Iran fires missiles at Israel after US strikes nuclear sites

Iranian state television on Sunday reported the launch of fresh missile attacks targeting Israel, following air strikes by the US on several of Iran’s nuclear sites in coordination with Israel.

“These live images you are seeing are of a new salvo of Iranian missiles fired on the occupied territories,” a state TV presenter announced, referring to Israel. Quoting unnamed sources, the presenter added, “30 missiles have been launched at Israel from Iran.”

The missile launches came just hours after US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces had carried out precision strikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, in a joint operation with Israel.

The announcement, made late Saturday, marked a serious escalation in the already volatile conflict, which began with Israel’s surprise attack on Iran on June 13. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi responded strongly, denouncing the US actions as a breach of multiple international frameworks.

“The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations,” Araghchi posted on X.

He warned of lasting consequences, stating, “The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour.”

Citing international law, Araghchi asserted Iran’s right to respond: “In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defence, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”

Earlier, Trump had praised the success of the military strikes, framing them as essential to curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. At a press briefing held Saturday night (US time), he commended the armed forces for executing what he described as a historic operation.

"I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation, the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully we no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope so," he said.

He also issued a stern warning to Tehran: "This cannot continue. There will either be peace or tragedy for Iran, far greater than what we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left." Trump justified the strikes by stating they were designed to neutralise Iran’s "nuclear enrichment capacity and put a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror."

Despite earlier diplomatic efforts aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, which the US abandoned in 2018, Trump has now fully aligned Washington with Israel’s military strategy targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and senior officials.

He also extended gratitude to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done."

The aerial hostilities between Iran and Israel were triggered on June 13, when Israel initiated its first air strike on Iranian territory. Israeli officials claimed the attack was a pre-emptive measure to thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons programme—an allegation Tehran has repeatedly denied.

The growing conflict has heightened fears across the region, already destabilised by Israel’s prolonged military operations in Gaza since October 2023. The latest developments have now drawn the US directly into the conflict. Iranian state outlets confirmed that sections of the Fordow nuclear plant were struck in what they described as "enemy strikes," although the full extent of the damage has yet to be disclosed.