Israel expands its strikes on Iran
“It is time for something”: Defense Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. Air Force and the Mideast Envoy Steven Witkoff
Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a video statement posted on social media that the attack was struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear program and will continue for as many days as it takes.
Iran is just buying time, it isn’t agreeing with the basic requirement of peaceful nations. That is why we have no choice but to act and act now,” Netanyahu said.
Following Israel’s initial attacks, the country said its air force conducted “a large-scale strike” against Iranian air defenses in the west of Iran. The strikes destroyed dozens of radars.
Just hours before the news came, President Trump warned of an attack on Iran. “It looks like it’s something that could very well happen. Look, it’s very simple, not complicated. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Other than that, I want them to be successful. I want them to be tremendous. We’ll help them be successful,” said Trump, who had warned that it U.S talks with Iran failed to curb its nuclear program, a military option was on the table. His Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff had been due to meet Iranian negotiators in Oman on Sunday
Israeli Air Force Attacks on Iran’s Nuclear Sites: Implications for a Nuclear Facilities in the Middle East and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards
mosques in Jordan were telling people to seek shelter when air raid sirens sounded. The government of Jordan, which neighbors Israel, said it had intercepted several missiles and drones overflying the country Friday morning.
There were many reports from Tehran that there had been loud explosions. Iranian state TV has reported that Israel has struck the Revolutionary Guards’ headquarters in Tehran, killing the Commander Hossein Salami. The Revolutionary Guards are a powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces, wielding significant political and military influence.
An Israeli military official has told NPR that Israel had carried out a number of air strikes in Iran. The official said the Israeli air force was targeting the country’s nuclear sites, accusing Tehran of running a secret program to build a nuclear bomb.
“Unless the Israelis can keep bombing them indefinitely,” he says, “they will always have the ability to technically reconstitute the program if they make a decision to do so.”
Lewis says he wonders whether military force can truly eliminate Iran’s nuclear program. He says that no one facility or scientist has the ability to bring the nuclear enterprise in Iran to an end.
There wasn’t evidence that Israel had struck the tunnels under the mountain. Iran was said to be digging tunnels for a more fortified facility. In the past few days, it has said that it would accelerate the development of a third site.
They failed to find a way to destroy the underground centrifuges, which are likely to disrupt operations at the plant.
Satellite images from the company showed the damage to buildings at the Natanz site. The images also showed damage to support equipment, including an electrical substation and buildings that may provide power and access to the underground structures at the site.
The first wave of attacks on Iran appeared to have had limited damage according to an analysis of satellite imagery done by a professor at the Institute of International Studies.
Nuclear Enrichment with Atomic Nuclei: Iran’s Natanz Facility, a Threat to Nuclear Nonproliferation, Revisited
It’s unclear how quickly that material could practically be converted into bombs. During the enrichment process, the uranium is stored as a gas. It must be separated and converted into metal, which in turn must be fashioned into components for a nuclear device. Iran had a covert program to research such a weapon in the early 2000s, but it has never built a nuclear weapon before, and has said publicly it has no intentions to pursue one.
The Natanz facility has been at the center of Iran’s nuclear program for decades. According to the IAEA, which has been monitoring activities at the site for the past several years, Iran has recently been using thousands of centrifuges to enrich uranium to 60%, far above the levels normally used in civilian nuclear reactors. Iran has a large amount of highly enriched material that could be enough to build around 10 nuclear weapons, according to the agency.
“I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances,” Grossi said during a meeting of the agency’s board of governors.
In a statement, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that the attack at the Natanz plant caused damage but that no radioactive or chemical contamination had leaked outside the site.
Air traffic was stopped in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran because of the risks associated with missiles.
Iran has been found in violation of non-proliferation agreements by the IAEA. Iran says its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful purposes.