Donald Trump has announced his defence secretary will hold a "major news conference" today about the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Pete Hegseth, along with military officials, will hold the briefing at 8am EST at the Pentagon, "in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots," the US president wrote on Truth Social.
Ahead of that press conference, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei celebrated Iran’s “victory” over Israel in a post on X.
He is also due to appear in a televised message, which will be the first public comment from the 86-year-old leader since the US bombed Iran’s nuclear sites.
Just how much damage was caused to those facilities remains unclear. A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment found that Trump's airstrikes had only set back the country's nuclear program by a matter of a few months.
CIA director John Ratcliffe said earlier that "new intelligence" indicates Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged by recent US strikes, and that it would take years to be rebuilt.
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Key points
- Iran's Supreme Leader celebrates 'victory' over Israel
- Trump announces major news conference on Iran bombing
- CIA director says Iran's nuclear sites 'severely damaged'
- US hospitals on high alert for cyberattacks in Iranian retaliation
- US and Iranian officials to hold talk next week
Iran will attack more US airbases if needed, Khamenei warns
11:59
,
Alexander Butler
Iran will not hesitate to bomb more US airbases across the Middle East, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned.
Khamenei said the Islamic Republic had access to “key US centres” in the region and would “take action whenever it deems necessary”.
“Such an action can be repeated in the future too”, Khamenei said.
“Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.”
Supreme leader warns Iran could hit US bases again
11:51
,
Rachel Clun
In his first televised address since the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran will never surrender.
Iran’s supreme leader also said that for Iran to have access to major US military bases was a “great thing”, and in future, Tehran could strike them again in the case of renewed aggression.
Khamenei says Iran delivered a 'heavy slap' to the US
11:45
,
Rachel Clun
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US “achieved nothing” in entering the war between Iran and Israel.
“My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing,” he said in a statement posted to X.
“The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region.”
Iran claims Israel was 'crushed' in 12-day war
11:24
,
Rachel Clun
In comments on X, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei claimed his regime beat Israel during the 12-day war.
“With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” the post said.
Iran's supreme leader says US entered war to save Israel
11:21
,
Rachel Clun
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the US entered the war to save Israel.
He said the US felt that if it did not enter the war, Irsael would be completely destroyed, according to Reuters.
Pete Hegseth holding Pentagon press conference to celebrate ‘very upset’ B-2 pilots involved in Iran raid
11:11
,
Joe Sommerlad
President Donald Trump has announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will host a press conference on Thursday “in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots” amid the ongoing row over the extent of the damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities during Saturday’s B-2 bombing raid.
“These Patriots were very upset! After 36 hours of dangerously flying through Enemy Territory, they landed, they knew the Success was LEGENDARY, and then, two days later, they started reading Fake News by CNN and The Failing New York Times. They felt terribly!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The administration was quick to declare that “Operation Midnight Hammer” – which saw the U.S. join Israel’s offensive against Tehran by dropping “bunker-busting” Mass Ordnance Penetrator bombs on its Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan facilities – had been a complete success and “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Iran's Supreme Leader celebrates "victory" over Israel
10:56
,
Rachel Clun
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has celebrated Iran’s “victory” over Israel in a post on X.
“I offer my congratulations on the victory over the fallacious Zionist regime,” he said.
Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' is in disarray, bringing hope to families of Gaza hostages
10:56
,
AP, Rachel Clun
Families of hostages held in Gaza say now is the perfect time to put pressure on Hamas to release them, after the US strikes on Iran gave hope that there is a window of opportunity to secure their freedom.
Over the past four decades, Iran built up a network of militant proxy groups it called the "Axis of Resistance" that wielded significant power across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria.
Hamas may have envisioned the October 7, 2023, attack as a catalyst that would see other Iranian-sponsored militants attack Israel. While Hezbollah and the Houthis launched projectiles toward Israel, the support Hamas had counted on never fully materialized. In the past two years, many of those Iranian proxies have been decimated, changing the face of the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump's involvement in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has also given many hostage families hope that he might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza.
The Israeli government team coordinating hostage negotiations has told the families it now sees a window of opportunity that could force Hamas to be "more flexible in their demands," said Liran Berman, whose twin brother has been held captive in Gaza for 629 days.
"Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it," Berman said.
Iran's leader to deliver televised address shortly
10:44
,
Rachel Clun
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will deliver a televised address shortly, according to his official X account.
