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Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth opens the news briefing by saying US forces "conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran".

The aim was "to destroy or severely degrade Iran's nuclear programme".

"It was an incredible and overwhelming success," he declares. "We devastated the Iranian nuclear programme."

Hegseth goes on to say that President Trump has stated for over a decade that "Iran must not get a nuclear weapon", and thanks to last night's decision, "Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated".

This operation was the "final blow" to Tehran's nuclear programme, Hegseth claims, and describes President Trump's plan as "bold" and "brilliant".

"When this president speaks, the world should listen. And the US military - we can back it up. The most powerful military the world has ever known - no other country on planet Earth could have conducted the operation that the chairman is going to outline this morning."

Nonetheless, President Trump "seeks peace", Hegseth continues, adding that Iran "should choose that path".

The defence secretary also reiterated that Iran should not retaliate, as the president emphasised last night.

"Every American involved in this operation performed flawlessly, and I want to give recognition to our allies in Israel as well," he adds.

"The United States does not seek war, but let me be clear - we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners, or our interests are threatened."

A news briefing at the Pentagon - the home of the US military - is under way.

Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Dan Caine (the most senior US military official) are speaking in the wake of last night's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Watch live on Sky News, and in the stream at the top of this page.

A former senior British military intelligence officer has told Sky News that the world could face huge economic turbulence, depending on how Iran chooses to respond to the US strikes.

Phillip Ingram says what happens next - with the Iranian leadership likely to feel compelled to respond - could be "really, really worrying".

He told Sky News presenter Matt Barbet earlier: "If Iran does shut the Straits of Hormuz, between 20 and 30% of all the world's oil and gas goes through that strait. 

"The economic shock that would cause across the world would make what happened when Russia invaded Ukraine just over three years ago seem like small change."

Iran has other options, Ingram went on, with its proxies across the region.

Some of these, Ingram said, "were scary".

They range from terrorist activity to attacking US bases in the Middle East, he said.

Watch the full interview below:

The UK has further increased its "force protection" measures for its military bases and personnel in the Middle East to their highest level in the wake of the US strikes against Iran, Sky News understands.

This will involve greater security and heightened vigilance to protect British troops, equipment and bases.

The EU's naval mission in the Red Sea has raised its assessment level to "severe".

It applies to ships with US and Israeli interests heading through the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden, according to a statement.

Our correspondent Cordelia Lynch is reporting from Tel Aviv, where more Iranian missiles hit overnight.

The central Israeli city has been repeatedly struck since Israel initiated fighting last Friday.

Lynch reports from a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, where the front facade of a building was ripped off.

She describes how people's belongings were left exposed.

Catch up on her full report here:

Russia's foreign ministry has condemned the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.

It added: "The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb strikes, no matter what arguments are presented, grossly violates international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions, which previously unequivocally qualified such actions as unacceptable."

Echoing many other countries, it called for a solution through diplomatic means.

It also said damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure was of "particular concern".

The US-Russia relationship has thawed considerably under Donald Trump, but that hasn't stopped the Kremlin criticising him this time.

By Emma Birchley, Sky News correspondent

For over a week, Joe has been in "a constant state of anxiety".

"I keep thinking, oh my god, anything could be happening to my family right now.

"I have a sense of guilt."

The British-Iranian lawyer in his 20s was born and bred in Wembley, but many members of his family are in Tehran: his grandparents on his mother's side, his father's father, his aunts, uncles, cousins.

And while the public was told to evacuate before the first strikes by Israel on Friday 13 June, for many, that simply wasn't an option.

"It was not feasible for elderly people," he said. "Vulnerable people like my grandparents were forced to stay. A three-hour journey was taking 20 hours."

Watch: Israel begins a new wave of strikes in Iran

And with only a fraction of the country able to access intermittent internet, it has been hard to confirm that they are safe.

One of his cousins has been able to access social media and has posted updates to reassure relatives here in the UK.

Now, Joe is hugely worried about what lies ahead.

"The way people look at this conflict, it's like a Marvel film; looking for a good side and a bad side."

But it's not that simple, he says.

"If regime change is to come about, I wouldn't know how to feel.

"Part of me would feel relieved and happy, but part of me would feel is it Israel and the US's job to topple this regime?"

Air defences have been activated in eastern Tehran, Iranian state media has reported.

It said it had happened in the eastern Tehran province and the Yazd province.

Large explosions were also reported in Iran's southern city of Bushehr, Shargh newspaper said.

This is notable as Tehran's only operating nuclear plant is in Bushehr.

Israel previously said it struck it, before seemingly rowing back on the comments.

We've just had some reaction from China to the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities overnight.

The foreign ministry "strongly condemns" the attack.

Donald Trump's military action "seriously violates" the UN charter, it added.