President Donald Trump claims that the United States has successfully bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, destroying them. Israel claims that the strikes were planned in close consultation with the US. Iranian officials acknowledged that the facilities were hit, but they denied that they had been hit hard. The attacks are a significant step up in the continuing conflict between Israel and Iran.
What weapons did the US use in the attack?
Fordo, a uranium enrichment facility tucked away on a secluded mountaintop and essential to Iran’s nuclear aspirations, was one of the targets. The complete amount of the facility’s devastation is still unknown. According to the US, it also struck two further nuclear sites: Isfahan and Natanz.
Fordo is thought to be deeper below than the Channel Tunnel that connects the UK and France, and it is tucked hidden in a hillside south of Tehran. The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is the only “bunker buster” bomb large enough to enter Fordo due to its depth below ground.
According to experts, it weighs 13,000 kg and may explode after dropping through 61 meters of ground or around 18 meters of concrete. The MOP is the only bomb that has a chance of succeeding, although it is not a sure thing because of how deep Fordo’s tunnels are. According to US media sources, the strikes involved the use of MOPs.
What damage has been confirmed at nuclear sites?
The extent of the US attack’s damage to the nuclear facilities and the presence of victims or wounded are yet unknown. The attack on the three nuclear installations was described as a heinous breach of international law by the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, and Saudi Arabia both claim that radiation levels have not increased since the attack. Iran evacuated these three nuclear installations some time ago, according to Hassan Abedini, deputy political director of Iran’s public television. He said Iran “didn’t suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out” when making an appearance on state-run television.
Could Iran escalate its retaliation against US forces?
Iran launched a new round of missiles within hours of the US bombardment, striking areas of Haifa and Tel Aviv. Authorities said that at least 86 individuals were hurt. Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said Tehran had the right to retaliate and denounced the US assault. Trump, he claimed, had “betrayed” Americans who had been assured that US participation in Middle Eastern conflicts would cease.
According to analysts, Iran’s first choice is to do nothing, which might protect it against future US assaults. It could even decide to go diplomatic and resume talks with the United States. However, after all of its threats of catastrophic consequences should the US invade, the Iranian leadership appears weak if it does nothing. It could determine that the danger of losing control over its people exceeds the expense of more US strikes.
The second choice is to strike back quickly and forcefully: After producing and concealing ballistic missiles for years, Iran still possesses a sizable arsenal. There are about 20 US bases in the wider Middle East on its target list. Additionally, it may use swift torpedo boats and drones to undertake “swarm attacks” against US Navy warships.
How did the Israel-Iran conflict initially start?
On June 13, Israel unexpectedly attacked hundreds of Iranian military and nuclear facilities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country will soon be ready to create a nuclear bomb, and he stated that its goal was to terminate its nuclear program. Iran maintains that it has peaceful nuclear aspirations. Tehran responded by attacking Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones. Since then, the two nations have been trading strikes in an air war that has lasted for more than a week.
Trump has stated repeatedly that he opposes Iran having nuclear weapons. Israel neither acknowledges nor rejects the widespread belief that it possesses them. Tulsi Gabbard, the head of US national intelligence, stated in March that although Iran had amassed an unprecedented amount of uranium, it was not developing a nuclear bomb. Trump recently referred to this as being “wrong.”
During his campaign, Trump pledged to keep America out of international conflicts and criticised previous US administrations for fighting “stupid endless wars” in the Middle East. At the time of Israel’s surprise strike, the United States and Iran were engaged in nuclear negotiations. Trump stated just two days ago that he would allow Iran two weeks to engage in meaningful talks before launching an attack, but that time frame ended up being far shorter.
