Bombings destroyed launchers, military bases and hospitals in Iran, while Netanyahu claims to have halted the development of the Persian nuclear program for years.
Israel is expanding its military campaign against Tehran five days after the surprise attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, while US President Donald Trump issued an urgent evacuation alert for residents of the Persian capital. “IRAN CANNOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump tweeted before cutting short his trip to the G7 summit in Canada. Israeli authorities ordered the evacuation of 330,000 residents from central Tehran, a city of 10 million people.
Intense fighting leaves hundreds dead
Israeli attacks on military leaders, nuclear scientists, and enrichment plants have killed at least 224 people since Friday, according to official figures. Iran responded by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones into Israeli territory, killing 24 and wounding more than 500. The Iranian military fired another barrage on Tuesday, with explosions reported in northern Israel.
Human rights groups such as Human Rights Activists documented more than 400 deaths, including 197 Iranian civilians , a figure considerably higher than government reports. Iranian health authorities reported 1,277 people injured in the bombings. Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes despite Israeli accusations.
Netanyahu rolls back Iranian nuclear program
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the attacks have set Iran’s nuclear program back “a very, very long time” and maintains daily contact with Trump regarding the crisis. Israel attacked several nuclear sites but failed to destroy the Fordow enrichment facility, buried deep underground. Eliminating this facility requires the 14,000-kilogram GBU-57 bunker-buster bomb, which only the United States possesses and which must be delivered by a B-2 bomber.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to the White House Situation Room to meet with the national security team. Trump denied that his early return from the G7 summit was to work on a ceasefire, stating that “it’s much bigger than that” without offering details. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for US intervention, writing that “a single phone call from Washington is enough to silence someone like Netanyahu.”
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that Iran possesses enough enriched uranium to manufacture several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so. The United States maintains that Tehran has not made any organized efforts to develop nuclear weapons since 2003. The conflict shows no signs of abating as both countries maintain inflexible positions on the nuclear program.
