Trump Joins the Fight: U.S. Strikes Cripple Iran’s Nuclear Sites as Mideast Teeters on Edge
In a dramatic escalation, American cruise missiles and bunker-busting bombs hit Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—sparking Iranian vows of retaliation, European diplomatic backlash, and fears of a wider war.
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Today feels like one of those rare moments—either it will pass in a flash and be forgotten, or it will alter the course of history and stay with us for the rest of our lives. I suspect it will be the latter
Pentagon officials said on Sunday that three of Iran’s nuclear sites sustained “severe damage” from the U.S. strikes overnight that have prompted a furious response from Tehran and spurred fears of more dangerous escalations across the Middle East. President Trump said the U.S. military joined Israel’s war against Iran to destroy Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and claimed success, saying that three nuclear facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated.” The full extent of the damage to the sites was not immediately clear, and top Pentagon officials later said that it was too soon to say whether Iran still retains some nuclear ability. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” Mr. Trump said in a brief, televised address from the White House. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater.” Iranian officials said they were working to assess the scale of the damage to facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan from the strikes that hit early Sunday local time. In a news conference on Sunday morning, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, said that the initial battle damage assessment indicated that all three sites had sustained “severe damage and destruction” and that a final assessment would take time. A senior U.S. official acknowledged that the attack on the Fordo site did not destroy the heavily fortified facility, but severely damaged it. Amid swirling questions over what comes next, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked about concerns of a prolonged conflict. “This is most certainly not open-ended,” he told the same news conference, adding that President Trump had given him “a focused, powerful and clear mission” in the strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Mr. Trump’s decision to attack Iran was likely to dim hopes for a negotiated solution to end the fighting, only days after the president had indicated he would wait for as long as two weeks to give diplomacy a chance. After the U.S. strikes, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, lashed out at the United States for undercutting recent diplomatic efforts — and rejected calls by European leaders to return to the negotiating table. He said that Iran “reserves all options to defend its security interests and people,” but declined to be more specific — including about whether Iran would retaliate against U.S. military bases in the Middle East. “We have to respond based on our legitimate right of self-defense,” he told a news conference in Istanbul, adding that “there are a variety of options available to us.” The U.S. strikes ushered in a period of high alert in the region, where more than 40,000 American troops are on bases and warships, as the Pentagon braced for retaliation. While U.S. officials say that Iran has depleted its stockpile of medium-range missiles, the country still has an ample supply of other weapons, including rockets and drones. Hours after the American attack, which included cruise missiles and more than a dozen 30,000-pound bombs, Iran launched a new round of missiles toward Israel, and Israel’s military said it had mounted a new round of airstrikes - NYT
The Israeli military, in an initial analysis, believes the heavily fortified nuclear site at Fordo has sustained serious damage from the American strike on Sunday, but has not been completely destroyed, according to two Israeli officials with knowledge of the matter. The officials also said it appeared Iran had moved equipment, including uranium, from the site. A senior U.S. official similarly acknowledged that the American strike on the Fordo site did not destroy the heavily fortified facility but said the strike had severely damaged it, taking it “off the table.” The person noted that even 12 bunker-busting bombs could not destroy the site - NYT
The Iranian parliament has approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the US launched strikes against the country’s nuclear facilities. The strait is a key passage through which 20 per cent of global oil and gas demand flows. Major oil producers, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, rely on the waterway to access the open sea. The closure of the shipping lane would be expected to disrupt global oil supply, causing a sharp spike in prices, and could temporarily restrict the ability of US warships to exit the Persian Gulf. Iran’s security body will now make the final decision on whether to proceed with the plan, state television reported this afternoon - Sunday Telegraph
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session later today in the wake of US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Earlier today, Iran requested a meeting of the 15-member body to address the US action, which it called "outrageous", warning it will have "everlasting consequences".
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday announced he will travel to Moscow in the coming hours for urgent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, shortly after the United States launched airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear sites. Araghchi emphasized the “strategic partnership” between Iran and Russia. “We always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” he told reporters in Istanbul, according to media reports. Russia is a close ally of Iran. Tehran supplied Moscow with military drones to strike Ukraine and, in return, has received help with its civilian nuclear program. The Kremlin has also maintained warm relations with Israel - Politico
As United States President Donald Trump lauded what he called the “spectacular military success” of the strikes he authorised against Iran, Democrats were quick to accuse him of overstepping his authority. Numerous critics accused Trump late on Saturday of violating the US Constitution by launching military attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites without the approval of Congress. In the lead up to the US attacks, legislators from both main parties have pushed measures to compel Trump to approach Congress before launching any strikes. The US Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war or authorise the use of force for specific purposes. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base has also been vehement in its opposition to the US joining Israel’s war. It has pointed out that Trump won the election on the promise not to commit Washington to yet another war in the Middle East. They want Trump to focus on domestic issues, particularly the economy - Al Jazeera
Airlines have already been avoiding vast swathes of the Middle East since the war between Israel and Iran broke out on June 13, with airspace over much of the surrounding countries largely empty, according to data from Flightradar24. British Airways and Singapore Airlines suspended flights to Dubai in the wake of US airstrikes on Iran in the early hours of Sunday morning. Russian skies also remain closed to Western carriers, leaving a narrow strip of open airspace that requires jets headed for north east Asia to fly over Turkey, the Caspian and central Asia. A British Airways flight to London from Chennai in India turned back after news of the US assault emerged, before later refuelling and safely completing the trip. Major US airlines including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines suspended flights to Israel last week before separately cancelling flights to Dubai and Doha on Thursday.
