US attacks Iran as it happened: Albanese government supports Iranian nuclear facility bombings; Trump threatens regime change, promises to ‘Make Iran Great Again’

Thank you for joining us today as we covered the rapidly developing conflict between Israel and Iran.

We’ll be back tomorrow morning with more live coverage as the two countries trade missile strikes in warfare that shows no signs of easing.

Here’s a quick overview of the latest developments:

• Iran’s ambassador to Australia has warned that blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz oil and gas route and attacks on US military bases were on the table. Iran said US bombing of its nuclear facilities gave it a “free hand” to retaliate, as America urged Tehran to return to the negotiating table.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia supported the US strikes on Iran to prevent the development of a nuclear weapon, but refused to share details about whether Australia provided the US with military or intelligence support beforehand.
• US President Donald Trump insisted Iran’s nuclear assets were obliterated after conflicting messages from his administration and the military in the aftermath of the US strikes.
• The UN nuclear watchdog was anticipating extensive damage to the Fordow nuclear site from the US strikes, before Iranian media reported the uranium enrichment site was targeted again.
• Iran and Israel traded barrages of missile fire, as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military was attacking Tehran with “unprecedented intensity”. Large explosions were heard in Iran’s capital, and Israelis were warned to take shelter.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that the US aggression against Iran was groundless as the pair met in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that the US aggression against Iran was groundless as the pair met in Moscow.

“The absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran has no basis and no justification,” Putin told Araghchi in televised comments.

Putin has said he wants to support Iran.Credit: AP

“For our part, we are making efforts to assist the Iranian people,” he said. “I am very glad that you are in Moscow today, this will give us the opportunity to discuss all these pressing issues and think together about how we could get out of today’s situation.”

Araghchi told Putin that Iran was conducting legitimate self-defence, and thanked Russia for condemning the US. He added: “Russia is today on the right side of history and international law.”

Reuters

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the military is attacking Tehran targets with “unprecedented intensity”.

Israel’s Defence Ministry said it hit targets including the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian capital and the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards in the latest wave of strikes.

Israel Katz said the military was attacking with “unprecedented intensity”.Credit: AP

“The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” the ministry said.

Iranian state television confirmed one Israeli strike hit the gate of Evin Prison. The report shared what appeared to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike.

Evin Prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.

Evin also has specialised units for political prisoners and those with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both US and European Union sanctions.

An Israeli military spokesperson warned the Iranian attacks on Israel “are not behind us”, and claimed the airforce has hit every Iranian base from which missiles have been launched.

The spokesperson added the Israeli military chief is in regular contact with his US counterpart.

With AP, Reuters

A Kremlin spokesman has told reporters President Donald Trump did not give detailed strike information to Russian President Vladimir Putin in advance, though they had discussed the possibility of US military involvement more generally.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had offered its services as a mediator between Iran and the US, and what happened next would depend on what Iran needed. He said the fate of a nation’s leadership should be up to the people, referring to Trump’s earlier comments about wanting to usher in a regime change in Iran.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pictured in 2023.Credit: AP

He said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi could share Tehran’s proposals in his upcoming meeting with Putin today in Moscow, where it is approaching 1pm.

Peskov condemned the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which he said had increased the participants embroiled in the conflict and ushered in a new spiral of escalation.

Before the US strike, Moscow had warned that US military intervention could destabilise the entire region and plunge it into the “abyss”. Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January, although it did not include a mutual defence clause.

With Reuters

Just as we report the UN nuclear watchdog was anticipating extensive damage to the Fordow nuclear site from the US strike, Iranian media is reporting the uranium enrichment site has been hit again in the latest wave of Israeli strikes.

Reports offered no word on the extent of any damage.

Local media says electricity has been cut in northern Tehran following the strikes, and the Red Crescent Society says a missile hit near its building.

Meanwhile in Israel, electricity supply has been disrupted in the south after Iranian strikes damaged a strategic infrastructure facility, according to Israeli media.

With AP, Reuters

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog says “very heavy damage” is expected at Iran’s underground facility at Fordow after the US airstrike with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs.

“Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said in Vienna.

He added that “at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow”.

AP

Israel has quickly retaliated after a sustained barrage of missile fire from Iran, some of which made impact.

Iranian media is reporting large explosions have been heard in Tehran.

The Israeli Air Force said on X it was attacking military targets in the capital.

Iran’s ambassador to Australia has warned US military bases could be targeted following Donald Trump’s “act of animosity” towards Iran.

Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi said the attacks disproved Trump’s claim he was a man of peace and they would have consequences, speaking in an interview with Channel Nine in Canberra.

When asked if that meant the targeting of US military and the closure of key shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, Sadeghi said Iran would do “whatever necessary”.

“Islamic countries all around the world would consider this act of animosity, and they won’t be silent,” he said.

He denied Iran was enriching uranium to a weapons-grade level, and added his nation was friendly towards Australia.

We reported earlier Israelis in the north of the country were being warned to take shelter as missiles were launched from Iran.

The Times of Israel is reporting the assault has widened to include central and southern Israel in one of the longest Iranian attacks of the war, and that medics are responding to a ballistic missile strike in the Ashdod area in the south, though there are no reported injuries at this stage.

Missiles have been seen flying over Jerusalem, and loud thuds were heard to the south of capital, according to Reuters.

Iran is considering suspending its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, presidium member in Iran’s parliament Ruhollah Motefakerzadeh has said, according to state media.

Iranian media also reported Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf saying: “We in the parliament are seeking to pass a bill that would suspend Iran’s cooperation with the [International Atomic Energy Agency] until we have objective guarantees of the professional behaviour of this international organisation.”

Qalibaf added Tehran was not looking to develop nuclear weapons.

“The world clearly saw that the Atomic Energy Agency has not fulfilled any of its obligations and has become a political tool,” he said.

Reuters