President Donald Trump says the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel ’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran’s threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict.
The decision to directly involve the U.S. comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and a 30,000-lb. bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily-fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency early Sunday acknowledged an attack on the country’s Fordo nuclear site.
Here is the latest:
Hegseth says US military used decoys and deception in Iran attack
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Sunday that despite a surprise attack overnight on Iranian nuclear sites, America “does not seek war.”
Hegseth said it was important to note that U.S. strikes did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people, a veiled effort to indicate to Iran that they don’t want retaliation on American targets in the region.
Hegseth said that a choice to move a number of B-2 bombers from their base in Missouri earlier Saturday was meant to be a decoy to throw off Iranians.
He added that the U.S. used other methods of deception as well, deploying fighters to protect the B-2 bombers that dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s most powerful nuclear site. He said that all of these tactics helped the U.S. drop the bombs without tipping off Iran’s fighter jets or its air missile systems.
Iranian president condemns US strikes
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday condemned the U.S. attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites.
“This aggression showed that the United States is the primary instigator of the Zionist regime’s hostile actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pezeshkian said Sunday. “Although they initially tried to deny their role, after our armed forces’ decisive and deterrent response and the Zionist regime’s clear incapacity, they were inevitably forced to enter the field themselves.”
Pezeshkian urged the public to come together in the face of the attacks from Israel and the U.S.
Explosions heard in Bushehr, home to Iran’s only nuclear plant
Explosions boomed Sunday afternoon in the Iranian port city of Bushehr, three semiofficial Iranian media outlets reported. It was not immediately clear what caused the blasts.
Bushehr is home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant, which is run with Russian assistance. Iranian authorities have not reported any problem at the plant.
Meanwhile, explosions also struck the city of Yazd in central Iran, with some suggesting it came from Israeli airstrikes targeting a power plant and a military garrison.
Gaza medics report 51 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in last 24 hours
The Gaza Health Ministry says hospitals have received the bodies of 51 people killed by Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours. Another 104 have been wounded.
The new deaths brought the toll from the Israel-Hamas war to 55,959 since Oct. 7, 2023, the ministry said. Another 131,242 have been wounded. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the dead were women and children.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack. More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued alive and Israeli forces have recovered dozens of bodies.
Israel assessing damage from US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Israel was still assessing damage from U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
At a press briefing, Defrin was asked whether enriched material had been removed from the Fordo site before the U.S. strike, and he replied that it was too early to know. Defrin said the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Israeli military.
France ‘has learned with concern’ about US strikes in Iran
The French foreign minister says his country did not take part in the U.S. strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Jean-Noel Barrot said in a message on social media on Sunday that France “has learned with concern” of the U.S. military action against three nuclear sites.
“It was neither involved in these strikes nor in their planning,” Barrot said, adding that France “urges the parties to show restraint in order to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict.”
Barrot also reiterated France’s opposition to Iran gaining access to nuclear weapons. “France is convinced that a lasting solution to this issue requires a negotiated solution within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” he said. “It remains ready to contribute to this in conjunction with its partners.”
Iran’s top diplomat says he’ll meet Putin in Moscow on Sunday
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, responding to a question from a Russian outlet, said he’ll travel to Moscow later on Sunday to meet with President Vladimir Putin, after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites.
“We enjoy a strategic partnership and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” he said, referring to Russia.
Iran’s foreign minister says diplomacy not an option after US strikes
“The warmongering and a lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far reaching implications of its act of aggression,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a news briefing at a conference in Turkey.
Araghchi said while the “door to diplomacy” should always be open, “this is not the case right now.
Araghchi said that there is “no red line” that the U.S. has not crossed in its recent actions against the Islamic Republic.
“And the last one and the most dangerous one was what happened only last night when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities only,” he said.
Head of the Red Cross says ‘the world cannot absorb limitless war’
The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that the escalation in the Middle East risks “engulfing the region — and the world — in a war with irreversible consequences.”
“The world cannot absorb limitless war. Upholding international humanitarian law is not a choice — it is an obligation,” Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.
Images show damage on the mountainside at Iran’s underground nuclear site at Fordo
Satellite images taken Sunday analyzed by The Associated Press show damage on the mountainside at Iran’s underground nuclear site at Fordo after U.S. airstrikes targeted the facility.
