Latest news with #USBombings
Al Bawaba
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Israel busts decade's largest Hamas network in West Bank
ALBAWABA — The Pentagon and FBI are working together to look into how a secret intelligence report about the recent U.S. bombings on Iranian nuclear sites got out without permission. The investigation came about because of rising debate over different stories about how well the plan worked. On Sunday night, President Donald Trump revealed that federal officials are looking into who shared the first report, which was first seen on CNN and questioned whether the strikes were successful. "Moving such heavy material is nearly impossible, and it hasn't happened," Trump said again when asked if Iran had moved its refined uranium before the attack. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, said that the sites that were attacked had "extensive damage," but he said that a full review of the damage would take more time. At the same time, the White House kept saying that the mission had been successful and that the leaked information was "low confidence" and "misleading." Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, was very angry at what she called "selective and unlawful leaks" in the news media. She was especially angry at CNN. According to her, government information shows that the action was "highly effective" at weakening Iran's nuclear powers. Because of the leak, the Biden government has reduced the amount of secret information that can be sent to Congress. A top White House source said that the secret information had been put on a safe private platform that was meant to help politicians and national security agencies work together. As part of its own study, the government is now looking again at who can access these kinds of tools. - الخلية العسكرية الأكثر تعقيدًا خلال العقد الأخير .. الشاباك يكشف عن خلية لحركة حمـاس في الخليل فائقة التعقيد - الخلية مكونة من 60 شخصًا موزعين على 10 خلايا صغيرة - الشاباك كشف عن مخبأ تحت الأرض كان يستخدم لإيواء المطاردين وتخزين الأسلحة - الخلية تعمل منذ زمن طويل فقد نفذ… — أحمد جرار (@j_jarar) June 29, 2025 As for the claim that Iran's supply of refined uranium had been moved before the attack, Leavitt said that intelligence reports had shown that no such activity had been seen at key sites like Fordow. Report that is being argued over casts doubt on the facts Reports say that the secret assessment went against what Trump said in public, which was that three nuclear sites had been "completely destroyed." The study instead said that the attacks might have only put off Iran's nuclear program for a few months. This story has sparked a public discussion and made people wonder about how open the U.S. intelligence community really is. The debate has made things even more tense between Iran and the US at a time when things are still trying to get back to normal after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
Al Bawaba
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Classified intel leak sparks US investigation into Iran strike
ALBAWABA — The Pentagon and FBI are working together to look into how a secret intelligence report about the recent U.S. bombings on Iranian nuclear sites got out without permission. The investigation came about because of rising debate over different stories about how well the plan worked. On Sunday night, President Donald Trump revealed that federal officials are looking into who shared the first report, which was first seen on CNN and questioned whether the strikes were successful. "Moving such heavy material is nearly impossible, and it hasn't happened," Trump said again when asked if Iran had moved its refined uranium before the attack. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, said that the sites that were attacked had "extensive damage," but he said that a full review of the damage would take more time. At the same time, the White House kept saying that the mission had been successful and that the leaked information was "low confidence" and "misleading." Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, was very angry at what she called "selective and unlawful leaks" in the news media. She was especially angry at CNN. According to her, government information shows that the action was "highly effective" at weakening Iran's nuclear powers. Because of the leak, the Biden government has reduced the amount of secret information that can be sent to Congress. A top White House source said that the secret information had been put on a safe private platform that was meant to help politicians and national security agencies work together. As part of its own study, the government is now looking again at who can access these kinds of tools. 🚨🇺🇸 WHITE HOUSE SLAMS BRAKES ON INTEL SHARING AFTER IRAN STRIKE LEAK The White House plans to tighten the screws on intelligence sharing with Congress after someone spilled early details about U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. Instead of posting everything on CAPNET - the…
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
BBC Verify Live: Analysing new images of Iran nuclear sites, and latest data on speeding drivers
