Israel Attacks Tehran
What Happened?
On June 13 at 03.30 local time an explosion was heard in Tehran as the Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes targeting at least six military bases around Tehran, the Home of the Iranian military commander, and multiple residential buildings that might contain nuclear scientists.
Explosions have also been heard in Natanz, Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility, Tabriz, where explosions were reported near a nuclear research center and missile bases, and Iranian cities like Isafahan, Arak, and Kermanshah, which house military and industrial complexes.
The Israeli strike has also killed Hossein Salami – the Chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, Amir Ali Hajizadeh – the Commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Bagheri – Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Esmail Qaani – Commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Fereydoon Abbasi – Former head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohammad Tehranchi – Iranian nuclear scientist.
Why did Israel attack Tehran?
The official statement from the Israeli official stated that the attack was a “pre-emptive attack” and that they were acting “in response to the Iranian regime’s ongoing aggression against Israel,” suggesting there would be more strikes coming to Iran.
Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes and denies any nuclear weapons program. However, US intelligence showed that Iran had a covert nuclear weapon program, under the codename “AMAD Project” in the late 1980s and 1990s, which was stopped in 2003. US assessments concluded that Iran was not pursuing the nuclear weapon program anymore because Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, had not authorized any continuation of the program. Tense began in April after the US set a two-month deadline for Iran to reach an agreement, which expired just one day before Israel launched its attack on Iran on 12 June. Later on the same day, the boards of the IAEA declared Iran non-compliant with its nuclear obligations for the first time since 2005.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 13 June announced the launch of “Operation Rising Lion”, a military campaign that targets Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility, Iran’s nuclear scientists, and Iran’s ballistic missile program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his official video statement, has called Iran’s nuclear program “a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival”. One of the Israeli military officials who briefed the reporters on the conditions of the attack said that Iran has been running a secret nuclear program to make nuclear weapons, and according to the intelligence, Iran has enough material to create 15 nuclear bombs in days.
Was the US involved?
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated in his official statement that the US was not “involved in strikes against Iran”. He also warned of any attack from Iran on the US forces in the region as a form of retaliation.
However, Tehran has viewed that the US must have been involved in the attack, as the Iranian Foreign Minister said on Friday that “ The attack could not have happened without coordination and authorization from the United States”.
The Strikes from Israel happened after a month of disagreement between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu on how they should handle Iran. President Trump has stated that Iran has brought the attack on itself as they have rejected the US ultimatum in US-Iran nuclear talks to restrict its nuclear programme. A Trump post from Truth Social media stated that “Two months ago, I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to make a deal, but they should have done it! Today is day 61… Now they have perhaps a second chance!”
Tehran’s response.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said that Israel “should anticipate a harsh punishment “ in return for the attack. Later in the same day, Iran launched “Operation True Promise III.” This attack started with Iran launching 100 Shahed drones. At 9 p.m. IDT, Israeli citizens were alerted of the incoming missile attack minutes before it hit. Despite being intercepted over Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, this barrage still managed to hit Tel Aviv, injuring at least 63 Israeli citizens, with one death. The intercepted debris also injured civilians in Irbid, Jordan.
On June 14, Israel bombed Tehran with an explosion heard at the Tehran Mehrabad Airport. Later in the evening, Israel continued to attack military targets in Tehran, which include Iranian oil depots. The attack cut off power to Iranian neighborhoods and damaged the Iranian defense ministry building. In retaliation for this attack, Iran launched a dozen missiles at Israel’s major cities. Later in the night, Iran launched another missile barrage that targeted northern Israel, which injured 23 people and killed 5. The attack also damaged the Israeli oil refinery, where a fire broke out at the BAZAN oil refinery in Haifa.
On June 15, the conflict escalated further after Iran and the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at Israel that hit Bat Yam, Rehovot, Tel Aviv, and other major Israeli cities. In Bat Yam, the missile damaged 61 buildings, killed 9 civilians, and injured 200. In Rehovot, an Iranian missile damaged the Weizmann Institute. Later in the same day, Iran launched another missile barrage that targeted northern cities like Haifa and Caesarea, which is close to Netanyahu’s residence.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has also stated that it would not “hesitate to defend Iran’s sovereignty with full strength and in the manner they deem appropriate”. And despite the threat from the US, he also stated that the “US government, as the primary patron of this regime, will also bear responsibility”.
US attack on Iran
On 22 June, the US struck the Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan using B-2 bombers and Tomahawk Missiles under the codename “Operation Midnight Hammer”. Following this, the US President Donald Trump said that the sites were “totally obliterated”. In response to the US attacks, the Iranian government said that only the exit and entry tunnels were damaged and destroyed, but the site at Fordow was not seriously damaged. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi admitted that the US attack has resulted in severe damage to the nuclear sites.