The images by Planet Labs PBC show the once-brown mountain had parts turned gray and its contours appeared slightly different than in previous images, suggesting a blast threw up debris around the site. That suggests the use of specialized American bunker buster bombs on the facility. Light gray smoke also hung in the air.
Iran has yet to offer a damage assessment of the site.
Other satellite images suggest Iran before the strike sealed up its tunnel entrances at Fordo.
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This entry has been corrected to show Iran likely sealed up the tunnel entries to Fordo before the Sunday strike by the U.S.
Iran’s top diplomat throws cold water on calls to return to diplomacy with the US
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the U.S. strikes overnight have blown up any possibility of diplomacy with the Americans or Europeans.
“Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy,” Araghchi wrote on X. “What conclusion would you draw?”
He added that British and European Union comments for Iran to “return” to the negotiating table is unfeasible now. “But how can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?” he said.
Britain was notified in advance of US strikes on Iran
Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News that Britain was notified as a key ally, though he didn’t know the actual timing. He said the U.S. did not ask for support and Britain was not involved.
“Whilst the British government, the U.K., has not been involved in these attacks, we have been making extensive preparations for all eventualities,” Reynolds said.
He said the government was working on how to look after British nationals as well as its military bases, personnel and infrastructure in the region.
Bahrain warns drivers to stay off main roads after US strikes in Iran
Showing the growing concern in the Gulf Arab states, the island kingdom of Bahrain issued a notice Sunday to drivers to stay off main roads if possible.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry wrote on X: “In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary, to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently.”
Authorities also said they activated work-from-home protocols for some 70% of the country’s government workers.
Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet and long been a threatened target of Iran.
Israel says it took out 2 of Iran’s F-5 fighter jets
Israel says it hit the aircraft at Iran’s Dezful airport. The F-5s are part of Iran’s aging fleet of fighter jets from the era of the shah. Israel released black-and-white footage showing one of the aircrafts being destroyed.
Israel previously hit F-14 Tomcats flown by the Iranian military in the war. However, it isn’t clear if these aircraft were airworthy as many have been grounded over the years due to a lack of parts.
Israel also said it struck other sites, including around Isfahan’s airport. Iran has not acknowledged losses of aircraft or other materiel in the war so far.
Meanwhile, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched 40 missiles, including its Khorramshahr-4, during the attack on Israel on Sunday morning. Iran has said the Khorramshahr-4 can carry multiple warheads.
Israel gives latest number of its injured
The Israeli Health Ministry says Iranian attacks overnight and into Sunday have wounded more than 80 people.
The vast majority, more than 70, were lightly wounded, it said.
Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 4, health officials say
A hospital in central Gaza says it received the bodies of four people who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
The Awda hospital said it also received 22 people wounded in an Israeli attack on a gathering waiting for aid trucks south of Wadi Gaza area.
Meanwhile, aid group World Central Kitchen said it resumed cooking and distribution of hot meals in Gaza on Saturday, the first time after six weeks of a forced hiatus.
The chief of the UN nuclear watchdog says he’ll convene an emergency meeting on Monday
The head of U.N.’s nuclear watchdog posted on X that given the U.S. intervention in the Israel-Iran war, he will be convening an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors on Monday.
Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been the target of much Iranian criticism in recent days for what they describe as conflicting statements that incited Israel’s initial attack.
Iran says it fired one of its biggest ballistic missiles targeting Israel after US strikes
Iranian state TV showed what appeared to be previous test-firing footage of the Khorramshahr-4 missile, with an on-screen caption saying it was used on Sunday in a barrage on Israel.
The Khorramshahr-4 has the heaviest payload of Iran’s ballistic missile fleet, which analysts say may be designed to keep the weapon under a 2,000-kilometer range limit imposed by the country’s supreme leader.
Iranian says the missile has a 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) range with a 1,500-kilogram (3,300-pound) warhead.
The missile is named after an Iranian city that was the scene of heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. The missile also is called Kheibar, after a Jewish fortress conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century — in what is now Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the US has ‘launched a dangerous war against Iran’
The ministry statement says the U.S. strikes came “during an ongoing diplomatic process” and thereby “betrayed diplomacy by supporting the aggressive actions of the genocidal and lawless Israeli regime.”