Trump calls for Netanyahu corruption trial to be scrapped claiming its a ‘witch-hunt’
10:28
,
Rachel Clun
Donald Trump vowed to “save” Benjamin Netanyahu as he hit out at the Israeli prime minister’s “witch-hunt” corruption trial.
Trump claimed Israel’s prime minister was a “great hero” and “warrior” who faced politically motivated charges and called for the trial to be cancelled.
The president’s intervention comes as Netanyahu’s cross-examination, which began on 4 June, is set to resume on Monday. He faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust and denies all of them.
“Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019. He pleaded not guilty after the trial, involving three criminal cases, began in 2020.
Read the full report below:
White House marks Trump’s return from Nato summit with ‘daddy’ music video
10:10
,
Rachel Clun
Growing calls for Pakistan to rescind Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination
09:52
,
Shweta Sharma
The Pakistani government’s support for Donald Trump’s personal quest to win a Nobel Peace Prize has caused a political firestorm in the country, with many calling on prime minister Shehbaz Sharif to rescind the nomination in the wake of the US bombing of Iran.
Opposition leaders, activists, and civil society members have denounced the nomination of the American president for the prestigious peace award as an act of “crass flattery” and national humiliation.
Its nomination of the US president for the peace award has put Pakistan in an awkward diplomatic position. Islamabad has staunchly and consistently supported the Palestinian cause and stayed firmly on the side of its neighbour Tehran throughout its conflict with Israel.
Read the full report below:
Watch: Trump compares Iran strikes to Hiroshima bombing
09:34
,
Rachel Clun
Comment: The Islamic Republic’s authority is a casualty of its war with Israel
09:19
,
Azadeh Eftekhari
Over a week has passed since the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic began, with hostilities now paused in a fragile ceasefire. Senior regime officials who haven’t been killed are nowhere to be seen.
Since the war started, there have only been two pre-recorded messages from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, delivered from an undisclosed location, both promising continued war and further destruction. Meanwhile, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Islamic Republic’s president – who failed to implement even basic safety measures like shelters or warning sirens – dismissed the threat by saying Israel will be “pitiful”.
The crumbling of the Islamic Republic’s edifice is now seen not only by Iranians but by its neighbours and the wider world. And this truly could be a point of no return.
Read the full analysis here:
Watch: Trump arrives in US after Nato Summit
09:02
,
Rachel Clun
Iran’s desire for nuclear weapons has only been spurred on by US strikes
08:46
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
As leaked US intelligence suggests Trump’s strikes only put Iran’s nuclear programme back by a few months, Tehran will feel the incentive to secure a weapon more than ever, world affairs editor Sam Kiley writes from Tel Aviv.
US and Iranian officials to hold talk next week
08:34
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US president Donald Trump asserted that American and Iranian officials will talk next week, as Israel and Iran appeared to honour the fragile ceasefire between them for a third day.
Mr Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire that took hold on Tuesday on the 12th day of the war, told reporters at a Nato summit that he was not particularly interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, insisting that US strikes had destroyed its nuclear program.
Earlier in the day, an Iranian official questioned whether the United States could be trusted after its weekend attack."We may sign an agreement, I don't know," Mr Trump said.
"The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done."Iran has not acknowledged any talks taking place next week, though US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has said there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries.
A sixth round of US-Iran negotiations was scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was canceled after Israel attacked Iran.
Trump calls for Israeli PM's trial to be canceled
08:30
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US president Donald Trump has called for Israel to pardon prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his corruption trial, saying the US would save him like it did his country.
Mr Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust - all of which Mr Netanyahu denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty.
"Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel)," Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he had learned that Mr Netanyahu was due to appear in court on Monday.
Israeli media have reported that cross-examination of Netanyahu began on 3 June in a Tel Aviv court and was expected to take about a year to complete.
Israeli president Issac Herzog has the power to pardon Mr Netanyahu but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon is "not currently on the table." He also said that "no such request had been made," according to the reports.
Mr Trump extolled his ally as a "warrior" but also said in his post: "It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu."
That appeared to be a reference to US involvement and support for Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear program.
In pics: Iran's Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in China
08:27
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The Islamic Republic’s authority is a casualty of its war with Israel
08:00
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Over a week has passed since the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic began, with hostilities now paused in a fragile ceasefire. Senior regime officials who haven’t been killed are nowhere to be seen. There is no trace of the fiery speeches made by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders to crowds of “millions”. Public statements have been reduced to a few remarks by Abbas Araghchi, a handful of MPs, and Mohsen Rezaei – the perennial presidential candidate who did not even make it onto Israel’s assassination list.
