Sunday, 22 June 2025

The Morning News

 

Peter Ustinov was a UN goodwill ambassador, he said that TOO MUCH was spent on War

Think about that.

And as you read below THINK about the 2 TRILLION spent. by Iran on Nuclear Ambitions

All the money could have been spent on all their children. 

And the TRILLIONS more spent everywhere on war

So now EVERYBODY of EVERY FAITH Pray that MARY looks after this World of OURS

she is the Universal Mother after all. and a Trillion tears are enough







Live
 Trump threatens further strikes on Iran

Donald Trump has threatened to launch further strikes on Iran if it does not immediately make peace.

“Future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” the US president said in an address to the nation following the US attack on three of the country’s nuclear sites.

He added: “There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember there are many targets left.”

Earlier, Mr Trump said the US had attacked Iran’s enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

He called the attacks a “spectacular success” and said Iran’s nuclear programme had been “completely and totally obliterated”.

Responding to the events, Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday said that the US took action to “alleviate” the “grave threat” that Iran’s nuclear programme posed to international security.

Read the full report on the strikes

Pictured: Debris-filled streets in central Israel

Israeli security forces and first reponders remove debris at the scene of an Iranian strike that hit Ness Ziona in central Israel on June 22
Israeli security forces and first reponders remove debris at the scene of an Iranian strike that hit Ness Ziona in central Israel on June 22 Credit: AFP

How Iran could retaliate after US strike

Ahead of Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, his defence chiefs would have war-gamed possible retaliation.

Washington has put its 40,000 troops deployed in the Middle East, including in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, on high alert amid escalating tensions.

Now that America has attacked key Iranian nuclear sites with what is reported to be six bunker buster munitions, US defence chiefs will be bracing for a response.

US officials told the New York Times that the strikes against the three nuclear sites were complete and that no follow-up attacks were expected. However, commanders were ready to respond if Iran did choose to retaliate.

Here are the top threats the US must consider: missiles attacks on US bases, capacity to defend, Iran’s regional proxies, the possible shutting down of the Strait of Hormuz, strikes on oil infrastructure in the Gulf and large-scale cyber attacks.

Pictured: Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility

A satellite picture on June 19 shows Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), northeast of the city of Qom
A satellite picture on June 19 shows Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), northeast of the city of Qom Credit: AFP

Nuclear watchdog calls emergency meeting

The international nuclear watchdog has said it is convening an emergency meeting tomorrow.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the decision was taken “in light of the urgent situation in Iran”.

There are nuclear safety fears following the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, however the IARA has reported no increased radiation levels on Sunday.

Pictured: ‘Down with the USA’ reads a mural in Tehran

Traffic passes by a building displaying an anti-US mural in Tehran on Sunday
Traffic passes by a building displaying an anti-US mural in Tehran on Sunday Credit: Shutterstock Editorial

Iranian resistance: Now Khamenei must go

“Now Khamenei must go,” the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran has urged.

“Khamenei is responsible for an unpatriotic project that, in addition to costing countless lives, has cost the Iranian people at least two trillion dollars—and now, it has all gone up in smoke,” Maryam Rajavi wrote in a statement.

“No to appeasement, no to war—yes to regime change,” she added. The NCRI, founded in 1981, is a broad coalition of Iranian organisations and individuals which aim to establish a democratic republic of Iran.

Government ‘preparing for all eventualities’

Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, sought to reassure Britons caught up in the Iranian conflict that the Government was “making extensive preparations for all eventualities.”

Speaking on Sky News, he suggested Iran’s failure to take up a diplomatic solution was to blame for the US bombing.

“We support the prevention of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. We had proposed a diplomatic course of action, as other European countries had done. The Iranians had rejected that,” he said.

“I know people will be waking up this morning, and they’ll be worried. They’ll want to know what this means, and I do want to give them reassurance that whilst the British government the UK, has not been involved in these attacks, we have been making extensive preparations for all eventualities.”

He said this included “how we look after British nationals in the region and how we get them out, and the assets we have in the region to protect British infrastructure, British bases British personnel if we need to do that.”

Watch: Trump becomes emotional as he confirms Iran strikes

Farage backs Trump’s decision to strike

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has backed Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran.

He said: “Reform UK stands behind the military actions of the USA overnight.

”Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, the future of Israel depends on it.”