Update: Date: 09:41 BST Title: New satellite images released of Iran's nuclear sites Content: This satellite image of the Isfahan facility taken on 24 June shows damage to the tunnel entrances, according to Maxar BBC Verify has received a new set of satellite images overnight showing Iran's nuclear sites at Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz. These were the sites targeted by the US military at the weekend using B-2 bombers and cruise missiles, and have also been targeted by Israeli air strikes. US President Donald Trump has insisted that the American attack left the facilities 'completely destroyed'. High resolution satellite images released by Maxar Technologies show damage to buildings both under and above ground and their access roads and tunnels. Our team has started analysing the images to understand the extent of damage and how the latest strikes affect the use of these sites. We're also sending them to experts outside the BBC for their take on what the images show. Update: Date: 09:23 BST Title: Welcome to Wednesday's BBC Verify Live Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Good morning from the team in the London newsroom. We're currently working through new satellite imagery of Iran's nuclear sites following the weekend's US bombings and subsequent Israeli air attacks. We've sent the pictures to a number of experts to get their analysis of the damage. It's especially timely given a leaked intelligence report suggested the US operation may have only set Iran's nuclear programme back by months. Elsewhere we're waiting on new data showing the percentage of cars in England that break the speed limit. Last year's figures showed around four-fifths broke the limit in 20mph zones and nearly half on 30mph roads. And we're across the Nato summit in the Netherlands and the continuing debate about boosting the amount members spend on defence.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump insists ‘monumental damage' done by US strikes in Iran but others are more cautious
Donald Trump has doubled down on claims 'monumental damage' had been done to Iran's nuclear sites, as the head of the UN's nuclear agency said that while he anticipated 'very significant damage' at the underground Fordow site, the agency had not been able to assess it. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed that Iran had told the agency it had planned to take 'special measures' to protect equipment and nuclear materials on 13 June. Trump, who has a reputation for hyperbole, again stated that the sites had been 'obliterated' by this weekend's US bombings, in contrast with the more cautious language from the Pentagon and Israeli officials. 'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images,' he said in a social media post. 'Obliteration is an accurate term!' Pentagon officials have characterised the damage to the sites – at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – as 'severe'. Assessing the extent of the damage has been complicated by the fact that the US, Israel and the IAEA only have access to surface satellite imagery of the sites and reporting from Iran's nuclear agency on any contamination. Satellite imagery of Fordow taken in the days before the US attack showed an unusual volume of truck traffic. The images appeared to confirm that Iranian authorities had preemptively removed some material from the site, possibly including its uranium stockpile – or parts of it. On Monday, Israeli jets struck Fordow in order to obstruct its access routes, the IDF said. According to briefings from unnamed US and Israeli officials to American and Israeli media, Fordow had been heavily damaged but not destroyed. A senior US official told the New York Times the site had been taken 'off the table' but that even 12 bunker-busting bombs could not destroy it. Speaking in Vienna, Grossi said that given the 'explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred.' He added, however, that 'at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage.' Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had earlier said Tehran was still 'calculating the damage'. Grossi also called for agency inspectors to be allowed to return to Iran's nuclear sites in an effort to 'account for' Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles and a 'return to the negotiating table'. Whether or not Iran had managed to remove technology and uranium from the attacked sites is likely to be a key question in the coming days and weeks. 'We are going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel and that's one of the things that we're going to have conversations with the Iranians about,' the US vice-president, JD Vance, told ABC's This Week on Sunday, referring to the stockpile of uranium theoretically sufficient to make nine or 10 atomic weapons. Satellite images released by several imaging companies in the immediate aftermath of the US strikes suggested changes to the above ground topography of the Fordow site, which is buried beneath layers of sedimentary rock in the Zagros mountains. Other images showed what appeared to be two distinct clusters of holes in a ridge at the site, caused by the entry of the dozen bunker-busting Massive Ordinance Penetrators dropped by US B2 Spirit stealth bombers. According to Joseph Rodgers, deputy director and fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Project on Nuclear Issues, the US bunker busters appeared to have targeted ventilation shafts at the Fordow facility. 'The reason that you'd want to target a ventilation shaft is that it's a more direct route to the core components of the underground facility,' Rodgers told Wired magazine. Among those so far sceptical about the impact of the US strikes was Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who tracks Iran's nuclear facilities. 'At the end of the day there are some really important things that haven't been hit. If this ends here, it's a really incomplete strike,' Lewis told NPR, echoing other experts who pointed to Iran's continued retention of enriched uranium as the key issue. In a lengthy thread on social media, Lewis expanded his point: 'This means Iran has retained 400kg [of 60% highly enriched uranium], the ability to manufacture centrifuges, and one, possibly two underground enrichment sites. 'That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA's calculation, although Iran insists it does not seek nuclear weapons.' 'That is also to say nothing of possible secret sites, which opponents of the JCPOA [the Iran nuclear deal Trump pulled out of] used to invoke all the freaking time,' Lewis said. 'If the strike leaves the current regime, or something very much like it, in power with a nuclear option then it will have been a strategic failure. What does it say when two of the most amazing military operations in modern memory are still unable to fully eliminate Iran's nuclear programme? I think that's proof that this is tactical brilliance […] may be in service of a foolhardy strategy.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump insists ‘monumental damage' done by US strikes in Iran but others are more cautious
