Iranian nuclear program 'devastated'— US defense secretary – DW – 06/22/2025

DW

22-06-2025

US Secretary of Defense Hegseth called strikes on Iran that included 14 bunker-busting 30,000-pound bombs an "overwhelming success." Iran's top diplomat defended the country's right to "a legitimate response."US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday called military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities "an incredible and overwhelming success" that had "obliterated Iran's nuclear ambitions."
Hegseth said neither Iranian troops nor civilians had been targeted in the US operation.
Just hours after the airstrikes on Iran, Hegseth echoed President Trump, claiming the US "seeks peace." He went on to say, "We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened."
Hegseth praised Trump for the operation, which he said had been months in the making: "The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this president speaks, the world should listen."
Iranian media have reported "massive" blasts in the southern city of Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear reactor.
Iranian authorities have not yet reported any problem at the plant, which is operated with Russian assistance.
The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
China's Foreign Ministry has criticized the US attacks on Iran, saying they "escalate tensions in the Middle East" and go against the UN Charter.
Among other things, it said it condemned the targeting of nuclear facilities supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"China calls on all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease fire as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement.
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Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that the US attacks on nuclear sites were the result of an "irresponsible" decision that goes against international law.
"The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, whatever the arguments it may be presented with, flagrantly violates international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," the ministry said in a statement.
"We call for an end to aggression and for increased efforts to create conditions for returning the situation to a political and diplomatic track," the ministry said.
Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which host US military bases, have begun preparing for the possibility of military attacks in their countries after US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
Tehran previously pledged to target US military bases in the region in retaliation for any attacks.
Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, while Kuwait is home to several key US bases.
On Sunday, Bahrain's Interior Ministry advised drivers to avoid main roads, and nearly two-thirds of government employees were instructed to work from home.
"In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary, to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently," the Interior Ministry wrote on X.
Kuwait has set up numerous shelters in a sprawling ministerial complex.
Earlier this week, Bahraini authorities announced the activation of a national civil emergency plan and conducted air-raid siren testing across the country.
Middle East security analyst Giorgio Cafiero on Sunday told DW that there has been "a lot [of] talk about how Iran was going to retaliate against countries in the neighborhood that possibly played a role in facilitating the US strikes."
But Cafiero pointed out that the US bombs were not launched from any country in the region or flown through their airspace — delivered instead directly from the US via bomber and from a nearby submarine — which means Iran's neighbors might be spared.
"I don't think Iran would consider lashing out against a country in the region," Cafiero said.
Germany's ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, has reiterated calls for a hostage deal and an end to the war in Gaza following the return to Israel of the body of a German-Israeli killed and abducted in the Hamas-led militant attacks of October 7, 2023.
The dead hostage, Shay Levinson, a soldier, was just 19 years old when he was killed in the attack.
"I just spoke to his father; our hearts are with his family and all others waiting for their loved one's return," Seiffert wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"There must be a deal to get them out and end this war," he wrote.
Before becoming ambassador, Seibert, a former TV journalist, was the spokesman for the German government under Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Iran's foreign minister will travel to Moscow on Sunday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin the next day, he announced from Turkey.
"I'm going to Moscow this afternoon" and will hold "serious consultations with the Russian president tomorrow" morning, Abbas Araghchi said at a press conference in Istanbul on the sidelines of a summit for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has responded to calls from Britain and the EU to return to negotiations by saying Iran had never left them.
"Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy. What conclusion would you draw?," he wrote, in reference to Friday negotiations with the UK, France and Germany.
"To Britain and the EU High Rep, it is Iran which must 'return' to the table. But how can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?"
The Israeli military says it has recovered the remains of three hostages killed and abducted during the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
It identified them as Yonatan Samerano, 21, Ofra Keidar, 71, and Shay Levinson, 19, giving their ages at the time of their deaths.
The remains were discovered on Saturday in a coastal area of Gaza during a joint special operation by the military and the domestic intelligence service, Shin Bet, the Israeli army said.
The families of the dead hostages were informed after the remains were identified by forensic examination, the army reported.
During the attack, the militants killed 1,200, mostly civilians and abducted 251 people.
Hamas is still holding some 50 hostages, less than half of whom are believed to be still alive.
Israel's subsequent offensive on Gaza has so far killed over 55,000, according to figures provided by health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave, which the United Nations considers reliable.
Just hours after the US announced that it had attacked three nuclear sites in Iran, effectively joining Israel, digital alerts sounded in Israel, followed by air raid sirens warning of incoming missiles.
In a large underground car park in central Tel Aviv, many people had slept there overnight in small tents pitched on the fourth underground floor. Others made their way to the shelter from the neighborhood.
"I think we all waited for Trump to help us. I thought it would take more time, but here they are actually helping us now,' said Gabi, 32, who declined to give her last name. 'I feel safe here. I don't feel anxious, and we can't hear much down here."
However, he admitted that the conflict had now moved in an unknown direction. "You can see on people's faces that they are worried. But I hope this will bring about change for the people of Iran too."
Dakar Levi has also been sleeping in a small tent provided by Brothers in Arms, an organization that has set up the space as a shelter.
She feels that this conflict is much more destructive than previous ones with the militant group Hamas in Gaza or the Lebanese group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Some missiles have evaded Israel's defence shield and hit residential areas, leaving a trail of destruction.
"I think it was supposed to happen a long time ago, but I think our defence wasn't good enough to fight all those missiles. Now we have the defence, and this has to end. They have said for a long time that they want to destroy the Jewish state."
Levi hopes that the US joining Israel in attacking Iran might shorten the conflict. If not, she is prepared to stay for weeks to come.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday called a meeting of the government's security cabinet following the US attacks on Iran.
According to his spokesman, Stefan Kornelius, Merz also urged Iran "to immediately start negotiations with the US and Israel and come to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict."
Kornelius said the German government believed that "large parts of the Iranian nuclear program had been affected by the airstrikes," but added that a precise analysis of the damage would be possible later.
The US has bombed three of the Islamic Republic's key nuclear sites in Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, following Israeli strikes on Iran which have lasted for over a week, prompting a war between the two countries.
The attack on the underground fuel enrichment site at Fordo used so-called bunker-buster bombs that are designed to penetrate into the ground before detonating, US media reported. The US is the only country with military capability of dropping the weapon.
The US attacks came after a week of open conflict between Israel and Iran triggered by Israel's June 13 launching of attacks against Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that the Iranian facilities were "completely and fully obliterated" in the attacks, claims that have yet to be verified.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has confirmed the attacks, but insisted its nuclear program will not be stopped. The US, Israel and several other countries have often expressed fears that the Islamic Republic is developing nuclear weapons, though Tehran has always denied the accusations.
Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, said there were no immediate signs of radioactive leakage at the three locations following the strikes.
Iran launched several waves of missiles against Israel following the attacks.
There have been mixed reactions to the attacks from other countries, with several calling for a return to diplomacy rather than military action.
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has called on all sides in the US-Israel-Iran conflict to resume negotiations, while insisting that international security would be under threat if Iran developed a nuclear weapon.
Kallas, who is also a vice-president of the European Commission, said in her post on X, formerly Twitter, that the EU's foreign ministers would hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the current situation.
"Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security. I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation," she wrote.