Israel has initiated a widescale attack on Tehran – Iran’s capital city – targeting nuclear facilities, the residences of military commanders, and ballistic missile factories
The Middle East finds itself potentially on the brink of an all out war after Israel launched a widescale attack on Iran – amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a video statement that the attack aimed to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes, to remove this threat”.
“In recent months, Iran has taken steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponise this enriched uranium,” he said. “If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”
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Israel began the attack just hours after US President Donald Trump announced that talks with Iran over their nuclear programme were set to continue over the weekend – after he warned that “massive conflict” could be on the cards if no resolution was found. A lifting of some sanctions against Iran has been proposed, if they give up their nuclear programme, with the country of Oman acting as a mediator for the ongoing talks.
Trump pulled staff from US embassies in the Middle East on 12 June after warning an attack from Israel against Iran’s nuclear programme “could very well happen”.
Iran is said to have responded to the widescale attack – which killed two top nuclear scientists, and both the chief of staff of the Iranian Military and the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – by launching 100 drones toward Israel.
The Supreme Leader of Iran – Ali Khamenei – promised a “bitter and painful” situation for Israel, saying “By God’s will, the powerful hand of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic will not let it go unpunished”.
For decades, Netanyahu has issued public warnings and called for action from other world leaders that Iran will build weapons of mass destruction, and as reported by Reuters, it seems he has finally decided to “go it alone” against what he claims is an existential threat to his country.
Iran has continually insisted that their nuclear programme is only for energy, but the International Atomic Energy Agency – the UN nuclear watchdog – has, just days ago, found that the country is not complying with its nuclear obligations, and since 2019 has refused to reveal why they are stockpiling uranium that has been enriched very close to weapons-grade.
Trump has said that the US were not involved in the attacks against Iran and called to return to the negotiating table, adding that they will help Israel – an important US ally in the region – if Iran strikes back. The UK government has said they currently do not have any plans to get involved, but wouldn’t confirm if they knew about plans for the attack ahead of time.
The US Secretary of State said that his country’s “top priority” is protecting the forces they have in the Middle East and warned Iran not to “target US interests or personnel”.
A Democratic Senator – Chris Murphy – has said he believes the strikes launched by Israel were “clearly intended to scuttle” the ongoing diplomatic negotiations.
However, a former Israeli intelligence official – Avi Melamed – is reported by the Telegraph as hinting there might be an element of ‘good cop, bad cop’ going on. He said: “In my assessment, the timing of an Israeli strike on Iran reflects a convergence of interests between Trump and Netanyahu.
“From Trump’s perspective, as long as the US is not directly militarily involved, there is an advantage to the situation in which Israel takes military action aimed at forcing the Iranian regime back to negotiations from a significantly weaker position. The one who will pay the price for this move is Israel”.
A state of emergency was declared in Israel with the public urged to go to shelters and “stock up” on supplies and “patience”. World leaders have urged for de-escalating tensions, with Keir Starmer calling for “restraint” and “calm”.