“Now, by completing the chain of violations and crimes committed by the Zionist regime, the U.S. has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran,” it added.
The ministry also said Iran “reserves its right to resist with full force against U.S. military aggression and the crimes committed by this rogue regime, and to defend Iran’s security and national interests.”
Iranian missiles wound 16 in Israel as new Israeli strikes on Iran are reported
The Magen David Adom rescue service says one of those wounded was a 30-year-old man in moderate condition and the other 10 were lightly wounded.
Shortly after the Iranian missile barrage, Israel announced its warplanes were conducting strikes on “military targets” in western Iran, without immediately elaborating.
Iran executes a man accused of spying for Israel
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency identified the man as Majid Mosayebi and said he was hanged on Sunday after charges of spying in exchange for cryptocurrency payments. The case wasn’t previously reported.
The development raises fears of Tehran stepping up executions in the country in retaliation for the U.S. attacks. Iran is one of the world’s top executioners.
The UN nuclear watchdog says no increase in radiation levels off sites hit by the US
The International Atomic Energy Agency says in a message on X that there has been “no increase in off-site radiation levels” after U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
“The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,” it said. The “IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.”
Iranian missiles hit areas in northern and central Israel after US strikes on Iran
The Israeli rescue service United Hatzalah said it was dispatching first responders. There was no immediate word on casualties or damage.
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel since Israel launched a surprise attack on its military and nuclear facilities last week. Israel’s sophisticated air defenses are able to shoot down most but not all of the missiles and drones.
At least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded.
Democratic lawmaker: Last intel briefing showed ‘Iran posed no immediate threat’
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy posted on X that he and other senators received a classified briefing last week from intelligence officials who indicated that Iran did not pose an immediate threat through its nuclear program.
“Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon,” Murphy said. “The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success.”
Iran’s ally Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels condemn US strikes
The Houthi rebels in Yemen are vowing to support Iran in its fight against “the Zionist and American aggression.”
Their statement called for the Muslim nations to join the holy war and act as “one front against the Zionist-American arrogance.”
The militant Palestinian group Hamas says the U.S. aid strikers on Iran are a “direct threat to international peace and security” and “a blind pursuit of the rogue Zionist occupation’s agenda.”
Iran asks for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over US strikes
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations called on Sunday for an emergency Security Council meeting for what he described as America’s “heinous attacks and illegal use of force” against Iran.
In a letter, obtained by the AP, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, said that the U.N.’s most powerful body must “take all necessary measures” to hold the U.S. accountable under international law and the U.N. charter.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns and denounces in the strongest possible terms these unprovoked and premeditated acts of aggression, which have followed the large-scale military attack conducted by the Israeli regime on 13 June against Iran’s peaceful nuclear sites and facilities,” the letter continued.
Israel’s army says Iranian missiles are incoming, asks people to go to shelters
The Israeli military says it’s identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of Israel and says its defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat.
The public has been asked to go to shelters and protected areas and remain there until further notice.
Iran’s top diplomat warns US attacks on its nuclear sites ‘will have everlasting consequences’
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said on X that Tehran “reserves all options” to retaliate. He’s the first ranking official to comment on the strikes on Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz by the Americans.
“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” Araghchi wrote.
He added: “In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”
Flames seen at Fordo nuclear site in Iran after US strike, report says
Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency has published an account by one of its reporters, saying flames could be seen after the bombs hit the Fordo facility.
Fars, which is believed close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said its reporter heard anti-aircraft fire around 2:05 a.m. local time and explosions two minutes later.
“When I reached the vicinity … the air defense system was operating intensely, and its activity was clearly visible in the sky,” the reporter said. Later on, the reporter said, “flames suddenly erupted from the direction of Fordo.”
Simultaneously with the flames, a faint trail of smoke and a significant amount of dust rose in the area, Fars quoted the reporter. It offered no photos or video showing the attack
Israeli officials lauded the strikes
Israeli officials lauded the strikes in sweeping and dramatic language. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, thanked Trump and said the strikes marked a “decisive moment between the axis of terror and evil and the axis of hope.”
Israel’s defense minister congratulated Trump on what he described as a “historic decision.”
