and enriched uranium is also stored there, diplomats say.

“A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Mr Trump said. “Fordow is gone.”

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There had been a lot of discussion in recent days about possible American involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, and much of it centred around the US possibly being best placed to destroy Fordow.

Image: Map showing the Fordow enrichment plant

Natanz was believed to have possibly already suffered extensive damage in Israel’s strikes earlier this week.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:44 ‘US strikes won’t end Iran’s nuclear programme’

‘No increase in radiation levels’

US media reported that six ‘bunker buster’ bombs were used to strike Fordow.

However, most of the highly enriched uranium at the Fordow nuclear facility was moved to an undisclosed location ahead of the attack, a senior Iranian source told the Reuters news agency.

Personnel numbers were also reduced at the site, according to the report.

Image: 16 cargo trucks line up at the entrance of the Fordow nuclear site on 19 June. Pic: Maxar Technologies

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that there has been “no increase in off-site radiation levels” after the US airstrikes.

Mr Trump said no further strikes were planned and that he hoped diplomacy would now take over.

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In a briefing with journalists, Iran’s foreign minister said Mr Trump had deceived his own voters over his promises not to get involved in any more “forever wars”.

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“While President Trump was elected on a platform of putting an end to America’s costly involvement in forever wars in our part of the world, he has betrayed not only Iran by abusing our commitment to diplomacy, but also deceived his own voters.”

Pakistan condemned the US strikes on Iran, a day after Islamabad said it would nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.