Since the war started, there have only been two pre-recorded messages from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, delivered from an undisclosed location, both promising continued war and further destruction. Meanwhile, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Islamic Republic’s president – who failed to implement even basic safety measures like shelters or warning sirens – dismissed the threat by saying Israel will be “pitiful”. At the same time, his spokesperson urged citizens to ignore Israel’s evacuation and attack warnings. State broadcaster IRIB, the regime’s main propaganda tool, even aired footage of Israeli strikes on Iran while falsely presenting it as footage of Iran’s missile attacks on Israel. This was after IRIB’s headquarters came under attack.
More here.
Trump may have just compromised Israeli secrets – again
07:30
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Donald Trump appears to have blurted out top-secret intelligence on allied operations in enemy territory – again.
Reinforcing the reputation of his entire administration as being incontinent with secrets, he twice seemed to suggest at the Nato summit in the Hague that Israel had agents on the ground in Iran assessing the damage done by America’s bombardment of Fordow and other nuclear facilities.
Smarting from intelligence assessments leaked to the New York Times and CNN that cast doubt on his claim to have “obliterated” the nuclear programme with bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles, Trump used the most sensitive work of an allied nation to bolster his claims.
Sam Kiley reports from Tel Aviv
Trump announces major news conference on Iran bombing
07:21
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Donald Trump has announced his defence secretary will hold a "major news conference" today about the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Pete Hegseth, along with military officials, will hold the briefing at 8am EST at the Pentagon, "in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots," the US president wrote on Truth Social.
"The News Conference will prove both interesting and irrefutable," he added. His statement comes after a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment found that Mr Trump's airstrikes had only set back the country's nuclear program by a matter of a few months.
In pics: Rescuers search through the rubble of Iran's Evin Prison
07:00
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Trump officials to give first classified briefing to Congress on Iran strikes
06:30
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Senators are set to meet with top national security officials today as many question president Donald Trump's decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites — and whether those strikes were ultimately successful.
The classified briefing, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday and was delayed, also comes as the Senate is expected to vote this week on a resolution that would require congressional approval if Trump decides to strike Iran again.
Democrats, and some Republicans, have said that the White House overstepped its authority when it failed to seek the advice of Congress and they want to know more about the intelligence that Trump relied on when he authorized the attacks.
"Senators deserve full transparency, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who said Tuesday that it was "outrageous" that the Senate and House briefings were postponed.
A similar briefing for House members was pushed to Friday.
CIA director John Ratcliffe, secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to brief the senators today.
Director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was scheduled to be at the Tuesday briefing, but will not be attending, according to a person familiar with the schedule.
What satellite images and leaked intelligence say about Trump's Iran strikes?
05:49
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Satellite pictures taken after the U.S. military’s airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities show significant damage to the sites – but not necessarily to the extent claimed by Donald Trump.
The U.S. president has repeatedly claimed that the facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz were “completely and totally obliterated” in the weekend attack.
The images do appear to show damage on the ground following the bombing raid, including new craters, holes in mountain ridges and collapsed tunnels. However, they did not reveal definitive proof that the heavily fortified underground facilities were breached after US B-2 bombers struck the nuclear facilities.
More here.
Nato chief bizarrely calls Trump ‘daddy’
05:14
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The head of Nato fawned over President Donald Trump at a press conference on Wednesday, excusing the president’s foul-mouthed tirade against Iran and Israel as “daddy” using “strong language.”
Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of Nato, beamed while sitting next to Trump at The Hague on Wednesday and praised the president for intervening in the conflict between Iran and Israel by sending U.S. bombers to destroy nuclear facilities.
Trump called the mission a “tremendous victory for everybody” and claimed hostilities between Israel and Iran would stop by using an analogy of two children fighting in the schoolyard.
Ariana Baio reports.
Watch: Trump says he crippled Iran’s nuclear plants but US intel disagrees
05:05
,
Jane Dalton
CIA director says Iran's nuclear sites 'severely damaged'
04:47
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
CIA director John Ratcliffe has said that a body of credible intelligence indicated that Iran's nuclear program was severely damaged by recent US strikes, and that it would take years to be rebuilt.