Donald Trump has doubled down on claims 'monumental damage' had been done to Iran's nuclear sites, as the head of the UN's nuclear agency said that while he anticipated 'very significant damage' at the underground Fordow site, the agency had not been able to assess it. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed that Iran had told the agency it had planned to take 'special measures' to protect equipment and nuclear materials on 13 June. Trump, who has a reputation for hyperbole, again stated that the sites had been 'obliterated' by this weekend's US bombings, in contrast with the more cautious language from the Pentagon and Israeli officials. 'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images,' he said in a social media post. 'Obliteration is an accurate term!' Pentagon officials have characterised the damage to the sites – at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – as 'severe'. Assessing the extent of the damage has been complicated by the fact that the US, Israel and the IAEA only have access to surface satellite imagery of the sites and reporting from Iran's nuclear agency on any contamination. Satellite imagery of Fordow taken in the days before the US attack showed an unusual volume of truck traffic. The images appeared to confirm that Iranian authorities had preemptively removed some material from the site, possibly including its uranium stockpile – or parts of it. On Monday, Israeli jets struck Fordow in order to obstruct its access routes, the IDF said. According to briefings from unnamed US and Israeli officials to American and Israeli media, Fordow had been heavily damaged but not destroyed. A senior US official told the New York Times the site had been taken 'off the table' but that even 12 bunker-busting bombs could not destroy it. Speaking in Vienna, Grossi said that given the 'explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred.' He added, however, that 'at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage.' Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had earlier said Tehran was still 'calculating the damage'. Grossi also called for agency inspectors to be allowed to return to Iran's nuclear sites in a bid to 'account for' Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles and a 'return to the negotiating table'. Whether or not Iran had managed to remove technology and uranium from the attacked sites is likely to be a key question in the coming days and weeks. 'We are going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel and that's one of the things that we're going to have conversations with the Iranians about,' the US vice-president, JD Vance, told ABC's This Week on Sunday, referring to the stockpile of uranium theoretically sufficient to make nine or 10 atomic weapons. Satellite images released by several imaging companies in the immediate aftermath of the US strikes suggested changes to the above ground topography of the Fordow site, which is buried beneath layers of sedimentary rock in the Zagros mountains. Other images showed what appeared to be two distinct clusters of holes in a ridge at the site, caused by the entry of the dozen bunker-busting Massive Ordinance Penetrators dropped by US B2 Spirit stealth bombers. According to Joseph Rodgers, deputy director and fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Project on Nuclear Issues, the US bunker busters appeared to have targeted ventilation shafts at the Fordow facility. 'The reason that you'd want to target a ventilation shaft is that it's a more direct route to the core components of the underground facility,' Rodgers told Wired magazine. Among those so far sceptical about the impact of the US strikes was Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who tracks Iran's nuclear facilities. 'At the end of the day there are some really important things that haven't been hit. If this ends here, it's a really incomplete strike,' Lewis told NPR, echoing other experts who pointed to Iran's continued retention of enriched uranium as the key issue. In a lengthy thread on social media, Lewis expanded his point: 'This means Iran has retained 400kg [of 60% highly enriched uranium], the ability to manufacture centrifuges, and one, possibly two underground enrichment sites. 'That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA's calculation, although Iran insists it does not seek nuclear weapons.' 'That is also to say nothing of possible secret sites, which opponents of the JCPOA [the Iran nuclear deal Trump pulled out of] used to invoke all the freaking time,' Lewis said. 'If the strike leaves the current regime, or something very much like it, in power with a nuclear option then it will have been a strategic failure. What does it say when two of the most amazing military operations in modern memory are still unable to fully eliminate Iran's nuclear program? I think that's proof that this is tactical brilliance […] may be in service of a foolhardy strategy.'
