Why are the US and Israel attacking Iran? What we know so far
"The US and Israel have bombed multiple Iranian cities, including capital Tehran. Iran hits back, launching missiles at Israel, and US bases.
The United States and Israel have struck multiple locations across Iran, including the capital, Tehran, in what US President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations”.
The attacks come amid negotiations between the US and Iran over the latter’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes, after weeks of mounting threats from Trump – and eight months after the US and Israel waged a 12-day war against Iran.
Iran has struck back with missiles aimed at northern Israel and at US military bases in the Middle East. Details of casualties and damage in Iran and Israel are sparse at the moment.
Here’s what we know so far:
What happened in Iran?
At about 9:27am (06:27 GMT), Iran’s Fars news agency reported a series of explosions in the capital, Tehran.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in western Tehran said he heard two explosions, while videos shared on social media showed smoke rising from several parts of the city.
Israel first announced that it had launched missile strikes on targets inside Iran.
A US official told Al Jazeera that the strikes were carried out as part of a joint military operation with Israel. In recent weeks, Washington has assembled a large fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region, its most significant military buildup there since the Iraq War.
Trump described the operation as “massive and ongoing”.
The US Department of Defense later said the mission was named “Operation Epic Fury”, in the first public statement from the US military since the start of the joint US-Israeli attack.
Where in Iran have the US and Israel attacked?
Several missiles struck University Street and the Jomhouri area in Tehran, and close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters, Fars reported.
The Associated Press news agency reported that a strike in Iran’s capital happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that explosions also occurred in Tehran’s northern Seyyed Khandan area.
Explosions have also been reported in the cities of Kermanshah, Qom, Tabriz, Isfahan, Ilam and Karaj, as well as in Lorestan province, according to local media.
What did Trump say?
While announcing “major combat operations”, Trump said the aim of the US campaign was to “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground”.
“We are going to annihilate their navy,” Trump added.
Here are the key points of his message:
- The US has begun major combat operations in Iran, describing them as “massive and ongoing”.
- The stated aim is to eliminate what Washington calls imminent threats from the Iranian government.
Trump said the campaign’s military objectives include:
- Destroying Iran’s missile capabilities.
- Target Iran’s navy.
- Disrupting Iran-backed armed groups in the region.
- Making sure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
He also laid out a warning-cum-offer to Iran’s military personnel. If they laid down their weapons, Trump said, he would ensure they had amnesty. But if they did not, he warned, they would face “certain death”. He acknowledged US forces could face casualties.
Reuters quoted a US official as saying that the Trump administration was planning a “multiday operation”.
The US president’s comments suggest that Trump was setting “the table for a revolution in Iran” — 73 years after the CIA orchestrated a coup against democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reported from Washington.
“They’ve done it before. This time, they’re doing it with weapons and bombs rather than covertly through the CIA,” Fisher said. “It’s clear that this is going to be a continuous military operation, with Donald Trump accepting the fact that there may be casualties.”
How are the US and Israel justifying their attack on Iran?
US and Israeli attacks on Iran follow years of confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear programme and regional influence.
The two allies have long claimed that Iran’s advancing enrichment activities and missile capabilities pose a threat to them, and they have repeatedly warned that they could use force against Tehran. Iran has publicly committed — repeatedly — that it has no intention of building a nuclear bomb. Israel is the only Middle Eastern nation to have nuclear weapons.
In June last year, Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear and military sites, assassinating several senior commanders.
The current escalation began after Omani mediators announced progress in Geneva negotiations, where Iran had reportedly agreed to zero uranium stockpiling and full verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Both the US and Israel have also argued that this is an opportunity for Iranians to “take over” the government.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations,” Trump said.
What is Iran’s response?
Iran retaliated by first launching missiles towards Israel, according to the Israeli military. Air-raid sirens sounded in several parts of the country, and explosions were reported in northern Israel.
“The public is requested to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command,” Israel’s military said in a statement. “At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat.”
But soon after, Iranian forces launched missiles at several locations linked to US military operations across the region, including:
- Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.
- Al-Salem airbase in Kuwait.
- Al-Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates.
- The US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
- Explosions were also heard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- US bases were also reportedly attacked in Jordan
Earlier, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, threatened a “crushing” response. “We warned you!” Azizi wrote on social media. “Now you have started down a path whose end is no longer in your control.”
What did Israel’s Netanyahu say?
In a statement, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military operation “will continue as long as necessary.” He said the Israeli operation was called “Lion’s Roar”.
Where are Iran’s leaders?
It is not immediately clear where the 86-year-old Khamenei is. He hasn’t been seen publicly in days as tensions with the United States have grown.
Roads to Khamenei’s compound in downtown Tehran were shut down by authorities as blasts rang out across the capital.
Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted a source in the presidential office as saying that President Masoud Pezeshkian was unharmed.
How has the world reacted?
- Oman: Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said that active and serious negotiations mediated by his country between Iran and the US were “yet again undermined” amid the ongoing escalation, and urged the US “not to get sucked in further”.
- Qatar condemned the Iranian attack, describing it as “a flagrant violation of its national sovereignty,” while adding that the country reserves the right of response in according with international law.
- The United Arab Emirates condemned the Iranian missile attacks that reportedly killed a Pakistani national earlier, warning of “grave consequences” if such violations continue.
- European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the situation as “perilous” and called for civilians to be protected and international law to be upheld.
- French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran carries “grave consequences for international peace and security”, adding, “The current escalation is dangerous for everyone. It must stop.”
- In Russia, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev criticised Trump, accusing Washington of using negotiations with Iran as a “cover operation” and questioning how the confrontation would unfold in the long term.
- The UK said that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and stood ready to defend its interests.
- Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said the country supports US efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and from further threatening international peace and security."
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