What we know about US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities
ReutersUS President Donald Trump said that American warplanes bombed three nuclear fields in Iran and a significant rise in the ongoing war between Iran and Israel.
“Remember, many targets remained. Tonight of all of them, and perhaps the most deadly.” He said.
“But if peace comes quickly, we will go to other goals with sensitive, speed and skill.”
One of the goals was Fordo, a uranium enrichment facility hidden in a remote mountain, which was vital for Iran’s nuclear ambitions. We do not know the exact scale of the damage in the facility.
Israeli officials say they are in “full coordination” in planning these strikes with the US.
According to US officials speaking with the BBC’s US partner CBS News, the United States contacted Iran to say that air strikes are the only one aimed at doing and “regime change efforts are not planned”.
Iran can respond by targeting US military assets in the region. Authorities had previously warned that the US attack was facing a regional risk of war and that they would retaliate.
Here is a breakdown of what we know so far.
How did this begin?
On June 13, Israel launched a surprise attack on the dozens of Iranian nuclear and military target. He said his ambition was to dismantle the nuclear program that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he could soon produce a nuclear bomb.
Iran insists that their nuclear ambitions are peaceful. In retaliation, Tehran launched hundreds of rockets and drones in Israel. The two countries have continued to exchange strikes in an air war that lasted more than a week since then.
Trump for a long time Iran said he was against a nuclear weapon. Israel is believed to have them, but it does not confirm it or does not reject it.
In March, US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said that Iran was an assessment that Trump said that it was “wrong” in the near future, although Iran has raised its uranium stock to unprecedented levels.
In the campaign, Trump criticized US administrations for dealing with “stupid eternal wars” in the Middle East, and promised to keep America away from foreign conflicts.
The United States and Iran held nuclear talks during Israel’s surprise attack. Only two days ago, Trump said he would give two weeks to enter important negotiations before hitting Iran – but this timeline was much shorter.
What did the US bomb and which weapons used?
The United States says it hit three nuclear areas in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
Fordo is hidden on the edge of a mountain to the south of Tehran and is believed to be deeper than the channel tunnel connecting England and France.
Fordo’s depth under the surface of the world made it difficult to reach Israel’s weapons. Only the US was thought to have a strong and large enough “Bunker Buster” bomb to destroy Fordo.
This American bomb is called the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). According to experts, it weighs 13,000 kg (30,000 lb) and can penetrate approximately 18m concrete or 61m Earth before the explosion.
Fordo tunnels are thought to be below 80m to 90m to 90m, so it is not guaranteed that the mat will be successful, but the only bomb that may approach.
US officials confirmed that the CBS was used in strikes and hit two of each target.
What is its impact on the place in Iran?
It is not clear what damage the US attack on nuclear facilities or whether there is any injury or loss.
Iranian state publisher Hassan Abedini’s Deputy Political Director, Iran, said that Iran has evacuated these three nuclear sites “some time ago”.
Iran, which appears on the television operated by the state, said that “materials have not had a big blow because of the already removed.”
Trump, “nuclear enrichment facilities completely and completely destroyed” said Trump on television address.
However, a former US Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt, who spoke at the BBC news channel, was much more cautious for the US Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for political-military works.
“There is no way to claim that it has always been destroyed,” he said.
Iran said that more than 200 people have been killed and more than 1,200 injured since the last tour of Israel began.
In the meantime, Israel increases security after the US attacks on Iran’s key nuclear areas.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that Israel tightens public security restrictions throughout the country (IDF).
The upgrade, including “forbidden on educational activities, meetings and workplaces”, comes after the US hit Iran.
How can Iran make retaliation?
Experts say that Iran has significantly weakened from Israel’s attacks on military bases and that the dismantling of regional deputies in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Syria and Gaza (Hamas) in Lebanon (Hamas) is significantly weakened. However, Iran can still cause significant damage.
Iranian authorities warned the United States against being involved by saying that it would receive “irreparable damage” and take the risk of “all war” in the region.
He threatened to target the US base in the region in retaliation. USA, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, including at least 19 regions in the Middle East operates military areas.
Among the most prominent goals for Iran is the US Navy’s 5th Fleet Headquarters in Mina Salman in Bahrain.
In addition, it can also target a critical transport path that connects the Gulf of Iran to the Indian Ocean and known as the Hormuz Strait, where 30% of the world’s oil supply is carried. It can also attack other maritime routes that destabilize global markets.
Iran can also target the existence of nearby countries in which it perceives to help the United States, which is at risk of pouring the war into the entire region.
Does Trump get approval from the Congress to send the US to the war?
According to US laws, the President does not have the authority to officially declare war in another country. Only the Congress – MPs elected in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
However, the law also states that the President is the commander of the Chief of Armed Forces. This means that he can deploy US troops and carry out military operations without an official declaration of war.
For example, Trump’s decision to make air strikes in Syria against the Assad government in 2017 did not require Congress approval. Instead, Trump acted unilaterally by referring to national security and human reasons.
Some deputies on both sides of the corridor have recently tried to limit Trump’s ability to order strikes to Iran by forcing the decision of war forces through the congress, but it may take weeks before an official vote, and such measures are more symbolic than the principle.
