Latest news with #MidnightHammer
Indian Express
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Fordow nuclear site seriously, heavily damaged': Iran minister acknowledges damage at nuclear site in US bombing
First time acknowledging the impact of the US strike on Iran's key Fordow nuclear site, Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the American bombing has 'seriously and heavily damaged' the nuclear facility, CBS News reported. During an interview with CBS News broadcast on Tuesday, Araghchi said 'No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged.' However, a Washington Post report quoting four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the US government, stated that intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the damage caused by the American strikes on three key nuclear sites of Iran. FM @araghchi in an interview with CBS: The damage inflicted on the #Fordow nuclear site has been extensive and very serious.#Iran's nuclear program remains peaceful; we have no intention of moving toward nuclear weapons. — Iran's Today (@Iran) July 2, 2025 Detailing the Iranian report on strikes, Araghchi said 'The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran… is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment, the report of which will be submitted to the government.' US President Donald Trump, while addressing the nation after the American military bombed Tehran's nuclear facilities, said the strikes 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear program. Though the US officials acknowledged last weekend that it'll take time to form a complete assessment of the damage caused by the American military strikes. The United States on June 22 joined Israel's offensive against Iran and launched operation 'Midnight Hammer' to target three nuclear facilities of Iran, namely Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan and the operation involved 125 US military aircraft, including seven B-2 Stealth bombers. About two dozen cruise missiles were also launched at the Isfahan nuclear site from a submarine by the US military. One of the major strikes by the United States was on Fordow nuclear enrichment facility buried deep below a mountain outside Tehran, and is considered vital to Iran's nuclear ambitions. At least 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) were dropped at the Fordow site. After the strikes, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Qatar and the 12-day conflict between the two warring nations came to a pause on June 24.
Observer
a day ago
- Politics
- Observer
Western politics, media bias on US strikes in Iran
On June 22, 2025, the United States launched a military operation called 'Midnight Hammer' against three nuclear facilities in Iran: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The US claimed the goal was to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. These strikes were the first direct American attack in the recent Iran–Israel conflict, which began earlier that month when Israel carried out its own strikes. Many experts in international law said the American action was illegal. According to Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the use of force is forbidden unless it is in self-defence after an armed attack or approved by the UN Security Council. In this case, Iran had not attacked the US, and there was no Security Council authorisation. As a result, the strike is widely considered a pre-emptive attack, which is not allowed under international law. Despite this, Western governments reacted with silence or support. Nato's Secretary-General Mark Rutte claimed the strike did not break international law. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there was 'no reason to criticise' the US action. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Iran's nuclear programme a 'grave threat' and supported the strikes, even though the UK had no direct role. Only French President Emmanuel Macron said the strikes were illegal, but he still agreed with the idea that Iran's programme must be stopped. This is an example of the West applying double standards. When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Western leaders loudly defended international law and national sovereignty. But when the US ignores those same rules, many of these leaders remain silent. The law is treated as flexible depending on who is breaking it. This weakens the idea of justice and fairness in global politics. The Western media also showed bias. In the United States, newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post called the strikes 'necessary' and 'inevitable'. They focused more on technical damage than legal or moral questions. They repeated President Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear programme was 'obliterated', even though later intelligence reports showed the damage only delayed the programme by a few months. CNN, another major US network, highlighted Nato's defence of the strike, but gave very little space to international law experts who disagreed. Most American media avoided discussing whether the action was legal. They mostly supported the US government's version of the story. In Europe, some outlets like the BBC and gave more attention to legal issues. They reported Macron's concerns and included intelligence that questioned US claims. But even they often accepted the wider Western view that Iran is a dangerous state and that stopping its nuclear development is justified - even if the method is illegal. There is another issue often forgotten in these reports: Iran is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and remains under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). At the time of the strikes, the IAEA had not confirmed Iran was building nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Israel has never joined the NPT and is believed to possess nuclear weapons. This important detail is almost never mentioned in Western coverage. The result is a picture that always shows Iran as a threat and Israel or the US as protectors. This is not balanced journalism. It helps to justify military actions and hides the legal and human consequences. Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan once said, 'If the rule of law is to mean anything, it must apply equally to all.' Today, that rule seems weak. Powerful countries are allowed to act outside the law, while weaker nations are judged more harshly. This harms the credibility of international law and may lead to more conflicts in the future. If the international community wants peace and justice, it must return to fairness. Law should not change based on politics. Media should question every government equally. And strikes like the one on Iran must be judged by the same rules we apply to others. Without this, the law becomes just another weapon for the strong.
India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Iran Scrambles At Fordow Nuclear Site After US Strike – What Do The New Satellite Images Reveal?
