Donald Trump tells the US nation of his authorization of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, White House, Washington D.C., June 21, 2025 (Sky)

EA on Irish, UK, and Polish Outlets: How Israel Played Trump to Support Its War on Iran

EA on International Outlets: Israel’s War on Iran

Israel Military: “Difficult Days Ahead” in “Prolonged War” on Iran

UPDATE 1501 GMT:

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has misrepresented Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium to claim — wrongly — that it is currently pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Rubio told Fox TV that Tehran has sufficient quantities of the enriched uranum. to make at least nine or 10 bombs.

Iran has been producing 60% uranium since April 2021. It has not produced military-grade uranium of more than 90%.

Rubio said there are no plans at the moment for further US strikes.

He encourages China to call Tehran about the Iranian Parliament’s approval of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

UPDATE 1425 GMT:

Iran’s Parliament has approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, through which 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes.

The Supreme National Security Council will make the final decision on the move.

Revolutionary Guards Commander Esmail Kosari, a member of Parliament, said the closure is on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary.”

UPDATE 1133 GMT:

China has “strongly condemned” the US strikes:

The actions of the US seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East.

China calls on the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and start dialogue and negotiation.

UPDATE 1126 GMT:

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were coordinated with the Israeli military.

He said IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has been in contact with American counterparts since the start of Israel’s war, with the coordination even closer recently.

“We have more objectives, and we are acting all the time to achieve them. We will continue to act to achieve these objectives,” Defrin said.

The Iranian Red Crescent said there were no deaths from the US strikes.

UPDATE 1125 GMT:

The Federation of Local Authorities in Israel says around 9,000 people have been displaced from their homes during the Israeli war on Iran.

Thousands are being accommodated in hotels, while others have moved in with friends and family.

UPDATE 1110 GMT:

The Russian Foreign Ministry has finally commented on US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, calling them “irresponsible”.

With no sense of irony, given Moscow’s 40-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry said:

The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, whatever the arguments it may be presented with, flagrantly violates international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is due to meet Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Monday.

The Ministry said, “We call for an end to aggression and for increased efforts to create conditions for returning the situation to a political and diplomatic track.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted that he spoke with President Masoud Pezeshkian:

Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations. Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security, and stability.

UPDATE 1040 GMT:

The International Atomic Energy Agency says buildings targeted by US strikes at the Isfahan complex contained either no nuclear material or low levels of enriched uranium.

The IAEA said six buildings were hit, along with four that had been previously targeted. One of the buildings attacked was a fuel rod production facility.

UPDATE 1030 GMT:

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Paris learned of the US strikes with “concern”.

France “did not take part in these strikes or the planning of them,” he stressed. It urged “restraint from all parties to avoid any escalation that could lead to an escalation of the conflict”.

UPDATE 0931 GMT:

Speaking after meetings with officials in Turkey, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has restated his condemnation of US attacks supporting a “genocidal” Israel.

He emphasized Iran’s diplomatic responses, including appeals to the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Asked if negotiations can resumed, Araqchi said he is still in touch with Tehran about damage to nuclear facilities but said any assault is a “violation of international law” and “should be condemned”. He emphasized that officials across the region, to whom he has spoken, are all deeply concerned by the strikes.

“The door to diplomacy should always be open, but this is not the case right now”, Araqchi said.

He declared that Iran had the right to respond with measures for its “self-defense”: “Wait for our response first. When aggression ends, then we can decide.”

The Foreign Minister will meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.

UPDATE 0915 GMT:

“Senior Iranian sources” say most of the highly enriched uranium, including 60% stock. at the Fordoo site was moved out of the complex before the US attack.

The number of staff at the underground facility was also reduced to a minimum.

UPDATE 0859 GMT:

Iranian Foreign MInister Abbas Araqchi has chided UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Union officials over their failure to condemn the US strikes.

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.

What conclusion would you draw?

To Britain and the EU High Rep, it is Iran which must “return” to the table. But how can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?

