No increase in radiation off sites that US hit: IAEA
The IAEA confirmed no rise in radiation after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, part of a coordinated escalation with Israel targeting Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities. Trump declared the strikes a success, sparking global alarm over potential retaliation and regional conflict. Iran vowed consequences and sought UN action
Tel Aviv: The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday that there has been “no increase in off-site radiation levels” after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.The UN nuclear watchdog sent the message via the social platform X on Sunday.
“The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,” it said. The “IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.”
The United States struck three sites in Iran early on Sunday, inserting itself into Israel’s war aimed at destroying the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe despite fears of a wider regional conflict.
Addressing the nation from the White House, President Donald Trump asserted that Iran’s key nuclear were “completely and fully obliterated.” There was no independent damage assessment. It was not clear whether the US would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a nine-day war with Iran.
Trump acted without congressional authorization, and he warned that there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against US forces.“There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,” he said.
Iran’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, warned in a post on X that the US attacks “will have everlasting consequences” and that Tehran “reserves all options” to retaliate.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations called for an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss what he described as the US’s “heinous attacks and illegal use of force” against Iran. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said that the UN’s most powerful body must “take all necessary measures” to hold the US accountable under international law and the UN charter.
Early Sunday morning, Israel alerted the public of an Iranian missile launch and urged people to take shelter. Sirens sounded in Jerusalem a short while later and a series of booms were heard. Iranian has been firing missile barrages at Israel since the war began but they have decreased in size as Israel targets Tehran’s missile launchers.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted that its work will not be stopped. Iran said there were no signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations and no danger to nearby residents.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have claimed that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat.
The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to systematically eradicate the country’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. But US and Israeli officials have said American stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker-buster bomb they alone can carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump said in a post on social media. “All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.”Trump added in a later post: “This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision to attack in a video message directed at the American president.“Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,” he said.
Netanyahu said the US “has done what no other country on earth could do.”
Israel announced on Sunday that it would close the country’s airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the US attacks. The war has disrupted air travel throughout the Middle East.The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation.
US military leaders are scheduled to provide a briefing at 8 am Eastern. The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant that is built deep into a mountain, a US official said. The weapons are designed to penetrate the ground before exploding.
In addition, US submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles, according to another US official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.The strikes are a perilous decision, as Iran has pledged to retaliate if the US joined the Israeli assault, and for Trump personally.
He won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed” by the “dangerous escalation” of American strikes.“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” he said in a statement.
Trump told reporters Friday that he was not interested in sending ground forces into Iran, saying it’s “the last thing you want to do.”
He had previously indicated that he would make a final choice over the course of two weeks.
The military showdown with Iran comes seven years after Trump withdrew the US from the Obama-administration brokered agreement in 2018, calling it the “worst deal ever.”
The 2015 deal, signed by Iran, US and other world powers, created a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement that limited Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump decried the Obama-era deal for giving Iran too much in return for too little, because the agreement did not cover Iran’s non-nuclear malign behaviour.
Trump has bristled at criticism from some of his MAGA faithful who have suggested that further US involvement would be a betrayal to supporters who were drawn to his promise to end US involvement in expensive and endless wars.
