Iran has launched missiles at a US air base in Qatar, the Islamic Republic’s Tasnim news agency reported.

Qatar hosts thousands of American service members at the Al Udeid Air base.

Al Udeid is the regional headquarters for US Central Command, which oversees the American military in the Middle East. There are about 9,000 US service members in gas-rich Qatar, which sits just across the Persian Gulf from Iran.

Earlier, the US and UK urged citizens in the country to take shelter and the Qatari government suspended air traffic.

The move comes after the US struck three major nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday night. US President Donald Trump said they were “obliterated” and Tehran vowed to retaliate.

The IAEA’s board of governors convened an emergency session on Monday in the Austrian capital to discuss the ongoing strikes against Iran’s nuclear program. Hitting an operational nuclear reactor, even if low powered like the ones at Isfahan, could set a grave precedent, the officials said.

Agency inspectors demanded the Islamic Republic inform them about the current location of its highly enriched uranium stockpile. Iran, meanwhile, warned the attacks have gravely damaged international diplomatic efforts to halt the spread of atomic weapons.

US attacks have “delivered a fundamental and irreparable blow to the international non-proliferation regime conclusively demonstrating that the existing Non-Proliferation Treaty framework has been rendered ineffective,” Iran’s IAEA envoy, Reza Najafi, told journalists.

The NPT was the grand bargain struck a half century ago. It gave signatories like Iran access to nuclear technologies on the condition they did not seek to make weapons. Because much of the tech is dual use — with applications in civilian or military lines of work — the treaty tasks the IAEA with ensuring nuclear material isn’t diverted.

Iranian engineers used the research reactors at Isfahan to study atomic reactions by irradiating different materials. That so-called neutron activation analysis played a crucial role in early US efforts to build nuclear weapons, but it’s subsequently also become a valuable technique for industry and nuclear medicine.

One of the suspected locations of the mini-reactor neighbors a destroyed building next to a tiled square planted with trees. The damaged structure likely was landscaped for senior scientists and other personnel to congregate after using the reactor, one analyst said.

As well as attacking the Isfahan site, located 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Tehran, the US used B-2 stealth jets laden with Massive Ordnance Penetrators, known as GBU-57 bombs, to attempt to destroy Iran’s underground uranium-enrichment sites in Natanz and Fordow.

Satellite images taken on Sunday of Fordow and distributed by Maxar Technologies showed craters, possible collapsed tunnel entrances and holes on top of a mountain ridge. The environmental hazards unleashed by the US and Israeli attacks so-far have remained localized, according to the IAEA.

Qatar suspended its air traffic as a precautionary measure in response to the regional armed conflict, effectively halting operations of its namesake airline after the US struck nuclear sites in Iran and Tehran vowed to retaliate.

The move is the most consequential yet for air traffic in the region. Qatar Airways runs a global operation out of its Doha hub, connecting more than 140 destinations around the world. The move follows other airlines, including Singapore Airlines Ltd., British Airways and KLM, suspending their service to destinations including Dubai, home to one of the world’s busiest airports.

“This is part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region,” according to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

ICYMI: Satellite images of Iran show craters at Fordo after US bombing

Benedict Garman

BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, Maxar

Satellite imagery that we looked at on Sunday shows the aftermath of US strikes on Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment facility at Fordo.

High-resolution images from Maxar Technologies taken 22 June show six craters – likely the entry points for US munitions – as well as grey dust and debris scattered down the mountainside caused by the strikes.

Image source, Maxar

We previously wrote about the type of “bunker buster” munitions required for a strike on a deep underground facility like this: a bomb called a Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). On Sunday, the Pentagon confirmed they were used as part of its operation.

Senior imagery analyst at McKenzie Intelligence Services, Stu Ray, told BBC Verify: “You will not see a huge blast effect at the entry point as it is not designed to detonate on entry but deeper down into the facility.”

He added that it looks like three separate munitions were dropped on two separate impact points, and that the grey colouration on the ground appears to show concrete debris blown out by the explosions.

Ray also said the tunnel entrances appear to have been blocked off. As there are no visible craters or impact points near them, he suggests this may have been an Iranian attempt to “mitigate against deliberate targeting of the entrances by aerial bombardment”.

It’s uncertain how much damage the strikes have caused to the nuclear site itself. In the days leading up to the strike, Iran seem to have been taking actions to anticipate them, as we reported earlier.

What we know about US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites

3 hours ago Share Save Thomas Mackintosh & Nadine Yousif BBC News Share Save

Maxar Technologies

Iran is weighing its response to US strikes carried out against its nuclear sites at the weekend, which American officials say have significantly set back the prospect of Tehran building a nuclear weapon. The strikes were launched as Israel and Iran continued to attack each other, after a long-simmering regional rivalry escalated into direct conflict earlier this month. The impact and wider implications of the US strikes on Iran are still becoming clear. Here is what we know so far.

What has the US bombed, and what weapons did it use?