Israeli strikes killed at least 865, rights group says
Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, a human rights group said Sunday.
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel being killed.
Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country.
Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. On Saturday, Iran’s Health Ministry said some 400 Iranians had been killed and another 3,056 wounded in the Israeli strikes.
Israel closes airspace in wake of US attacks
Israel’s Airport Authority announced it was closing the country’s airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
The agency said it was shutting down air traffic “due to recent developments” and did not say for how long.
Iran says ‘no signs of contamination’ after US strikes nuclear facilities
Iran said early Sunday there were “no signs of contamination” at its nuclear sites at Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz after U.S. airstrikes targeted the facilities.
Iranian state media quoted the country’s National Nuclear Safety System Center, which published a statement saying its radiation detectors had recorded no radioactive release after the strikes.
“There is no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites,” the statement added.
Earlier Israeli airstrikes on nuclear sites similarly have caused no recorded release of radioactive material into the environment around the facilities, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said.
Strikes used ‘bunker buster’ bombs and cruise missiles
The U.S. military used “bunker-buster” bombs in its attack on Iran’s Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, which is built deep into a mountain, a U.S. official said. That official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
The 30,000-pound bunker-busting American bomb known as the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to penetrate underground and then explode. Saturday’s strikes were the first time it has been used in combat.
U.S. submarines also participated in the attacks in Iran, launching about 30 Tomahawk land attack missiles, according to another U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
It was not clear what those missiles were aimed at. Two Iranian nuclear sites besides Fordo were attacked, Isfahan and Natanz.
— Lolita C. Baldor
Trump called Netanyahu after strikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video that Trump called him after the strikes.
“It was a very warm conversation, very emotional,” Netanyahu said.
Speaking in Hebrew, he called Trump a friend of Israel like no one before him.
“In my name, and on behalf of all citizens of Israel and on behalf of the entire Jewish world, I thank him from the bottom of my heart.”
Quiet outside the White House as Trump describes Iran strikes
After Trump spoke to the country about the bombing in Iran, the White House had an eerie calm.
There was darkness outside the West Wing, other than bright TV crew lights and yellow lights from the nearby Eisenhower Executive Office Building overlooking the White House.
A siren rang in the background in city traffic that continued without pausing for the historic moment.
Trump’s speech came on in the overhead speakers in the White House press area, only for his voice to give way to a sudden silence after he thanked God.
Trump warns Iran ‘there are many targets left’
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that he will not hesitate to strike other targets in Iran if peace does not come quickly in the Middle East.
“There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” he said.
Trump said that while the nuclear facilities struck by the U.S. on Saturday were the most “lethal,” “there are many targets left.”
“If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill,” he added.
Trump says he worked ‘as a team’ with Israel’s prime minister to strike Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump said he worked “as a team” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the collaboration was “perhaps” like “no team has worked before.”
But Trump also noted that no military in the world except for that of the U.S. could have pulled off the attack.
Trump says Iran will face more military strikes unless it makes peace
President Donald Trump called Iran “the bully of the Middle East” and warned of additional attacks if it didn’t make peace.
“If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier,” Trump said at the White House after the bombings of Iran’s nuclear facilities were announced earlier.
Trump portrayed the strike as a response to a long-festering problem, even if the objective was to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“For 40 years Iran has been saying death to America, death to Israel,” Trump said. “They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs.”
Iranian Atomic Energy Organization confirms strikes
Iran’s nuclear agency on Sunday confirmed attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz atomic sites, but is insisting its work will not be stopped.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued the statement after President Donald Trump announced the American attack on the facilities.
“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assures the great Iranian nation that despite the evil conspiracies of its enemies, with the efforts of thousands of its revolutionary and motivated scientists and experts, it will not allow the development of this national industry, which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, to be stopped,” it said in its statement.
Netanyahu welcomes US strikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision to attack in a video message directed to the American president.
“Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,” he said.
Netanyahu said the U.S. “has done what no other country on earth could do.”
Japan evacuates group from Iran
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said that 21 Japanese residents of Iran and their family members arrived safely in Baku, the capital of the neighboring Azerbaijan, after evacuating by bus. It was Japan’s second evacuation from Iran.
