The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has said it fired missiles at nuclear and military facilities in Iran.
It comes amid international discussion about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, including negotiations with the U.S. to limit its activities.
Iranian state media reports the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a military force alongside its army, has been killed.
Israel is in a state of emergency, with residents warned to prepare for retaliation. Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel will face a “harsh response”.
Background
The relationship between Israel and Iran has been hostile since Iran’s revolution in 1979, which led to it becoming the first Islamic Republic.
Iran financially and militarily supports Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, among others. All three groups are designated as terrorist organisations by Australia.
Iran and Israel directly attacked each other for the first time last year.
Iranian leadership have said their goal is to destroy Israel.
Nuclear warnings
On Thursday, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog issued an official warning that Iran is “not complying with its obligations” under international law.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran has “repeatedly been unable to explain and demonstrate that its nuclear material was not being diverted for... military use”.
Under a 2015 treaty, Iran is required to keep its nuclear developments “exclusively peaceful” — limited to energy, not weapons. The U.S. was originally part of this treaty but withdrew during Trump’s first term.
U.S.
Since returning to power, Trump has been committed to signing a new deal with Iran to limit its nuclear capabilities.
He has imposed sanctions on the country to pressure it to negotiate.
Iran’s official policy is that they are not pursuing a nuclear bomb, and nuclear research is solely for civilian purposes.
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A sixth round of negotiations was due to take place on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been opposed to Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Yesterday, Trump told reporters he was concerned Israel would strike Iran, saying it would “blow” the U.S’ negotiations and ignite a “massive conflict”.
Today, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his nation was “not involved” in the strikes but that they were “necessary for [Israel’s] self-defence”.
Impact
The Associated Press reports Israel has struck the headquarters of the IRGC.
Iranian state media reports the IRGC’s commander has been killed, as well as nuclear scientists.
Vision broadcast by international outlets shows damaged apartment buildings in Tehran.
The New York Times reports Israel struck the homes of military commanders, and military bases.
Israel is under a state of emergency, with residents told to limit any non-essential activities.
In a post to its official Telegram channel, an IDF spokesperson said: “Civilians of Israel, I can’t promise absolute success — The Iranian regime will attempt to attack us in response, the expected toll will be different to what we are used to.”
In a video statement, Netanyahu said: “This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
The IAEA has said it is “monitoring the situation in Iran,” particularly with regard to nuclear radiation.
It said Israel had hit a facility in the city of Natanz. The independent Nuclear Threat Initiative says the Natanz facility is used to “enrich” uranium, a radioactive mineral, so it can be used in weapons.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has previously warned that if an Iranian enrichment facility was “struck by explosive weapons, this would cause radioactive contamination and a health risk to people in the area”.