The operation – codenamed Midnight Hammer – involved 125 US military aircraft and targeted three nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. They were hit between 22:40 GMT and 23:05 GMT on Saturday (02:40-03:05 on Sunday Tehran time), the US said. US Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, disclosed more details during a press conference. He said: The aircraft took off from the US and made an 18-hour journey to Iran

Some jets were sent west into the Pacific as a “decoy”, while others went ahead of the main bombers to ensure airspace was clear

Seven B-2 stealth bombers tasked with hitting the nuclear sites flew into Iran and avoided detection

At the same time, two dozen cruise missiles were launched at the Isfahan site from a submarine – in total, 75 “precision-guided weapons” were used during the operation

Fourteen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) were dropped on the Fordo site, a nuclear enrichment facility buried deep below a mountain outside Tehran, which is vital to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Only the US operates these huge so-called bunker buster bombs, the sole weapons that could conceivably reach the concealed site. The bombs weigh 13,000kg (30,000lb) and are able to penetrate 18m (60ft) of concrete or 61m (200ft) of earth before exploding. Shortly after the strikes, US President Donald Trump – who had been publicly calling for a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme – made a televised address and said future attacks would be “far greater” if Iran did not agree to a deal, adding: “Remember, there are many targets left.”

What is known about the impact of the attacks?

In the hours that followed, Gen Caine said it would take time to assess the damage, but added an initial appraisal indicated “that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction”. Since then, Trump has said the strikes caused “monumental damage”, adding in a social media post: “Obliteration is an accurate term.” Satellite images taken on 22 June show six fresh craters clustered around two entry points at the Fordo nuclear site, most likely where the US bombs fell, as well as grey dust and debris scattered down the mountainside.

Maxar Technologies New satellite imagery taken on 22 June show fresh craters at the Fordo nuclear site

Stu Ray, senior imagery analyst at McKenzie Intelligence Services, assessed those images for BBC Verify after the US confirmed MOPs were used. He said: “You will not see a huge blast effect at the entry point as it is not designed to detonate on entry but deeper down into the facility.” He also said satellite pictures appeared show tunnel entrances had been blocked off, which may have been an Iranian attempt to “mitigate against deliberate targeting of the entrances by aerial bombardment”. The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization has called the bombing of the three nuclear sites a “barbaric violation” of international law, while the US has claimed the strikes have severely disrupted Iran’s nuclear programme. However, Hassan Abedini, the deputy political director of Iran’s state broadcaster, claimed the three sites targeted by the US had been evacuated a “while ago”, and that Iran “didn’t suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out”. Both Saudi Arabia and the UN’s nuclear watchdog said there had been no increase in radiation levels after the attack.

How might Iran retaliate, and what has happened since?

There have been no further US strikes and senior American officials stressed they are not seeking a wider war with Iran. However, Trump has since floated the idea of “regime change”, writing on social media “if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” It is still not clear how Iran will respond, though analysts have speculated that attacks on American military bases in the region and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow shipping lane off the Iranian coast that is critical to the global oil trade – are possible. On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US “must receive a response for their aggression”, while Iran’s representative to the UN said the country’s military would weigh a “proportionate response”. Iran’s options fall into three broad categories, according to BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner: Do nothing – this could spare it from further US attacks, and Iran could even choose to rejoin negotiations with the US. But doing nothing makes the Iranian regime look weak, especially after all its warnings of dire repercussions. It may decide the risk of weakening its grip on its population outweighs the cost of further US attacks

– this could spare it from further US attacks, and Iran could even choose to rejoin negotiations with the US. But doing nothing makes the Iranian regime look weak, especially after all its warnings of dire repercussions. It may decide the risk of weakening its grip on its population outweighs the cost of further US attacks Retaliate hard and fast – Iran still has a substantial arsenal of ballistic missiles after manufacturing and hiding these away for years. It has a target list of around 20 US bases to choose from in the broader Middle East, and could also launch “swarm attacks” on US Navy warships using drones and fast torpedo boats

– Iran still has a substantial arsenal of ballistic missiles after manufacturing and hiding these away for years. It has a target list of around 20 US bases to choose from in the broader Middle East, and could also launch “swarm attacks” on US Navy warships using drones and fast torpedo boats Retaliate later at a time of its own choosing – this would mean waiting until tension has subsided and launching a surprise attack when US bases were no longer on maximum alert Meanwhile, the conflict between Iran and Israel continues. Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Tel Aviv and Haifa in the hours after the US strikes, injuring 86 according to Israel. On Monday, the Israeli military said it had targeted Fordo again, aiming to “disrupt access routes”. It also targeted the notorious Evin prison, where critics of the Iranian regime have been held, including foreign nationals. Footage showed damage to the gates of the prison, though there are no reports of inmates escaping.

How has the world reacted to the US strikes?

The UK, France and Germany reiterated that Iran could not be allowed nuclear weapons, and urged Iran to enter talks. On Monday UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Iran’s leaders “have to get serious about the off-ramp that is being made available to them”. UN Secretary General António Guterres said the US strikes were a dangerous escalation, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged all sides to return to the negotiating table. Gulf nations have called for de-escalation in the region. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Iran’s foreign minister at the Kremlin and accused the US of “violating international rules”. In the US, top Republican figures have been broadly supportive of the move, while senior Democrat Hakeem Jeffries accused the president of bypassing Congress and and risking “entanglement in a potentially disastrous war”.

Trump says Iran must make peace or face future attacks after US strikes

How did this start?