Why US, Israel attacked Iran: What we know so far

The US and Israel launched an attack Saturday on Iran, a day after negotiations between Washington and Tehran over the latter’s nuclear enrichment programme concluded in Geneva without a breakthrough. The White House has been pressing Iran to abandon nuclear enrichment, a longstanding cause of concern for Israel and a major point of contention with the West. The Islamic regime said it would never do that. ### Here is what we know so far about the conflict: ### Explosions rock Iran Explosions were heard in Tehran as the US and Israel launched strikes in Iran on Saturday. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital. Several political officials and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in the attacks. Among the first confirmed casualties of the strike were 51 people killed at a girls’ school in Minab in Iran’s Hormozgan province. Iran’s foreign ministry said, “This renewed military ‘aggression’ comes while Iran and the US were in the midst of a diplomatic process.” An Israeli official said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were both targeted in the strikes. Pictures showing smoke billowing from the Supreme Leader’s residential compound went viral on social media. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Khamenei is still alive “as far as I know,” in an interview with NBC News. ### Iran strikes back The Islamic Republic launched counterattacks on Washington’s regional allies – UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar – all of which house US military bases. According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report in 2024, there are eight persistent bases and 11 other military sites belonging to the US in the Middle East. At least one person was killed in the UAE’s Abu Dhabi, Al Jazeera reported. ### Operation ‘Lion’s Roar’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the United States had launched a joint operation against the Islamic Republic, dubbing it Operation ‘Lion’s Roar’. Netanyahu said, “For 47 years, the Ayatollahs’ regime has chanted ‘Death to Israel,’ ‘Death to America.’ It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans, and massacred its own people.” He added that the regime “must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity.” US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership. Tehran has been dealing with waves of anti-regime protests since January, galvanised by sanction-driven inflation and economic woes — the largest uprising since the birth of the Islamic Republic in 1979. ### Flights suspended Several airlines, including Indian carriers, suspended flight operations in the Middle East following the development: • Air France • British Airways • Iberia Express • Japan Airlines • LOT Airlines • Norwegian Air • Turkish Airlines • Virgin Atlantic • Qatar Airways • Air Algerie • Scandavian Airlines • Emirates Airline ### Panic in Iran Gas stations witness long queues, while many Iranians began heading out of cities in search of safety, news agency Reuters reported. Iran’s top security body said it expected attacks to continue in urban centres, and, therefore, urged people to “travel to ​other ​cities where possible so that you may remain safe from the harm ⁠of these two regimes’ acts of aggression.” ### The world reacts European leaders held emergency meetings and took measures to protect their citizens in the region. The European Union’s aviation regulator recommended that its airlines stay out of the affected airspace. The UN Security Council will meet on Saturday in view of the new conflict. The Express Global Desk at The Indian Express delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis. 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