New Delhi: For 16 days, silence lingered after the bombing. Now, fresh satellite images captured on June 29 show a flurry of construction activity. Craters are being filled. Roads are newly carved. Trucks and cranes cluster near the eastern edge – exactly where bunker-busting bombs had struck. This is the same Fordow site targeted by US stealth bombers during a massive joint air campaign with Israel earlier this month. Israel began the strikes on June 13, hitting both nuclear and military assets inside Iran. The United States joined soon after, deploying B-2s loaded with Massive Ordnance Penetrators. Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – three pillars of Iran's uranium program – were all hit. Iran initially dismissed the damage. Officials said the facilities remained intact. But satellite images from Maxar Technologies tell a different story. In the latest image, a backhoe moves into a tunnel carved into the hillside. Trucks line the damaged perimeter. The entrance gate – once peppered with shrapnel – is now flanked by scaffolding. Nuclear experts, who reviewed earlier photos taken on June 28, believe Iran may be burying craters or collecting radiological samples. 'Something happened down there,' they said. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has declared victory. Speaking at a campaign stop on June 22, he claimed America had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear infrastructure. 'Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan – gone. They are in the Stone Age now,' he said. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei does not agree. In a televised speech on June 26, he mocked the US president's remarks. 'He brags, but nothing was achieved. It is all exaggeration,' he said. But activity on the ground suggests urgency. One photo shows cranes parked directly over what analysts say could be buried centrifuge halls. Another image reveals new access routes being laid through scorched terrain. The operation – codenamed 'Midnight Hammer' – involved 125 aircraft, including seven B-2s. Fourteen bunker-busting bombs were used. Each weighs over 14,000 kg. On June 24, two days after the strikes, Trump announced a ceasefire. Iran denied agreeing to one. But whispers of diplomacy have emerged. Iran's deputy foreign minister said that the United States had sent word via intermediaries, seeking to resume talks. But he warned, 'First, the US must guarantee there will not be more strikes.' Now, all eyes are back on Fordow. It sits buried under a mountain, reinforced against attacks. Yet in less than an hour, B-2 bombers changed its future. What happens next depends on what survives beneath that rubble and whether Iran digs it back up.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘US must rule out more strikes before new talks,' says Iran minister amid Israel-Iran ceasefire
The United States must eliminate any possibility of further strikes on Iran if it wants to resume diplomatic talks, Tehran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said amid a ceasefire in hostilities between Israel and Iran announced last week, which was brokered by US President Donald Trump and Qatar. Ravanchi said that the Trump administration conveyed its message to Tehran via mediators that it wants to return to the negotiation table regarding Iran's nuclear program but had 'not made their position clear' on the 'very important question' as talks take place between the two countries, reported BBC. In the last couple of months, the US and Iran have had at least five rounds of mainly indirect talks regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and the sanctions imposed by Washington. The sixth round of talks were scheduled to take place on June 15 in Muscat but Israel launched its offensive against Tehran on June 13 and the plan for further talks were foiled. The United States also got directly involved in the conflict between Tel Aviv and Tehran, when its 125 military aircrafts, including B-2 Stealth bombers dropped bombs and targeted three Iranian nuclear sites, namely Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. America codenamed the operation as 'Midnight Hammer'. Ravanchi reiterated Iran's stance of allowing to enrich uranium as they are for 'peaceful purposes' and rejected the accusations of the West that Tehran was secretly developing a nuclear weapon. Iran's deputy foreign minister said 'The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if you do not agree, we will bomb you, that is the law of the jungle,' BBC reported. The extent of damage to Iran's nuclear program due to strikes by the US and Israel remains unclear and the minister refused to give an exact assessment of the situation.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Missiles or whisky: What's the best way to fight a war?
(You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Necessity can turn even a lion into a fox. Quite Machiavellian, but it was difficult to comprehend that during the Israel-Iran conflict who was a lion and who a fox at a particular moment. Nonetheless, one tried to outfox the other through various machinations. Although thundering was common, it was cloaked in mystery, similar to Panchatantra's blue-dyed 'Midnight Hammer', both 'Rising Lion' and 'True Promise 3' got a safe exit option. But before exercising it, all of them roared: The US President claimed Iran's nuclear capabilities have been 'totally obliterated'; Bibi said 'righteous might of the United States will change history'; and Iran promised massive retaliation. Iran returned fire. Along came a twist. Before striking the US base, Iran informed Qatar about the Trump thanked Iran 'for giving us early notice'. But Iran boasted of 'Annunciation of Victory' through 'devastating and powerful missile' attacks on the US base. What a beautiful way to fight an enemy! Just imagine a world where combatants reveal everything: 'Beware, Iam coming to attack you at such and such hour. Save yourself as I will use so and so arms. Must keep your defences ready.' In such a scenario, there will at best be a light and sound show but no loss of life or property. No doubt, West Asian players have pressed the pause button, but they are still sitting on a powder keg. An oasis of calm is missing. Also, there is no clarity over the hammering, rising or ducking lion and delivery of promise or annunciation. The actors might learn a bit from the Whisky War where hiccups were the only setbacks. Yes, it was as real as the water of life itself. And who knows it better than the Canadians and the Danes.