The Pentagon has concluded that the US attack has set Iranian nuclear development back by one or two years, despite the initial US intelligence assessment that indicated that it only delayed it for a few months. In the released satellite image of the Fordow facility that the Associated Press released, there was noticeable damage to the facility entrance and many large holes and craters that were created by US GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs).
Before the Strikes, satellite images show multiple trucks and heavy machinery gathering at the sites, which suggests a move of Iran’s nuclear material. This is also later confirmed by a Senior Iranian source who told Reuters that “most of the highly enriched uranium stored at the Fordow nuclear facility was moved to an undisclosed location”. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also said that there was no radiation detected from the nuclear strikes following the US attacks.
Iran attacks a US base in Qatar.
In retaliation for the US strikes, Iran launched a retaliatory missile attack at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. This base is home to the largest US military base in the region, while also housing the Qatari Emiri Air Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, and the air forces of other nations. Iran launched at least six missile strikes at the base, with an explosion heard in Doha. Later, in the evening, Qatar’s Defence Minister said that the missiles were intercepted and no casualties occurred. Prior to the attack, published satellite images show that the US is taking precautionary measures. From the image taken on June 5, nearly 40 aircraft, including C-130 Hercules and reconnaissance, can be seen parked on the tarmac. However, the image taken on June 19 only shows three aircraft. This was also later confirmed by the US official, who told Reuters that “aircraft that were not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid base.”
Qatar has denied any involvement in the US attack on Iran Nuclear Strikes, as all of the B-2 stealth bombers that were used in the Operation Midnight Hammer took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri at 00:01 EDT and none of the US bases in the Middle East are used in the US offensive on Iran. In the response to the attack, Qatar Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al-Ansari have said that “We express the State of Qatar’s strong condemnation of the attack on Al Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and consider it a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law,”.
Peace in the Middle East?
Later in the Same day at 6.02 p.m. EDT, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the US has reached an agreement to a ceasefire with Iran on the “12 Day War” and would be fully executed on 25 June. However, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, has denied the agreement, saying that there was no ceasefire proposal that Iran had agreed to. Abbas also said that Iran would cease its military action if Israel also ceases its hostilities to Iran “no later than 4 a.m. Tehran time”.
Despite this, further missile exchanges still occurred between Israel and Iran at 6.45 a.m. At Tehran time, the Iranian air defense system was activated while Iran fired missiles at Israel, Beer Sheva at 7.07 a.m. Later, Trump announced that a ceasefire had been agreed upon and urged both parties to honor it. Though the ceasefire began with tension and a breach from Iran and Israel, it stayed on 25 June, with no further strikes being reported after 24 June, which is due to Trump’s direct engagement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Impact (International, Diplomacy, Iran, Israel)
The 12-day war between Iran and Israel has resulted in many regional and global consequences. After Israel launched its attack on Iran, Israel began to declare a state of maximum alert, close its airspace, mobilize thousands of its conscripts, and launch a mass evacuation for over 100,000 stranded citizens abroad. Iran’s retaliation missile attack on Israel has resulted in devastating damage to 36 key military and civilian infrastructure sites, which also includes a strike on the Weizmann Institute, which wiped out replaceable cancer and neuroscience research. The conflict has disrupted air travel and oil markets, with Airlines stopping flights over Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Jordan, while Oil prices spike by over 10%. Iran has also threatened to close the critical Strait of Hormuz, which would impact the global oil price and lead to an increase in oil costs. But Iran only threatened to close and never closed theStraitt.
Diplomatically, both nations have presented the conflict to the UN Security Council, with Iran declaring the attack as an act of war and Israel as self-defense toward Iran’s unchallenged nuclear program. U.S.-ceasefire negotiations have also been facilitated by Qatar and Oman, which resulted in a ceasefire agreement on June 24. The war also features cyber warfare, with hackers linked to Israel reported to have stolen millions from Iranian banks and cryptocurrency exchanges while simultaneously sabotaging Iran’s infrastructure. Iran has responded with nationwide internet shutdowns and restrictions to apps like WhatsApp, although Elon Musk has tried to use Starlink to restore civilian internet access.
The conflict has resulted in damage to Iran’s nuclear program, with key enrichment sites like Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan heavily damaged, despite Iran’s relocation of significant portions of its enriched uranium stockpiles. US and Israeli intelligence have estimated that the program was delayed by months. Tension has also escalated after Iran’s parliament voted to leave and sever cooperation with the IAEA, which halts inspections and international oversight of Iran’s nuclear facilities. On July 2, Iranian President Masoud Pazeshikan formalized the decision, which drew much criticism from Israel, and called on European nations to impose sanctions on Iran.
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