Ace Breaking News – US bombs Iran live updates: Iranian minister condemns US as ‘warmongering and lawless’ after bombings

The United States has joined Israel’s war against Iran, with Donald Trump saying US strikes have “obliterated” three Iranian nuclear sites in a “spectacular military success”.

Iranian state media is downplaying the damage, describing it as “minimal”.

Responding to the attacks, the Australian government said Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program had been a threat to international peace and security.

Follow the latest developments in our live blog. 

The latest developments out of the Middle East

If you’re just joining us, here are the main developments from Iran and Israel today.

• The United States has carried out strikes on three nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan in Iran
• US President Donald Trump has not ruled out further attacks but says he hopes they will not be necessary
• Iran launched retaliatory strikes, 10 of which hit Israel 
• Israel says it also launched additional strikes against military targets in western Iran
• The UN nuclear watchdog chief has called an emergency meeting
• The Australian government says it has been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security
• The government says DFAT will communicate directly with registered Australians who want to evacuate

5m ago

The ‘most expensive military aircraft ever’ bombed Iran overnight. So, what is it?

Touted as the most expensive military aircraft ever built, the $US2.1 billion ($3.24b) stealth bomber used by the United States to bomb Iran overnight often paints a formidable sight in the sky.

The B-2 bombers are the only aircraft capable of carrying a bomb large enough to impact Iran’s primary and most protected Fordow nuclear facility.

In the operation against Iran, the planes launched  GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — “bunker-buster bombs” — on two of the three nuclear sites.

But, what else is known about these aircraft and their capabilities in conflict?

My ABC colleague Yiying Li took a good look at that question through the course of today.

You can read her complete breakdown, here:

8m ago

Pictures from missile strike in Tel Aviv

By Riley Stuart in Tel Aviv

15m ago

What needs to happen for the UN Security Council to call an emergency meeting?

As we’ve been reporting this hour, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has demanded that the United Nations Security Council call an emergency session to condemn the US bombing of three nuclear sites.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the Security Council to convene an emergency session to unequivocally condemn the criminal act of aggression by the United States against Iran and to hold the administration in Washington accountable for its violations of fundamental principles of United Nations Charter and old norms of international law,” Araghchi said in Istanbul earlier.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi. (Reuters: Umit Bektas)normal

The United Nations’ website says that the Security Council has only ever called 11 “Emergency Special Sessions” in its history — the most recent of which being in February 2014 to discuss peace in Ukraine.Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency speaking during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on June 20. (Reuters: brendan McDermid)normal

The Middle East has been the main talking point in at least six of the sessions since 1956, with a particular focus on Israel and Palestine at least twice.

So, what does it take for the UN to call one of these meetings?

The Security Council says: “Emergency special sessions may be called within 24 hours of a request by the Security Council on the vote of any nine Council members, or by a majority of UN Member States, or by one Member State if the majority of Members concur.”

23m ago

How big might Iran’s response be?

Ian Parmeter, a research scholar at the ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, said Iran could be setting the stage for a limited retaliatory strike.

He said Iran would feel bound to make some kind of retaliation.

“A good guide to how they may do it could be what they did after the assassination in 2020 of Qasem Soleimani the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard,” he explained.

“He was killed by a missile strike in early 2020 and Iran said it would retaliate but are simply got some of its militia in Iraq to fire at a US base.

“Almost deliberately as far as we could see it missed because there were no casualties and very little damage caused by the firing.”

Mr. Parmeter indicated that Iran’s leadership possesses strategic awareness. They recognise the importance of avoiding direct military engagement with the United States and are likely to pursue measures aimed at mitigating American involvement in regional conflicts.

‘France didn’t take part in planning of US strikes on Iran’: Foreign minister

French President Emmanuel Macron has remained notably quiet so far today, in light of the US bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities.

On Saturday, vowed that France would “accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran” as tensions in the Middle East continued to escalate.