Belarus's top jailed opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky was freed alongside over a dozen other political prisoners on Saturday in a surprise release hailed as a "symbol of hope". His wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who took the mantle of the opposition after his jailing, said the United States helped broker the deal and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump. Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years. He planned to run against incumbent Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote. Svetlana – a political novice at the time of his arrest – took his place in the polls. She posted a video on Saturday of her embracing Tikhanovsky after his release with the caption: "FREE". "It's hard to describe the joy in my heart," she said in a post on X - Moscow Times
Kyiv received the bodies of 20 Russian soldiers instead of Ukrainian ones during exchanges of war dead with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks made public Saturday. He accused Russia of "not checking" who they were sending, and suggested Moscow might be doing it on purpose to conflate the number of Ukrainian bodies they had. The repatriation of fallen soldiers and the exchange of prisoners of war has been one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow and Kyiv agreed earlier this month during talks in Istanbul to exchange the bodies of 6,000 soldiers each."It has already been confirmed during repatriations that the bodies of 20 people handed over to us as our deceased soldiers are Russian," Zelensky said in remarks released on Saturday - Moscow Times
A Turkish court arrested prominent independent journalist Fatih Altayli over comments on his social media allegedly threatening President Tayyip Erdogan, broadcaster NTV and others reported on Sunday. Altayli, who has more than 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, was detained on Saturday over comments in a video he posted on Friday in which he addressed a poll showing most Turks opposed Erdogan ruling for life. Altayli referenced Ottoman rulers, saying Turks had "killed" or "drowned" some they no longer wanted in power. Prosecutors in Istanbul later said the remarks "contained threats" against the president and launched an investigation. NTV said that in his defence to the court, Altayli denied threatening Erdogan, quoting him as saying that his remarks were taken out of context and made to appear like threats, even though they were simply part of rhetorical historical discussions - Reuters
Hong Kong education authorities have reminded schools to be vigilant about any attempts to promote US Independence Day celebrations on campus, the Post has learned.The message followed an online claim that authorities had told schools to discourage students from attending July 4 events at the US consulate. The claim also suggested teachers were informed that they should seek approval from their principals before attending any consular events. A school principal confirmed receiving a verbal reminder from the Education Bureau in recent days about attempts to encourage US Independence Day celebrations on campus. Another principal said the bureau circulated reminders about safeguarding national security occasionally. The principal did not consider the timings to be related to specific events, adding that the last time the school had received a reminder was last week - SCMP
US regulators have issued a rare, urgent warning over the risk of Boeing 737 MAX engines malfunctioning and letting smoke into an airplane cabin or cockpit. Damage to the engine’s oil system can cause smoke from hot oil to enter the airplane ventilation system and fill the cabin or cockpit – presenting an extreme danger of incapacitating the pilots, the National Transportation Safety Board wrote in a report released Wednesday. The recommendations were inspired by two incidents on Southwest Airlines flights, when CFM International LEAP-1B engines malfunctioned after bird strikes and poured smoke into the cabins. In December 2023, a Boeing 737-8 filled with “acrid white smoke” shortly after takeoff from New Orleans, La. It was so thick that the captain struggled to see the instrument panel in the cockpit, the NTSB said. An engine on another flight in March 2023 was similarly damaged by a bird strike, allowing fog to funnel into the passenger cabin shortly after departing Havana, Cuba - NY Post
The numbers of Italians leaving their country and of foreigners moving in have soared to the highest in a decade, official data showed on Friday, fuelling national concerns about brain drain, economic decline and immigration. Italy has a right-wing government elected in 2022 on a mandate to curb migrant arrivals, but also has a shrinking population and growing labour shortages, highlighting the need to attract foreign workers. Meanwhile the country's stagnant economy and low wages - salaries are below 1990 levels in inflation-adjusted terms - have been blamed for pushing many Italians to seek better fortunes abroad. Last year 382,071 foreigners moved to Italy, up from 378,372 in 2023 and the highest since 2014, statistics agency Istat said. In the same period, 155,732 Italians emigrated, up from 114,057 in 2023 and also the highest since 2014. The immigration figure beat the previous high for the last decade of 301,000 in 2017, and was well above that period's low of 191,766 from 2020 - the height of the COVID pandemic. The figure of almost 270,000 nationals emigrating in the two-year period from 2023 to 2024 was up around 40% compared to the previous two years. The two-year immigration figure for that period, of around 760,000, was up 31% from 2021-2022 - Reuters
If you only listen to one interview today on the U.S. strikes against suspected Iranian nuclear sites, make it this one: BBC speaks with Fawaz Gerges, a leading Middle East expert from the London School of Economics.
The journals….