UPDATE 0856 GMT:

European Union foreign policy head Kaja Kallas has joined UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in implicit acceptance of US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security. I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation. EU Foreign Ministers will discuss the situation tomorrow.

In contrast, European Council President António Costa joined the expressions of deep concern, without giving any endorsement of the attacks:

UPDATE 0756 GMT:

The toll from Iranian strikes across Israel this morning has risen to 86 wounded, most of them with light injuries. Two people are in “moderate” condition.

At least 15 were injured when a building collapsed in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan.

Iran State TV declared that the Khorramshahr-4 missile, with the heaviest payload in Tehran’s arsenal, was used for the first time.

Iran says the missile has a 2,000-km (1,240-mile) range with a 1,500-kg (3,300-pound) warhead.

The Israeli Air Force says it bombed two Iranian F-5 fighter jets and destroyed eight ballistic missile launchers in western Iran.

UPDATE 0755 GMT:

Saudi Arabia has reacted to the US strikes:

Oman said the US targeting of Iran is a violation of internatioal law which threatens to “widen the war”. Qatar said it “deplores deterioration” and “dangerous tensions” with the US attacks leading to “catastrophic repercussions” in the region and around the world.

The UAE warned countries to “avoid serious repercussions” in the region, given the risk of “new levels of instability”.

UPDATE 0716 GMT:

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has supported the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites:

Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.

The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.

The Australian Government took a more cautious line:

We have been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security.

We note the US President’s statement that now is the time for peace. The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.

Iran has asked the UN Security Council to condemn the strikes, in a letter to Secretary General António Guterres and Council President Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

In light of the grave and far-reaching consequences of the United States’ savage and criminal actions for international peace and security, the Islamic Republic of Iran urgently requests the security council to convene an emergency meeting without delay to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms, and to take all necessary measures under its charter-mandated responsibilities that the perpetrator of such heinous crimes is held fully accountable and does not go unpunished.

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, has written to the International Atomic Energy Agency asking for an investigation into the “illegal action”.

Eslami chided that IAEA head Rafael Grossi should stop his “inaction”, condemn US strikes, and take “appropriate” measures.

UPDATE 0659 GMT:

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said in a statement:

The world must not forget that it was the United States — during an ongoing diplomatic process — that 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 US has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to resist with full force against US military aggression and the crimes committed by this rogue regime, and to defend Iran’s security and national interests.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Donald Trump has joined Israel’s war on Iran with the US bombing of three nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.

Trump broke the news on his Truth Social platform on Saturday evening, tweeting about a “very successful attack” on three nuclear sites: Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordoo, buried deep inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom.

He said all US B-2 bombers had left Iranian airspace and concluded in Orwellian fashion, “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”

Trump then addressed the nation on television from the White House, proclaiming:

Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.

Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.

He warned Iran’s leader against retaliation, asserting:

There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.

He later told Reuters that Iran should “make peace immediately. Otherwise they’ll get hit again”.

Trump: Netanyahu and I “Worked As A Team”

Trump proclaimed that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he spoke after the strikes, “worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before”.

“We’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel,” he effused.

Netanyahu expressed his gratitude in a video statement, “Congratulations, President Trump, your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”

Iran State media acknowledged attacks on Fordoo and Isfahan. The Iran Atomic Energy Agency said it would continue nuclear activities.

There was no immediate assessment of damage at the sites, but the International Atomic Energy Agency reported no increase in radiation.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran reserves all options to defend itself against attacks that were “outrageous” with “everlasting consequences”.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the strikes are a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge”:

At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.

Iran’s immediate response was to fire missiles on Israeli cities. Israeli emergency services have said around 10 sites were struck, including Tel Aviv, Carmel, and Haifa. Some buildings in Tel Aviv were destroyed.

At least 20 people were injured, most lightly. Rescuers are continued to search sites.

Iran’s armed forces say they targeted sites such as Ben Gurion Airport, a “biological research center”, logistics bases, and layers of command and control centers. There has been no confirmation of the claims.

Israel in turn attacked missile launchers in western Iran on Sunday morning.