That was hours before the launch of the US bombing operation.

In the last few minutes, the French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has posted a statement on X that responds to the US operation. Jean-Noel Barrot is speaking to the media in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, June 20. (Reuters: Denis Balibouse)normal

“France has taken note with concern of the strikes carried out last night by the United States of America against three sites of the Iranian nuclear program,” he says.

“It did not participate in these strikes nor in their planning.

“It urges the parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an expansion of the conflict.

“France has repeatedly expressed its very firm opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.”

Those comments also come hours after the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds confirmed that Britain had been informed of the US strikes but were not asked to take part.

55m ago

The key takeaways from the Iranian Foreign Minister’s address

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has now ended his address and stopped taking questions in Istanbul, Türkiye.

These are the main points he made:

• The United States has breached the Charter of the United Nations and international law by not respecting Iran’s sovereignty, in bombing three Iranian nuclear sites.
• The Trump administration is “warmongering and lawless” and should be condemned for attacking Iran.
• Iran is demanding the United Nations Security Council call an emergency meeting to condemn the US bombing of Iran.
• The window for diplomacy is rapidly reducing in light of what Iran describes as US and Israeli aggression, and Iran will defend its territory “as long as needed”.
• The foreign minister will travel to Moscow today for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow.

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1h ago

Russia’s Putin has no plans to talk to Donald Trump, says state media

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to speak to US President Donald Trump, according to state media.

The Kremlin announcement, broadcast by news agency TASS, came at the same time as Iran’s foreign minister was telling a press conference in Türkiye he will travel to Moscow tomorrow morning.

The Kremlin reportedly said while Mr Putin has no plans to speak to Mr Trump, a call could be quickly arranged.

‘US involvement was aimed at saving Netanyahu’: Iranian foreign minister

The Iranian foreign minister is now speculating about the reason for Donald Trump‘s involvement of US forces in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

“The attack last night showed once again that the Zionist regime of Israel has not actually reached its targets and aims in Iran, and they have been harmed, and they have actually been in a crisis because of the defence of Iran,” Abbas Araghchi says.

“This direct intervention of America is actually to save the Zionist regime and may be to save the prime minister specifically of the Zionist regime.

“This was the reason why America acted this way, and this shows that the White House is under the influence of this individual called Netanyahu.

“This is a shame for all American citizens.”

Iranian foreign minister says he will travel to Moscow to meet with Putin

Abbas Araghchi says he will be travelling to Russia today for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for tomorrow morning.

“Russia is a friend of Iran, and we enjoy a strategic partnership, and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” the Iranian foreign minister says.

“I will have serious consultations with the Russian president tomorrow, and we continue to work with each other.

“Russia is also a permanent member of the Security Council, and we know that they were trying, together with China, to introduce a resolution to the Security Council for the cessation of hostilities.”

1h ago

‘The US has proved they are not men of diplomacy’: Araghchi

Abbas Araghchi says Donald Trump and the United States “have proved that they are not men of diplomacy”, by bombing Iran.

The Iranian foreign minister says that the Trump administrationshows “no respect to the United Nations Charter” or international law during their overnight attack, which came at a time that Iran was in nuclear negotiations with several nations.

“There is no red line that they [the US] have not crossed, and the last one — and the most dangerous one — happened only last night, when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,” Araghchi says.

“I don’t know how much room is left for diplomacy.”

1h ago

Journalists are now asking questions of the Iranian foreign minister

Asked whether Iran is still interested in nuclear negotiations, in light of the US bombings of nuclear sites, Abbas Araghchi is describing the attack as “an unforgivable violation of international law and should be condemned”.

The Iranian foreign minister says he does not have exact information about the extent of damage sustained by the nuclear sites in the bombings.

He also says that “almost all” Middle Eastern foreign ministers “are worried about a possible attack by the United States“.

“Of course, the door for diplomacy should always be kept open, but this is not the case right now,” Araghchi says.

