US destroys Iran nuclear sites, fears Middle East war will escalate

Donald Trump has threatened further attacks on Iran if it strikes back against the US after he ­unleashed his country’s most powerful conventional weapons to destroy the rogue state’s nuclear program.

Donald Trump in the White House Situation Room during the attack, and the Fordow nuclear site in Iran, before and after the strikes.

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Donald Trump has threatened further attacks on Iran if it strikes back against the US after he ­unleashed his country’s most powerful conventional weapons to destroy the rogue state’s nuclear program, in a surprise attack that has sparked fears of spiralling ­escalation across the Middle East.

The US President said American air and submarine forces had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities with bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles, and vowed to hit further targets in the country ­unless Tehran made peace.

Iran responded by warning of “everlasting consequences” for what it described as “lawless and criminal” attacks, while claiming without evidence that the damage to its key Fordow nuclear facility was “quite superficial”.

In a 10pm AEST briefing on Sunday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Operation Midnight Hammer was bold and “brilliant”.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Picture: AP

“Many Presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran’s nuclear program. And none could until President Trump,” Mr Hegseth said.

General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ­revealed that 75 precision-guided weapons were used in the ­operation, which involved 125 US aircraft. A US Navy submarine in the Persian Gulf also fired two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Isfahan nuclear site, and 14 bunker-buster bombs were dropped on nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz.

He said an initial assessment indicated that all three sites sustained “severe damage and ­destruction”.

General Caine said he was ­“unaware of any shots fired at the US strike package” by Iranian forces during the bombing operation, which lasted 25 minutes.

Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong failed to ­endorse the military action by Australia’s closest ally, opting not to front the media on the strikes and calling instead through an ­unnamed government spokesman for “de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy”.

In a contrast, the opposition welcomed the US strikes as vital to preventing Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, and blasted the ­government’s response as “far too ambiguous”.

Britain was told in advance that the strikes would happen, but did not take part.

Fox News reported US B-2 stealth bombers dropped as many as six of the 13,000kg bunker ­busters, also known as Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, on the Fordow uranium enrichment site, starting at 2.10am local time.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” the President said in an address to the nation shortly after the strikes were revealed at 10am AEST. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.”

Airmen look at a GBU-57, or the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri. Picture: US Air Force via AP

Mr Trump, who came to office on a vow to get the US out of foreign wars, said there were “many targets left” and if Iran didn’t surrender, “we’ll go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill”. The US was on alert for ­retaliatory strikes by the regime and its proxy forces against its bases across the region late on Sunday after Iran launched about 30 missiles into Israel.

Buildings were hit in Tel Aviv, with emergency services reporting “large-scale destruction”, while damage was also reported in the northern port city of Haifa. The ­Israel Defence Forces said strikes had been launched on targets in western Iran following the US attack, taking out missile launchers aimed at the Jewish state.

Rescue workers and security forces work at the site of a direct missile strike launched from Iran in Tel Aviv. Picture: AP Photo/Oded Balilty

Financial markets watched on amid fears the conflict could drive oil prices above $US100 ($154) a barrel after an 18 per cent spike since Israel’s June 12 strikes to a current $US77 a barrel.

About 3800 Australians and family members have so far sought government help to get out of Iran and Israel. Two Australian ­Defence Force airlifters are in the ­region but the airspace over both countries is closed, limiting evacuations to land-border crossings.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s nine-day Operation Rising Lion had “done truly amazing things” to undermine Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but the US attacks were “truly unsurpassed”. “President Trump’s bold decision to target the Iranian nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the US will change history,” he said.

Mr Netanyahu said he and Mr Trump believed in “peace through strength”. “First comes strength, then comes peace,” he said. “Tonight President Trump and the US acted with a lot of strength.”

Iran said its nuclear sites were “peaceful” and the US would be “held fully responsible” for “this egregious act of aggression”.

“The events this morning are outrageous and will have ­everlasting consequences,” said Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas ­Araghchi.

“In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions ­allowing a legitimate response in self-defence, Iran reserves all ­options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”

Asked about the extent of the damage, Mr Araghchi said he “still does not have exact information about the level of damage”.

“But I don’t think it matters how much damage has been made; attacking a nuclear facility is an unforgivable violation of inter­national law and should be condemned.”

Other Iranian officials downplayed the impact of the strikes.

“Based on precise information, I am able to state that contrary to the claims of the lying President of the United States, the Fordow ­nuclear installation has not been seriously damaged,” said Iranian politician Manan Raeisi.

The US strikes came days after Mr Trump said he would give Tehran two weeks to abandon its ­nuclear program, suggesting the offer was a ploy to lower the ­regime’s guard and position US military assets for the strikes. In launching the attacks, the President defied hard-line isolationist elements of his MAGA base and those who believed he would back out at the last minute.

He said he had “worked as a team” with Israel “like perhaps no team has ever worked before”. “And we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to ­Israel,” Mr Trump added.

The Iranian regime requested an emergency sitting of the UN Security Council, saying the US strikes represented a “grave threat against regional and international peace and security”.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he was alarmed at the intensifying conflict in a region already on the edge. “There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said.

“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.”

The Albanese government ­issued a similar call through its spokesman, noting Mr Trump’s appeal for peace. “The security situation in the region is highly volatile,” the spokesman said. “We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

The statement followed a similar call by Defence Minister Richard Marles, who told Sky News Australia was “concerned about the prospect of escalation here and … that’s why we are exercising our voice internationally along with many other countries to de-escalate and to put an emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy”.

Acting opposition foreign ­affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie condemned the “ambiguous” ­response, saying Australia needed to support its “close ally” following its move to eliminate Tehran’s nuclear threat. “The United States has a key role in re-establishing order and peace in the Middle East,” Mr Hastie said.

“And Iran, by contrast, is a regime that sponsors terrorism. It sponsored Hamas, Hezbollah.”

Former prime minister Scott Morrison called for “clarity” from the government, saying the US had no other options.