The world's attention is turning to how Iran could respond after the US attacked three nuclear sites in Iran last night. Donald Trump's team are hailing the success of the strikes - but Iran says it moved much of its enriched uranium beforehand. Watch and follow the latest below.
Sunday 22 June 2025 18:13, UK
A political advisor to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the "game is not over" following US strikes on its nuclear sites.
Ali Shamkhani said existing "enriched materials, local expertise and political will" all remain despite the physical damage done.
He adds that the "operational initiative" is now in the "hands of the party that plays smart".
Despite international calls for Iran not to escalate the conflict in the Middle East, Tehran is furious following US strikes.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the US strikes "will have everlasting consequences" and that Tehran "reserves all options" to retaliate.
Speaking today, he said the US and Israel had "blown up" any chance of nuclear negotiations and asked: "How can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?"
He's also called for condemnation of the attacks from the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting.
Levels of retaliation
Iran's Revolutionary Guard has already said it launched 40 missiles at Israel this morning, including its biggest ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr-4.
Missile hits were reported at sites in northern and central Israel, including in Haifa, Ness Ziona, Rishon LeZion and Tel Aviv.
The Iranian parliament is also moving to close the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state-owned media.
This move that would have global ramifications by disrupting the flow of large amounts of oil and gas, as well as other trade.
Direct retaliation against the US could include attacks on US bases, warships and aircraft in the region, though Iran's ability to launch missiles and drones has been severely degraded by Israeli strikes over the last two weeks.
The leaders of the E3 group have urged Iran not to "destabilise the region" in its response to US strikes.
Sir Keir Starmer, Germany's Friedrich Merz and France's Emmanuel Macron discussed the latest developments in the Middle East earlier today, according to a statement.
"We call upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program," the leaders say.
"We stand ready to contribute to that goal in coordination with all parties. We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region."
If you're just joining us, here's the story at a glance:
Before and after satellite images of Iran's Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites show the damage after US strikes.
Earlier, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said the Natanz facility had been "completely destroyed", while its underground halls "suffered a lot" (see 16.15 post).
Israeli strikes in the last two weeks had already damaged Iran's largest uranium enrichment centre there.
As you can see below, US strikes have now completely reshaped the terrain at Natanz, leaving a giant crater over the site's underground facility.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi also said the Isfahan site had suffered "very significant damage".
General Dan Caine, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Isfahan site.
The images below show the damage at the site today, with blackened scorch marks left in place where buildings stood yesterday.
To see before and after comparisons of the third site struck by US bombers - Fordow - see our 14.10 post.
Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social this evening to proclaim his Republican Party is united in a way "never seen before".
The US president has received plenty of support from within his own party following his decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.
But there has also been at least two GOP politicians suggesting it was unconstitutional for him to bomb Iran without approval from Congress.
Ohio representative Warren Davidson said it was "hard to conceive a rationale" that the strikes were constitutional, while Kentucky representative Thomas Massie made similar comments.
Some Democrats have called for Trump to be impeached over the unapproved military action.
The Israeli military says it's struck storage facilities deep into Iran containing its long-range Khorramshahr missiles.
The air force said the attack was launched "in broad daylight" and was the "furthest target we've struck to date" in Iran.
It said the storage facilities were located in the Yazd area of central Iran.
"We destroyed Khorramshahr missiles before they were launched at Israel and struck tunnels used to store the missiles," the update says.
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog says he doesn't know the extent of damage at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility after US strikes.
"There are clear indications of impacts," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi tells CNN, "but as for the assessment for the degree of damage underground, on this we cannot pronounce ourselves."
"No one could tell you how much it has been damaged," he says, adding that because of observed changes in the shape of the sites, "one cannot exclude that there is significant damage there."
Grossi says that the Natanz facility has been "completely destroyed," while its underground halls "suffered a lot" because of cuts to electricity as the result of Israeli attacks.
The Isfahan site has also suffered "very significant damage," he adds.
Grossi will convene an emergency meeting between the IAEA's governors tomorrow "in light of the urgent situation in Iran".
Pope Leo has joined the calls for diplomacy to return to the Middle East following another night of conflict in the region.
The pontiff said news of the overnight strikes in Iran was "alarming", calling on every member of the international community to condemn the violence.
"There are no 'distant' conflicts when human dignity is at stake," he said on X.
By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor
Donald Trump has upped the ante by choosing to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, so what happens next, and how bad could things get?
The US president has given the Iranians a choice: negotiate or face devastating escalation.
The next move is down to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.
He has spent his entire life trying to roll back American power and influence in the region. Expecting him to negotiate with the US now - with B-2 bombers held to his head - is a tall order. More likely, he will order some kind of retaliation, at least for now
He will want to deter Trump from launching more attacks and may calculate that killing Americans is the best way of doing so.
The ayatollah knows it could drive a wedge between Trump and his MAGA supporters, who say America is getting drawn into yet another Middle Eastern war, risking US lives.
There are plenty of US targets for Iran to aim at, with bases throughout the Middle East - Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Iranians could attack them directly with drones and missiles, or use proxies in the region - Iran-backed militias in Iraq or the Houthis based in Yemen.
Iran could threaten shipping and the oil industry in the Persian Gulf. If the Gulf becomes a war zone, expect a big hit to the global economy and the price of oil to rocket.
But all that would invite massive retaliation from the US. The Trump administration has spelled that out in no uncertain terms.
America has sent an awesome amount of firepower to the region: three aircraft carrier groups bristling with fighter jets and submarines loaded with cruise missiles.
So the Iranians may instead go for the kind of asymmetric warfare they excel at. The UK could be in the firing line too. We could see Iranian terrorist attacks here in Britain.
One way or another, this is almost certain to escalate, but could it widen and draw other countries into the conflict?
Russia and Iran have a strategic partnership agreement but it doesn't require Russia to come to its support.
Iran is also China's closest ally in the Middle East, but Beijing is also likely to sit this one out and watch from the sidelines.
Wars have unintended consequences but there are strong reasons for other powers to avoid becoming involved in this one.
Looking further ahead, there are two competing priorities to watch:
For Iran's leadership, it is all about survival. To absorb the blows and live to fight another day, and eventually build the bomb if it can, to stop this ever happening to them again.
And Israel is equally determined that will not happen.
Watch below: Netanyahu praises Trump after US strikes
One method would be regime change in Iran, but its leadership is proving resilient so far despite the mounting challenges it faces.
Instead, it faces a long period of managing the threat posed by Iran. It will need to monitor the Iranians, watching for signs they are developing their missile programme, meddling in the region or reviving their nuclear project and then cutting them down to size when necessary.
That could mean years more of military action and could be hugely costly for Israel and its backers, the US taxpayer.
In summary, Iran's leadership is in a very tight spot and is likely to lash out.
But the future will not be a walk in the park for Israel either - and there are big risks for America, too.