“My country has been under attack, under aggression, and we have to respond based on our legitimate right of self-defence.

“We will do that as long as needed and necessary.”

Iran calls for UN Security Council emergency meeting to address ‘US aggression’

Aragchi is also accusing the United States of breaching the Charter of the United Nations in bombing Iranian nuclear facilities by not respecting the sovereignty of a member state.

“It cannot be emphasised enough how much of a devastating blow that the US, a permanent member of the Security Council, has dealt to the global nonproliferation regime,” the Iranian foreign minister says.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran reminds the United Nations, the Security Council, the UN secretary-general, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other relevant international bodies of state, duty and responsibility to take urgent and decisive action in response to this breach of international law.

“Silence in the face of such blatant aggression will plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos.

“Humanity has come to fight as a species to allow a lawless bully to take us back to the law of the jungle.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the Security Council to convene an emergency session to unequivocally condemn the criminal act of aggression by the United States against Iran and to hold the administration in Washington accountable for its violations of fundamental principles of United Nations Charter and old norms of international law.”

The Iranian foreign minister has strongly criticised the United States, labelling it as “warmongering and lawless” in the wake of recent bombings. His remarks reflect deep discontent and highlight the escalating tensions between the two nations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the country’s regime “condemns, in the strongest terms, the United States‘s brutal military aggression against Iran‘s peaceful military facilities.”

“It is an outrageous, grave and unprecedented violation of the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” he says.

“The warmongering and lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression.

“The US military attack on the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of a UN member state carried out with genocidal Israeli regime, carried out in collusion with the genocidal Israeli regime, has once again revealed the extent of the United States’s hostility towards the peace-seeking people of Iran.

“They will never compromise over their independence and sovereignty.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to defend Iran’s territory, sovereignty, and people, by all means necessary against not just US military aggression but also the reckless and unlawful actions of the Israeli regime.”

Iranian foreign minister speaking in Türkiye

Abbas Araghchi is currently speaking in Istanbul.

We’ll bring you more shortly.

1h ago

Questions raised about Pine Gap’s role in US attack on Iran

New South Wales Greens senator David Shoebridge said these latest strikes are another dangerous escalation in the Middle East.

He wants the Australian government to do more.

“This is an illegal attack by the United States on top of another illegal attack by Israel. This is not self-defence and our government needs to clearly distance ourselves from these US attacks.”

Senator Shoebridge said questions should be raised about the role of Pine Gap in the US attack on Iran.

The highly secretive Pine Gap military facility in Central Australia collects surveillance for the US and Australian militaries and their allies.Pine Gap, in Central Australia (ABC)normal

It was established during the Cold War as a US satellite surveillance base on Australian soil.

“Was the government told that Pine Gap was to be used, and will they commit to ruling out any military facility on Australia being used to attack Iran?” Senator Shoebridge asked.

“And will we pull Australian troops out of joint operations with the United States, not just in the Middle East, but around the world, because this is an illegal, unlawful and dangerous escalation which threatens tipping the world into greater conflict?

“Where is the red line that the Albanese government has for the escalation and violence from the Netanyahu government, or the escalation in violence from Donald Trump’s government?”

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1h ago

How is this a responding to the US attack: ‘Only a matter of time’

A Yemeni Houthi say the Iran-aligned group’s response to the US attack is “only a matter of time”.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the movement’s political bureau, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV that its ceasefire deal with Washington was before the “war” on Iran.

The group has been launching attacks on shipping lanes and on Israel, which it says is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Reuters

1h ago

Bahrain officials urge drivers to stay off main roads

Showing the growing concern in the Gulf Arab states, the island kingdom of Bahrain has issued a notice to drivers to stay off main roads if possible.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry wrote on X: “In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary, to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently.”

Authorities also said they activated work-from-home protocols for some 70 per cent of the country’s government workers.

Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet and long been a threatened target of Iran.

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