Name: How the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites unfolded | BBC News
Uploaded: 2025-06-23T17:12:39.000Z
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The US hit three nuclear sites in Iran overnight, but it remains unclear where the strikes did destroy all of Iran's nuclear capabilities.

This report now from our North America editor, Sarah Smith.

Adverbs of degree

Donald Trump, who promised to end foreign wars, went on live television to announce the attacks that may have just made him yet another wartime president.

Tonight I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.

Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.

Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace.

If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.

In the White House Situation Room with his top security officials, President Trump, making the final decision to attack, had to calculate what the consequences might be.

Will airstrikes against Iran's nuclear sites result in attacks on US forces that could start a full-scale war?

In these pictures from Istanbul, you can see and hear the airstrikes hitting one of the three nuclear sites attacked.

Iran obviously knew this was a possibility, but may not have been expecting it so soon.

President Trump had said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether to take military action.

At the Pentagon, they want to say this operation is already over.

The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back.

When this president speaks, the world should listen.

This Pentagon map shows warplanes taking off from Missouri in the American heartland and flying a 40-hour round trip to deliver their enormous munitions, 14 bunker buster bombs.

These satellite photographs show the underground nuclear site at Fordow before and then after the airstrikes.

The B-2 bombers totally obliterated the site, claimed Donald Trump.

The US military haven't actually made a final assessment, but say the facility has been severely damaged, not destroyed.

Iran has said it will respond in self-defence.

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

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.

World leaders have hastily convened crisis meetings in international capitals, aware that a growing conflict would affect them all.

The UN Security Council is in emergency session, deeply concerned about military escalation in the Middle East.

The people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction.

And yet, we now risk descending into a red hole of retaliation after retaliation.

The US Congress was not consulted before the strikes.

The president can take limited military actions without it.

Only Congress can authorise going to war.

Democrats claim Mr Trump has acted unconstitutionally.

This is the US jumping into a war of choice at Donald Trump's urging, without any compelling national security interest for the United States to act in this way, particularly without a debate and vote in Congress.

As these B-2 bombers are seen returning to their American base, their commanders don't know if they have undertaken a specific, limited mission or started a war.

How will Iran retaliate for these airstrikes?

This is a delicate and dangerous moment in the Middle East and around the world.