“This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years," Mr Ratcliffe said in a statement.
His statement comes after a Defense Intelligence Agency initial assessment leaked on Tuesday found that the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites had only set back the country's nuclear program by several months.
The CIA chief claimed that the new findings were based on “credible intelligence” and that they contradicted what he called “illegally sourced public reporting regarding the destruction of key Iranian nuclear facilities".
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US strikes "obliterated" the nuclear facilities, even though satellite images showed the strikes managed to cause limited damage to the sites.
Iran reveals its official death toll
04:14
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran's health ministry has claimed that at least 610 people, including 13 children, were killed in Israel's almost two-week-long airstrikes on Iran.
The ministry spokesperson said just over a hundred people were killed in the final night of the conflict before the ceasefire commenced on Tuesday.
Additionally, 4,700 people suffered injuries during the 12-day war, the spokesperson said.
The figures fell short of US-based human rights group HRANA's estimated death toll of 1,054 people.
Trump demands end of Netanyahu's graft trial
04:13
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US president Donald Trump has demanded that the Israeli justice system drop its corruption case against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In his lengthy rant, Mr Trump called the case against his ally "politically motivated".
"Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State," Mr Trump added.
US hospitals on high alert for cyberattacks
04:04
,
Jane Dalton
American hospitals, water dams and power plants are reportedly on high alert for potential Iranian cyberattacks:
In pictures: Protests in Iran and Iraq
03:03
,
Jane Dalton
Iran set to block nuclear watchdog inspections
02:02
,
Jane Dalton
Iran’s parliament has agreed to fast-track a proposal that would effectively end co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN watchdog.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticised the IAEA for having "refused to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities" by the United States.
"For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran will suspend co-operation with the IAEA until security of nuclear facilities is ensured, and Iran's peaceful nuclear programme will move forward at a faster pace," Mr Qalibaf told politicians.
IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said he had written to Iran to discuss resuming inspections of their nuclear facilities.
"We need to return," he said.
Questions and challenges faced by Iran's leaders
01:01
,
Jane Dalton
Iran’s battered theocracy and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must regroup and rebuild in a changed landscape:
Israel says Iran's nuclear project 'devastating'
Wednesday 25 June 2025 23:59
,
Jane Dalton
Israel’s prime minister claims Iran’s nuclear programme has been set back “many years” following the US attack on the sites.
The Israel Atomic Energy Commission said: “The devastating US strike on Fordow destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable.
“We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.
The statement continued: “The achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera that there was significant damage.
"Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure," he said.
Watch: Trump may have just compromised Israeli secrets – again
Wednesday 25 June 2025 22:59
,
Jane Dalton
Recap: Experts fear Iran protected nuclear materials before strike
Wednesday 25 June 2025 21:55
,
Jane Dalton
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on the day Israel launched its military campaign against Iran that Tehran would "adopt special measures to protect our nuclear equipment and materials".
American satellite imagery firm Maxar Technologies said its satellites photographed trucks and bulldozers at the Fordo site beginning on June 19, three days before the Americans struck.
Subsequent imagery "revealed that the tunnel entrances into the underground complex had been sealed off with dirt prior to the US airstrikes", said Stephen Wood, senior director.
Some experts say those trucks could also have been used to move out Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.
"It is plausible that Iran moved the material enriched to 60% out of Fordo and loaded it on a truck," said Eric Brewer, a former US intelligence analyst, now deputy vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Iran could also have moved other equipment, including centrifuges, he said, noting that while enriched uranium stored in fortified canisters is relatively easy to transport, delicate centrifuges are more challenging to move.
Kelsey Davenport, of the Arms Control Association, a nonpartisan policy center, said that if Iran had already diverted its centrifuges, it could "build a covert enrichment facility with a small footprint and inject the 60% gas into those centrifuges and quickly enrich to weapons grade levels".
Iran's nuclear project severely damaged, says CIA chief
Wednesday 25 June 2025 21:38
,
Jane Dalton
The head of the CIA has confirmed that “credible intelligence” suggests Iran’s nuclear programme was severely damaged by US strikes on it on Sunday.
John Ratcliffe said several key nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.
"This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years," he said in a statement.
A leaked preliminary intelligence assessment reportedly found that the US military strikes did not destroy the country’s nuclear programme, but Donald Trump insisted they did.
Trump envoy 'hopeful' of peace deal with Iran
Wednesday 25 June 2025 21:33
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