US used ‘bunker buster’ bomb, Trump tells Hannity
The U.S. dropped six “bunker buster” bombs to strike the deeply buried Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, Fox News’ Sean Hannity says President Donald Trump told him in a phone call.
The Israelis say their offensive has already crippled Iran’s air defenses and significantly degraded multiple Iranian nuclear sites.
But to destroy the Fordo plant, Israel appealed to Trump for the 30,000-pound bunker-busting American bomb known as the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to penetrate underground and then explode.
The bomb is currently delivered only by the B-2 stealth bomber, which is only found in the American arsenal.
If confirmed, this would be the first combat use of the weapon.
Republican leaders in Congress praise Trump’s decision to strike Iran
U. S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who was briefed by the White House ahead of the strike, said in a statement, “President Trump has been consistent and clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will not be tolerated … That posture has now been enforced with strength, precision, and clarity.”
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Iranian regime’s “misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Iran hawk and Republican from South Carolina, wrote online: “This was the right call. The regime deserves it.”
Meanwhile, elected Democrats and some far-right Republicans questioned the move, particularly without authorization from the U.S. Congress.
“Horrible judgment,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “I will push for all Senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war.”
Said conservative Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, “While President Trump’s decision may prove just, it’s hard to conceive a rationale that’s Constitutional.”
Nonproliferation group condemns attacks
The Washington-based Arms Control Association, which focuses on nuclear nonproliferation, said the attack was an “irresponsible departure from Trump’s pursuit of diplomacy and increases the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran.”
“The U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, including the deeply fortified, underground Fordo uranium enrichment complex, may temporarily set back Iran’s nuclear program, but in the long term, military action is likely to push Iran to determine nuclear weapons are necessary for deterrence and that Washington is not interested in diplomacy,” it warned.
Iran’s state-run news agency confirms attacks targeting Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported early Sunday that attacks also targeted the country’s Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites.
IRNA quoted Akbar Salehi, Isfahan’s deputy governor in charge of security affairs, saying there had been attacks around the sites. He did not elaborate.
Another official confirmed an attack targeting Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site.
Iran’s state-run news agency acknowledges attack on nuclear facility
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency early Sunday acknowledged an attack on the country’s Fordo nuclear site.
Quoting a statement from Iran’s Qom province, IRNA said: “A few hours ago, when Qom air defenses were activated and hostile targets were identified, part of the Fordo nuclear site was attacked by enemies.”
The IRNA report did not elaborate.
Irani news agencies report that air defenses opened fire near Fordo
Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, quoted a provincial official in Qom that air defense did recently fire in an attack believed to target the area around the Fordo facility, but offered no other information.
The semiofficial Fars news agency, also close to the Guard, quoted another official saying air defenses opened fire near Isfahan and explosions had been heard.
Fars also quoted the same official in Qom province, saying air defenses fired around Fordo.
Trump claimed attack threatens to reignite US war with Houthi rebels
The attack claimed by U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to reignite America’s war with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the last member of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” able to launch regular attacks.
The Houthis on Saturday warned they would resume attack American ships in the Red Sea corridor if the U.S. joined the Israeli campaign.
Trump describes bombings as a ‘very successful military operation’
President Donald Trump posted on social media that he will be delivering a 10 p.m. EDT address on the U.S. strikes from the White House.
The president described the bombings as a “very successful military operation in Iran.”
“This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR,” Trump added.
Several Republican senators praise Trump after US bombing of Iran sites
Several Republican senators are praising President Donald Trump after he announced Saturday evening that the U.S. military bombed three sites in Iran.
“Well done, President Trump,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, posted on X. Texas Sen. John Cornyn called it a “courageous decision.” Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said she stands by Trump and called the bombings “strong and surgical.”
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted: “America first, always.”
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania also praised the attacks on Iran. “As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS,” he posted. “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities.”
One House Republican criticized Trump’s decision. “This is not Constitutional,” posted Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a longtime opponent of U.S. involvement in foreign wars.
US strikes 3 Iranian nuclear sites, Trump says, joining Israeli air campaign
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel ’s effort to decapitate the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran’s threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict.
The decision to directly involve the U.S. comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said that American stealth bombers and a 30,000-lb. bunker buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily-fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground.