No UK involvement, but Starmer knew attack plans in advance

The Telegraph understands that the UK was not involved in the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was told of the strike plans in advance.

In pictures: Iran strikes Tel Aviv

The aftermath of a direct missile strike on Tel Aviv on Sunday
The aftermath of a direct missile strike on Tel Aviv on Sunday Credit: AP
A dog is evacuated from a destroyed building after Iran fired missiles at central Israel
A dog is evacuated from a destroyed building after Iran fired missiles at central Israel Credit: REUTERS
A family evacuates from their home in Tel Aviv
A family evacuates from their home in Tel Aviv Credit: REUTERS

More than a dozen hurt in Israel

At least 16 people were hurt and at least one impact was reported in central Israel after Iran launched two waves of missiles at the country following the US bombing of its nuclear sites, rescue services and reports said.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said in a statement that it had “evacuated 16 people to hospital, including a 30-year-old man in moderate condition.”

Iran vows to defend Iran ‘by all force and means’

Iran’s foreign ministry has also issued a statement condemning the US strikes and vowing to defend Iran “by all force and means”.

“The war-mongering and lawless regime of the United States of America is held fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of this egregious act of aggression and heinous crime,” it said.

The statement also called on the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session and for other international bodies, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, to “take urgent and decisive action”.

“Silence in the face of such blatant aggression would plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos,” the statement said.

Starmer: US has taken action to alleviate Iranian nuclear threat

Sir Keir Starmer has responding to the US strikes against Iran, saying the move helped alleviated the threat of Iran building a nuclear weapon.

“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,” the Prime Minister said in a statement on Sunday.

“The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”

‘Order mass production of coffins’: Local Iranian MP tells Trump

An Iranian parliament member from central Qom, where the Fordow nuclear site is, located, has downplayed damage to the facility and threatened retaliation against US forces.

Qasem Ravanbakhs said: “The damage inflicted on Fordow facilities is not to the extent that American media and the criminal Trump claim.”

He added:“Trump should order mass production from coffin-making companies as soon as possible to transfer the bodies of American military personnel stationed in the region.”
 

Israel launches fresh wave of strikes on western Iran

The Israeli military said it launched a fresh series of strikes this morning targeting military sites including missile launchers in western Iran.

The air force began “a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran”, a military statement said, adding it had “struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralised the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory a short while ago”.

Trump has just shown he wants to be the one to sink Iran

Donald Trump was elected on a promise to avoid foreign wars and international entanglements.

On Saturday night, he sent B-2 bombers into action to obliterate what was left of Iran’s nuclear programme, using the sort of deep-penetrating weapons that Israel lacks.

Insiders said this was not a departure from his campaign pledge but a reminder that American power is based on the idea of “peace through strength”.

He is still a leader who puts deals ahead of military action, said one former official speaking before the strikes, but one who recognises that the best deals come when adversaries are negotiating from a weakened position.

He had sent a signal of his intent on Thursday.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” was the quote read by Karoline Leavitt, his press secretary.

In fact, there was no window or deadline.

In pictures: Aftermath of Iranian missile strike on Haifa

Rescue workers evacuate residents from a site in Haifa where an Iranian missile hit on Sunday
Rescue workers evacuate residents from a site in Haifa where an Iranian missile hit on Sunday Credit: AP
Iran claimed to have launched 30 missiles on Israel this morning
Iran claimed to have launched 30 missiles on Israel this morning Credit: AP
Over a dozen have been reported hurt so far
Over a dozen have been reported hurt so far Credit: AP

No increase in radiation in Iran, says watchdog

The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that it has not detected an increase in radiation levels after the US bombed three key nuclear sites.

11 hurt in Iranian missile attack

At least 11 people were hurt and at least one impact was reported in central Israel after Iran launched two waves of missiles following the US bombing of its nuclear sites, rescue services and reports said.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said in a statement that “11 people were taken to hospital, including one in moderate condition - a 30-year-old man wounded in the upper body by shrapnel.”

Public broadcaster KAN 11 showed images of a devastated building surrounded by mounds of rubble that it said was in central Israel.

Iran launches ‘30 missiles’ at Israel

Iran’s state TV announced this morning that it launched 30 missiles against Israel after the US, its closest ally, bombed several Iranian nuclear sites.

“These live images you are seeing are of a new salvo of Iranian missiles fired on the occupied territories,” said a presenter on air, referring to Israel. Citing “sources”, a presenter said that “30 missiles have been launched at Israel from Iran”.

Israel’s former defence minister praises Trump’s ‘historic decision’

Benny Gantz, Israel’s former defence minister, praised the US for what he called a “historic decision” to make “the world, the Middle East and Israel safer places”.

“I wish to convey to President Trump and the American people my profound appreciation for their leadership, determination and their clear stand with Israel throughout this campaign and tonight particularly against the Iranian regime,” he said.

Iran strikes central and northern Israel

In breaking news, Iran has reportedly launched ballistic missiles targeting central and northern Israel.

Explosions have been heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Sirens are sounding and everyone is urged to take shelter immediately. 

Medics and security forces are at the scene. No injuries have been reported yet.

These are the first missiles launched in over a day and the first since the US strikes against Iran.

Hamas responds to US strikes

Hamas has issued a statement condemning “in the strongest terms” the US attacks against Iran, according to the Palestine-based Quds Press Agency.

The statement called the strikes a “flagrant violation of international law” and “a direct threat to international peace and security”.

The group also said that it has “complete confidence in Iran’s ability to defend its sovereignty and the interests of its people, and to confront this aggression”.

Iran ‘reserves all options’, says foreign minister

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, has become the highest level Iranian official to speak out following the US strikes, saying that his country “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people”.   

He said that the US had “committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation] by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations”.

“The events this morning are 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 added.

Israel closes its airspace

The Israel Airports Authority announced that the country had closed its airspace as an apparent precautionary measure until further notice.

The authority said that “the airspace of the State of Israel is closed to entry and exit due to recent developments”, but the land crossing with Egypt and Jordan are “operating normally”.

The Israeli Defense Force also announced that it shot down two drones from Iran a short while ago. The drones had triggered sirens in Israel’s southern Arava region. 

Another drone was also intercepted around midnight over Golan Heights in the northern part of the country.

Drones take many hours to travel so these were likely sent before the US launched strikes against Iran.

Israeli foreign minister praises Trump

Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, has commended President Trump and said that he “wrote his name in letters of gold in the history books” after the US strikes against Iran.

Mr Saar also complimented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extraordinary leadership” in initiating the attack against Iran last week.

Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland Credit: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

B-2 bombers ‘flew non-stop from Missouri’

The B-2 bombers which struck Iran’s nuclear sites flew non-stop for roughly 37 hours from their base in Missouri, a US official told The New York Times. They refuelled several times in mid-air en route to Iran.

Iran says ‘no danger’ to Iranians living near Fordow

There is “no danger” to Iranians living near the Fordow nuclear facility, Iranian authorities have said. 

The Crisis Management Headquarters in the province of Qom, where the enrichment plant is located, said in a statement that “there is no danger to the people of Qom and the surrounding area,” according to Iran’s official news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has yet to make a statement on the attacks.

The state-run Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran previously said the strikes were a “barbaric act that violated international law, especially the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”.

Earlier, another Iranian official previously said that the Fordow had “long been evacuated and has not suffered any irreversible damage”.

Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission has also issued a statement saying that “no radioactive effects were detected in the Gulf states”.

Law enforcement ‘on the alert’ for Iranian attack

Law enforcement is on the alert for any attacks by Iran on US soil following a series of airstrikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.

The Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and other agencies are keeping a close eye for potential threats, an official told CNN, following warnings of Iran-backed terror cells operating in the US.

Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, said in a social media post on Saturday: “We will work unceasingly to protect the American homeland.”

‘A prudent response to warmongers’

Mitch McConnell, the former Republican Senate leader and a regular critic of Donald Trump, praised the US president’s decision to strike Iran.

“Seizing this opportunity is not an escalation toward war - it is a prudent response to the warmongers in Tehran,” he said.

“Iran would be foolish to misunderstand American resolve.”

Trump’s ‘made-for-TV’ security chiefs iced out from Iran inner circle

Donald Trump didn’t even bother to conceal his contempt of Tulsi Gabbard’s assessment of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“She’s wrong,” the US president said on Friday, speaking to media en route to his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey.

Mr Trump has assembled an unusual team for his White House and Cabinet, drawing on close loyalists, Fox News presenters and veterans of Capitol Hill.

But with tensions boiling over in the Middle East he has made the unusual move of sidelining two key national security figures, relying instead on old friends and military insiders.

It means Ms Gabbard, the national intelligence director, and Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, both surprise picks who had impressed Mr Trump with lively performances on Fox News – have found themselves on the outside of discussions.

Read the full story on how Mr Hegseth and Ms Gabbard found themselves outside Mr Trump’s inner circle here.

‘Iranian retaliation will be met with far greater force’

Donald Trump has said Iranian retaliation will be met with “far greater” force.

Following US strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: “ANY RETALIATION BY IRAN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.”

UN Secretary-General calls US strikes a ‘dangerous escalation’

António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, said that he is “gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today” and that the attack was a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge”.

“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said.

He called on UN member states to de-escalate and “avoid a spiral of chaos”.

‘No more war’ chants at Sanders rally

Bernie Sanders announced the news of Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran live at a political rally.

Mr Sanders shared footage of his Oklahoma rally on X from the moment the news of the attacks on three nuclear facilities broke.

Speaking on stage, Mr Sanders said: “This is a statement from Donald Trump...We have completed a very successful attack on three nuclear sites in Iran etc.”

Furious rally-goers then began chanting: “No more war.”

The Left-wing Democrat senator described the strikes as “alarming” and “grossly unconstitutional”.

Houthis threaten the US following strikes

Hezam al-Asad, a member of the Houthi’s political bureau, said that “Washington must bear the consequences,” in a short post on social media.

The Houthis are a close ally of Iran and have helped launch attacks against Israel since 2023. Two days after Israel first attacked Iran, the group announced that it had responded by firing several ballistic missiles at Israel.

Abnormal thermal activity detected near Fordow facility

Nasa’s Fire Information for Resource Management System detected abnormal thermal activity near the Fordow facility this evening.

Satellites captured the heat-generating activity around 6:59pm and 7:24pm EST – the last reported approximately 30 minutes before Donald Trump announced the strikes on social media.

This type of activity can be caused by natural events like wildfires or by a bomb.

Trump pictured in Situation Room during Iran attack

The White House has released photos from the Situation Room as the attack on Iran unfolded.

Donald Trump, wearing a red Maga cap, appears at the head of the table, flanked by Marco Rubio and JD Vance. 

Donald Trump holds a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House
Donald Trump holds a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House Credit: The White House/Handout via REUTERS
Donald Trump holds a meeting alongside Vice President JD Vance in the Situation Room at the White House
Donald Trump holds a meeting alongside Vice President JD Vance in the Situation Room at the White House Credit: The White House/Handout via REUTERS
Donald Trump holds a meeting alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Situation Room at the White House
Donald Trump holds a meeting alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Situation Room at the White House Credit: The White House/Handout via REUTERS

US used B2 bombers and submarines in strikes

Donald Trump confirmed that B2 bombers, one of the US’ top aircraft, were used in the strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The four-engine B2, which is flown by a two-person crew, can carry conventional or nuclear weapons and has a payload of 40,000 pounds.

According to the New York Times the B2 bombers dropped at least six 30,000-pound bunker busters on Fordow, citing an anonymous US official.

The same official also said that submarines fired 30 TLAM cruise missiles at the Natanz and Isfahan facilities.

The US Air Force only has 20 B2s in its arsenal, but in 2021, the aircraft were flown to Afghanistan and more recently they were deployed to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Trump: Future targets ‘can be taken out in minutes’

“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,” Donald Trump says.

The president adds a press conference with take place with Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, and Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, at 8am EDT on Sunday.

Trump: There are many targets left

“I want to thank and congratulate prime minister Bibi Netanyahu,” Donald Trump says, adding: “We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before.”

“We’ve gone along way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel,” the US president says.

He pays tribute to “the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight,” seemingly referring to the B-2 bombers which dropped the GBU-57 bombs on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

He adds: “There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember there are many targets left.”

Trump: Iran faces greater attacks if it doesn’t make peace

Donald Trump says Iran “must now make peace”.

If they do not, “future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” he says,

Trump: Iran’s nuclear facilities were obliterated

“A short time ago, the US military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime,” Donald Trump says.

The US president continues: “The strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”

Trump up now

Donald Trump is flanked by JD Vance, his vice president, Marco Rubio, secretary of state, and Pete Hegseth, defence secretary, as he starts his speech, warning Iran of more strikes if it does not make peace.
 

Netanyahu: US strikes have changed history

In his first statement since the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated President Trump for the US’ “awesome and righteous might” and said that the strikes would “change history”.

He called Israel’s alliance with the US “unshakeable” and said that in bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities, “America has been truly unsurpassed”.

“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 weapons,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Natanz nuclear facilities (Shahid Ahmadi Roshan Nuclear Facilities) near Ahmadabad in Iran
Natanz nuclear facilities (Shahid Ahmadi Roshan Nuclear Facilities) near Ahmadabad in Iran

He also praised Trump’s leadership as a “pivot of history” that can “lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace”.

“President Trump and I often say peace through strength. First comes strength, then comes peace and tonight President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Bannon: This is Trump’s boldest move

Steve Bannon has said the US’ strikes in Iran tonight are “probably the biggest and boldest” move of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Mr Bannon, a key voice in Mr Trump’s Maga movement and a former White House chief strategist, said he doubled the US president would want to get entangled in a protracted conflict in the Middle East.

“We have now become a combatant in this war between Israel and the Persians. I guess you say it’s now a broader war, although it looks like the president is trying to keep this to a very tactical strike,” he said on his “War Room” podcast.

In the US, “an overwhelming majority of the people don’t want to get involved in any of this,” he said, adding: “Now, we’re involved.”

Mr Bannon, who has been sceptical about the US intervening in the conflict between Israel and Iran, met Mr Trump for lunch at the White House on Thursday. The same day, the president said he would make a decision on whether to strike Iran within two weeks.

AOC: Strikes are grounds for impeachment

Democrat firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran is “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment”.

In a post the politician, known as AOC, said: “The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorisation is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.

“He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations.

“It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”

Trump: Iran should make peace - or they’ll get hit again

Donald Trump just spoke to Reuters by phone and threatened more strikes.

He said: “They should make peace immediately. They should stop immediately. Otherwise they’ll get hit again. They should make peace immediately or they’ll get hit again.”

Greene: This is not our war

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the firebrand Republican congresswoman, sent a reminder of Mr Trump’s political jeopardy while US planes were still in Iranian airspace.

”Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war,” she posted before the president announced strikes. 

She added: “This is not our war.”

She changed her tune after Mr Trump’s announcement, but she also raised fears about attacks on American soil

”Let us join together and pray for the safety of our US troops and Americans in the Middle East,” she wrote on social media.

“Let us pray that we are not attacked by terrorists on our homeland after our border was open for the past 4 years and over 2 million gotaways came in.”

‘Every American is now a target’

Iranian state television has allegedly said that every American citizen and military personnel in the region is now a target.

Unverified footage shared on social media shows a Iranian state news television presenter with a graphic behind him of the Middle East, where red flags appear to mark possible military targets.

Addressing Donald Trump directly, the presenter allegedly said: “You started it, and we will end it,” according to unverified translations of his remarks.

Reports: US dropped six ‘bunker-busting bombs’

The US dropped six “bunker-busting bombs”, otherwise known as GBU-47s, on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, according to Fox News.

The weapons, each of which weighs 15 tons, were carried by American B-2 stealth bombers, which were deployed to the Middle East earlier today.

Nuclear weapon ‘out of reach’ for Iran, says Thune

John Thune, the Republican leader in the Senate, said Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran has put the country’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon “out of reach”.

“The regime in Iran, which has committed itself to bringing ‘death to America’ and wiping Israel off the map, has rejected all diplomatic pathways to peace. The mullahs’ misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped,” Mr Thune said in a statement.

“As we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm’s way.”

Analysis: How Iran may respond

After Donald Trump approved an operation to strike Iran, US defence chiefs will now be bracing for Iranian retaliation.

The US has in recent days repositioned aircraft carriers to the Middle East in what defence secretary Pete Hegseth called a “defensively postured” manoeuvre.

The nuclear-powered USS Nimitz was redirected to the region, while USS Gerald R Ford and the USS Carl Vinson may also work as back up to deter a response from Tehran.

The Fordow uranium enrichment facility south of Tehran
The Fordow uranium enrichment facility south of Tehran Credit: Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies/AFP via Getty Images

Any military response from the Islamic Republic is likely to come in the form of strikes through its proxies in Yemen, where Houthis have already said that the strikes represent the “beginning” of a war.

Iran also has the means to effectively shut down access to the Straits of Hormuz, tucked between the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf’s western flank, potentially crippling shipping through the region, as there are no alternative routes.

Nothing hurts a government more than the price of oil, and this narrow stretch of water between Oman and Iran is vital in the global supply.

‘We will end it’

A host on Iran’s state TV news declared following the US air strikes: “Mr Trump, you started it, and we will end it.”

The broadcaster displayed a graphic of US bases in the Middle East which are said to be within firing range of Iran.

A US official has said American forces in the region are prepared for a retaliation by Iran and are not planning further strikes.

Trump and Netanyahu ‘spoke after air strikes’

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, reportedly spoke following US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The US also alerted Israel before launching the attacks.

Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC
Donald Trump walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Fetterman: This was the correct move

John Fetterman, the Democrat senator, has said US air strikes were the “correct move”.

Me Fetterman, a staunch support of Israel, said in a post on X: “As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS [Donald Trump].

“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.”

Iran claims sites do not contain nuclear material

Iranian media has claimed the strikes struck by the US do not contain nuclear material.

“There are no materials in these three nuclear sites that cause radiation,” IRNA, the Iranian state-affiliated media channel said, quoting an official.

Iranian authorities appear to be suggesting they removed enriched uranium from the facilities in advance of the bombing raid.

Trump ‘not planning further airstrikes’

Donald Trump is not planning additional US strikes on Iran and is hopeful today’s attack will see Tehran return to the negotiating table, sources told US media.

Mr Trump apparently came to believe in recent days that US intervention would be needed to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Despite the president’s hope for a diplomatic solution to prevent further escalation, American forces in the Middle East are said to be prepared for retaliation by Iran.

Houthis call US strikes ‘beginning of war’

The Houthis have called US strikes on Iran the “beginning of war”.

Mohamed al-Farah, a member of the Yemeni group, told Al Jazeera that Mr Trump’s decision will not be the end of the conflict.

“Destroying a nuclear facility here and there is not the end of the war, but it’s the beginning,” he said in a statement. “The time of hit and run is gone.”

It comes after the Houthis threatened to attack US ships in the Red Sea if America joined the conflict, in breach of a recent ceasefire agreement.

Why there was never a two-week window for Iran

When Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, read the president’s words on Iran on Thursday it seems like much of the world may have come away with the wrong message.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” was the actual quote.

But headlines around the world suggested that Mr Trump had just announced a 14-day window for Iran to come to the table, glossing over the fact that his actual words suggested a decision could still be made sooner than that. There was no two-week deadline.

Concerned officials in the West Wing quietly started briefing out that anything could still happen any time.

Mr Trump himself clarified the position on Friday when asked when he might take action: “I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum.”

Saturday night’s events show how true that was.

Strikes ‘serve as clear reminder to adversaries’

Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, has said that the US’s strikes against Iran serve “as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that president Trump means what he says”.

“The president gave Iran’s leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement,” Mr Johnson wrote on X.

He added that the decision to launch an attack on Iran was “America First policy in action”, seeking to quell dissent among isolationists within Mr Trump’s Maga base.

Trump to hold National Security Council meeting

Donald Trump will meet with his National Security Council tomorrow, CNN reported.

In a post on X, the network’s chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins said: “President Trump returns to the White House tomorrow and has a national security meeting on his schedule at 6pm in the Oval Office.”

US ‘may bomb Iran again’

The US may send B-2 stealth bombers back to Iran if the Fordow nuclear site remains in action, according to reports.

White House sources told Andrew Neil, the former editor of The Sunday Times, that the stealth jets “will be back” if the bunker buster munitions have not destroyed Iran’s nuclear bunkers.

“Getting indications from the White House that if the bomb assessment damage concludes the bunker busters have not quite done their job in Iran then the B2’s will be back, especially to hit Fordow again,” Mr Beil wrote on X.

Iran has not launched any missile attacks on Israel so far tonight, marking a rare quiet period since hostilities first broke out a week ago. 

Former official: Trump has sent a message to Russia and China

Simone Ledeen, the former deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East in Mr Trump’s first administration, said: “It’s a really powerful message to China and Russia and whoever else thinks that the US has gone weak and that Trump is just about making deals.”

She also pointed out that Mr Trump had not given Iran 14 days of breathing space. He had said he would make his decision “within two weeks.”

“Obviously people could read into that that he was saying there was more time than there was. But the reality is that he already given Iran 60 days to reach a deal. And he clearly meant it,” she said.

Democrats and Republicans split over Iran strike

Democrats and Republicans have been left divided over Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran.

Dan Crenshaw, a Republican congressman, posted on X: “support the president.”

He added that it is “wrong” to think a US attack will lead to soldiers deploying.

The president’s decision was also supported by John Fetterman, a Democratic senator, who said “Iran is the world leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities”.

Meanwhile, Ro Khanna, the California Democrat who is tipped as a future leader of the party, called for Congress call a vote to “prevent America To another endless Middle East war”.

Gallant: Trump took a bold decision

Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defence minister, has said Donald Trump took a “bold decision”.

In a post on X he said: “President Trump took a bold decision for the United States, for Israel, for all of humanity.

“The world is now a safer place.”

Trump returned from New Jersey to meet top officials

Mr Trump had spent Friday night and much of Saturday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

But in a sign of a fast developing situation, he flew back to the White House just before 10pm UK time (5pm EST) .

He didn’t speak to his travelling press pool at any point.

He then went directly to the West Wing where he was meeting with his top security officials.

His announcement that strikes had been conducted arrived three hours later.

Trump ‘all in’ on ending Iran’s nuclear programme

Gabriel Noronha, a state department Iran adviser during Mr Trump’s first term, said the president had gone way beyond simply focusing on the key site of Fordow.

“I think what Trump is doing by hitting three sites is he’s going all in,” he told the Telegraph.

“It’s not just a pin prick, but he is saying... he is putting the finishing blow to the Iran nuclear program, and he is owning that, and he is embracing that, and he’s going to want the credit for that as well, and he deserves it.”

Trump to address nation at 3am UK (10pm EST)

Donald Trump will address the nation at 3am UK time (10pm EST) after the US launched strikes on Iran.

Why the Fordow plant?

The Fordow plant, 20 miles from the central city of Qom, is considered so naturally protected that there is just one weapon in the world able to blow it up.

The US’s 30,000lb GBU-57F/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, or “Mop”, can penetrate around 60 metres underground before exploding.

With weapons-grade uranium suspected of being manufactured at the site and hazardous raw materials, experts warned a strike could have severe effects.

The Mop is thought to be able to penetrate through 61 metres of concrete and is considered the only weapon able to directly threaten the site itself.

It can only be dropped by a B2 stealth bomber, which can carry two at a time. The bomb is designed to penetrate and detonate at the maximum possible depth to neutralise interred threats such as bunkers.

Trump: Fordow is gone

Donald Trump has reposted the message “Fordow is gone” on his site Truth Social.

He shared a post from a page called Open Source Intel that said: “Fordow is gone.”

The US president earlier said America had completed “our very successful strikes” on three nuclear bases.

Mr Trump said Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan had been hit.

Fordo uranium enrichment facility
Fordo uranium enrichment facility

Decision comes after B-2 stealth jets moved to Guam

The decision to bomb Iran comes after the US moved four B-2 stealth jets to its military base in Guam on Saturday morning.

The B-2 is designed for long-range missions and is the only aircraft capable of delivering the 30,000-lb “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” (Mop) precision-guided bunker busters that could be used to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear plant at Fordow.

It is not yet clear which munitions the US has used to strike Iran’s three nuclear sites.

Analysis: Strikes a perilous decision for the US

Iran has pledged to retaliate if it joined the Israeli assault and the US has already begun removing key personnel from Embassy in anticipation of a strike.

Aside from the threat from Iran, the conflict is incredibly risky for the president, who won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism.

 

Tensions come to a head

Trump’s decision to enter the conflict comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran.

The strikes have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defences and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. 

US and Israeli officials have maintained that American stealth bombers and a 30,000-lb. bunker buster bomb  offered the best chance of destroying heavily-fortified sites connect Ed to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground.

US strikes three sites

Donald Trump said the US has completed a “very successful” attack on Friday.

In a post on Truth Social, the president said the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan sites were targeted.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and [Isfahan],” he wrote.

“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.

“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! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Breaking: US bombs Iran’s nuclear sites

The US has launched strikes on Iran, bombing three of its nuclear sites, Donald Trump has announced. 

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5430th piece

 5430th piece well my head is being blown off with Tinnitus how could it get even worse, but it has Is it a divine test Let me sleep instead...