Saudi Arabia condemns ‘blatant Israeli aggressions’ against Iran
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has condemned “blatant Israeli aggressions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security, constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms, and threaten the security and stability of the region,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
Speaking at Friday’s meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, he called for “the immediate cessation of military operations, the avoidance of escalation, and a return to the negotiation track between Iran and the international community.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia were long regional arch-rivals but have normalized relations in recent years. Riyadh was quick to side publicly with Tehran after Israel launched a surprise barrage of strikes on Iran last week.
Bin Farhan also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The kingdom and France had been set to co-chair a conference in New York this month on the topic, which was postponed due to the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war.
President says Iran will never resign its right to nuclear power
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country will never renounce its right to nuclear power, which “cannot be taken away from it through war and threats.”
In a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Iran was ready to provide guarantees and confidence-building measures to demonstrate the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities, according to IRNA, the state-run news agency.
Pezeshkian said that Iran has never sought to produce nuclear weapons, IRNA reported. Posting on X, the French leader said he told his Iranian counterpart that “Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful.”
Egypt rejects Israeli campaign against Iran and calls for negotiated solution
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt has expressed his government’s “complete rejection” of Israel’s campaign against Iran, calling for a negotiated solution to the conflict.
El-Sissi’s comments came in a phone call Saturday with Iranian President Masoud Pezezhkin, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
The statement said el-Sissi voiced Egypt’s “complete rejection of the ongoing Israeli escalation against Iran,” as a threat to the Middle East’s security and stability.
The Egyptian leader called for an immediate ceasefire to resume negotiations with the aim of reaching a “sustainable, peaceful solution to this crisis.”
Aerial refueling tankers spotted on flight paths consistent with escorting aircraft from US
Multiple U.S. aerial refueling tankers were spotted on commercial flight trackers flying flight patterns consistent with escorting aircraft from the central U.S. to the Pacific.
B-2 bombers, which are the only aircraft that carry the large bunker buster bombs, are based at an Air Force base in Missouri. It was not clear whether the aircraft being escorted early Saturday were prepared for an operation or merely moving to airbases closer to Iran as a show of force.
The White House and Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment on the flights.
Israel says it and Cyprus foiled a planned attack on Israeli citizens
Israel’s foreign minister says Israeli security services have helped Cypriot authorities foil a planned attack against Israeli citizens on the east Mediterranean island nation.
Minister Gideon Saar posted on X Saturday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was behind the plot. He thanked Cyprus for its “swift and effective actions” and accused Iran of “deliberately targeting Israeli civilians both in Israel and abroad.”
Cyprus police said Saturday they arrested a man on suspicion of terrorism and espionage. A court Saturday ordered the man, who wasn’t identified, held in police custody for eight days until investigators can complete their probe. Cypriot authorities said they wouldn’t comment further on the man’s arrest for “national security reasons.”
A British Foreign Office spokesman said that U.K. authorities are in contact with the Cypriot government “regarding the arrest of a British man.”
Germany closes Tehran embassy and withdraws staff from Iran
The German embassy in Tehran has been closed until further notice “due to the current crisis situation,” the diplomatic representation wrote on its website.
“Please do not come to the embassy or the consulate building. Appointments that have already been arranged have been canceled,” the embassy said.
Due to the war between Israel and Iran, the German Foreign Ministry said Saturday it has withdrawn all of its embassy staff in Tehran and brought them out of the country.
The embassy is still reachable online for Germans remaining in Iran. On its website, the embassy gives advice on the different possibilities to leave by land via Armenia or Turkey. According to the German Foreign Ministry, there are still about 1,000 German citizens in Iran.
US begins repatriation flights from Israel
The U.S. ambassador to Israel says the United States has begun “assisted departure flights” from Israel, the first time such flights have been offered there since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
The State Department said Saturday that it organized two flights departing from Tel Aviv to Athens with approximately 70 U.S. citizens, their accompanying immediate family members and permanent residents.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced the flights in a social media post as the war between Israel and Iran entered its second week. He says U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can complete an online form for updates.
The U.S. has also told its citizens in Iran who wish to leave to go via Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkey if they feel it’s safe.
Nasrallah’s bodyguard killed in Israeli airstrike on Iran, Hezbollah says
The head of security to the late Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike while in Iran, a Hezbollah official said Saturday.
Abu Ali Khalil, better known as Abu Ali Jawad, was killed after he went to Iran from neighboring Iraq, the official said.
For many years, Abu Ali was seen behind Nasrallah during most of his public appearances.
After Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstike in a Beirut suburb in September, his bodyguard was put in charge of his tomb in Beirut.
The Hezbollah official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the airstrike that killed Abu Ali occurred earlier Saturday.
Erdogan offers to mediate Iran-US talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for technical and leadership-level talks between Iran and the United States to resolve tensions, during a meeting with Iran’s top diplomat.
A statement from Erdogan office said the Turkish president also told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday that Turkey was ready to take on the role of facilitator.
Erdogan said that the region cannot tolerate another war and said Israel must be “stopped immediately.”
Araghchi was in Turkey to attend a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Iran acknowledges detaining German bicyclist on suspicion of spying
Iran on Saturday acknowledged for the first time it had detained a German bicyclist on spying allegations, likely an effort by Tehran to pressure Germany amid its war with Israel.
The semiofficial Mehr news agency published footage of the unnamed man’s arrest, without saying when the arrest occurred. However, it described the cyclist as being detained in Markazi province, home to the Arak heavy water reactor.
The German news agency dpa reported the arrest took place last year and that the bicyclist is being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, home to Westerners and political prisoners.
The German Foreign Ministry declined to comment Saturday.
Israeli army says it is now targeting Iranian military infrastructure
The Israeli army said it began striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran.
It was unclear what the targeted sites were.
Shortly after, Iranian state media reported that the sound of large blasts was heard in two cities in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan. Air defenses were reported to be activated in both locations.
A large column of smoke had also risen above the port city of Mahshahr, Fars news agency said, while “frightening explosions” were heard in the provincial capital of Ahvaz.
Macron voices deep concern over Iran’s nuclear program
The French president said Saturday this happened during a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who initiated the call.
“Here again, my position is clear: Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful,” Macron posted on social media, adding that diplomatic efforts should continue to resolve the current crisis.
“To achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran.”
Macron said he also asked for the release of two French citizens being held in Iran on espionage charges since 2022.
Iranians are left with no internet access again
Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported on Saturday that the limited internet access that had come back up in Iran has once again “collapsed.”
The group said on X that the disconnect came after “a brief period when residents could exchange messages with the outside world.”
A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days, isolating Iranians.
Iran cited concerns about Israeli cyberattacks for the shutdown of mobile and web services. But many Iranians and activists see it as another example of state information control and targeted internet shutdowns the Islamic Republic has deployed during periods of protests and unrest.
Internet slowly trickles back in Iran
Iranians on Saturday began to see some internet access restored, giving people the opportunity to call friends and family for the first time in days.
Those in the diaspora posted on social media about connecting to FaceTime or WhatsApp to call relatives they had been worried about.
Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. That left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next and if their family or friends were among the victims.
Tasnim News Agency, closely affiliated with Iran’s government, quoted the information minister as saying that access to “international” internet should be restored across the country by 8 p.m.
Turkey urges Islamic unity against ‘Israeli problem’
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the Middle East is faced with an “Israeli problem” and called on Islamic countries to take a collective stand and show solidarity with Iran.
“Israel’s ongoing aggression and occupation policies clearly show that there is an Israeli problem in our region that needs to be addressed,” Fidan said in an opening speech at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Saturday.
He also warned that Israel’s actions could trigger broader regional instability.
Italians evacuated from Iran arrive in Azerbaijan
The Italian foreign ministry said the 24 Italians are the second group to evacuate via Azerbaijan’s Baku.
“After about nine hours of travel and a very long wait at the border, the group was welcomed by representatives of the Italian Embassy in Baku, and then moved to the airport of the Azerbaijani capital to wait to return to Italy with the first available flights,” the ministry said.
The group included an Italian doctor and his partner, an Iranian woman, and their 18-month-old child, the ministry said.
Another convoy from Iran could depart from Tehran as early as Monday.
The first group that arrived in Italy via Baku in recent days had 34 Italian nationals.
Italy’s foreign ministry also said it chartered a flight to help evacuate its citizens from Israel via Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday.