Over the weekend, Israel’s military forces conducted a strike on an Iranian atomic research center, claiming that the operation killed three high-ranking Iranian commanders. The military spokesperson from Israel suggested that the campaign could lead to extensive, drawn-out warfare. Other indications pointed towards a larger conflict brewing as well. The Houthi rebels from Yemen, backed by Iran, have warned that they will initiate attacks on U.S. vessels and warships in the Red Sea upon any indication of U.S. joining Israel in the battle against Iran. This threat comes after a pause in the Houthi offensive since May, agreed upon in a pact with the U.S. administration.
In the internal landscape of Iran, columns of smoke emerged from a region close to an Isfahan mountain. The intensity of the Israeli attack was confirmed by Akbar Salehi, the province deputy governor in charge of security issues, although he denied any human casualties. The intended targets were a pair of centrifuge production locations, as disclosed by an Israeli military personnel speaking anonymously in line with army’s media policy. This was not the first attack on Isfahan, the city had indeed faced assault in the first 24 hours of the war, marking Israel’s intent to dismantle Iran’s nuclear pursuit. The occurrence of this latest episode was endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In retaliation, Iran initiated a fresh wave of drone and missile attacks against Israel, however, there was no prompt confirmation of any substantial damage. An Israeli official minimized the severity of the attack, terming it a ‘small barrage’, which was majorly interrupted by Israel’s defense mechanisms. The official further extrapolated that Israel’s military maneuvers have successfully immobilized over half of Iran’s launch sites. ‘Our intention is to make it increasingly difficult for them to aim at Israel,’ he stated.
The military spokesperson for Israel, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, conveyed Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff’s warning that the army should brace for a ‘sustained campaign’. There was ongoing consideration from U.S. President Donald Trump to actively participate in the war. In a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned over the weekend, ‘The implications would be highly perilous for every party involved.’
Considered impervious except for America’s ‘bunker-buster’ bombs, Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Fordo is responsible for uranium enrichment. The conflict initiated on June 13, as Israeli air strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, military locations, and high-ranking military personnel and nuclear scientists. In response, Iran has launched over 450 missiles and 1,000 drones towards Israel as per estimates by the Israeli army.
Israel’s sophisticated air defense systems have intercepted most of these deadly payloads. However, a minimum of 24 Israeli residents have been killed, with an unspecified number of wounded. Despite facing scrutiny, Iran has persistently insisted that its nuclear programs are purely for peaceful objectives. Notably, Iran is the sole non-nuclear-weapon country that enriches uranium up to 60%, only one technical step away from the weapon-grade enrichment levels of 90%.
Unofficially, Israel is renowned as the singular Middle Eastern nation possessing nuclear weapons, although there has never been official acknowledgement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been consistent in messaging that Israel’s military activities will endure till it has completely neutralized the potentially lethal threats posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its stockpile of ballistic missiles. As recent as Friday, Geneva witnessed unsuccessful talks on the matter.
European officials chose to maintain a hopeful stance for future communications. Iran’s Foreign Minister remained open to engaging in further dialogues but emphasized Tehran’s lack of interest in negotiating with the U.S., while Israel persists with its offensive. A subsequent round of discussions has not been scheduled yet.
The initial attack from Iran resulted in the deaths of three top military figures. The leadership of Iran has taken aim at the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, by blaming his commentary on the state of Iran’s nuclear program as the catalyst for Israel’s aggressive response.
During an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, Grossi, who heads the U.N. nuclear watchdog, cautioned against strikes on Iran’s nuclear reactors, expressly highlighting the commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. A successful attack on the Bushehr facility could, according to Grossi, result in ‘a substantial amount of radioactivity being released’.
Iran’s nuclear reactors were not the focus of Israel’s attacks. Instead, they concentrated on the principal uranium enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge manufacturing hubs near Tehran, research facilities in Isfahan, and the heavy water reactor in Arak, located southwest of the Iranian capital.
Prior to 2015, Iran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and permitted supervisory access to its nuclear sites to international inspectors as a part of sanctioned relief. However, Iran responded to Trump’s rescission of the U.S. from the pact during his initial term by enhancing uranium enrichment to 60% and restricting access to its nuclear facilities.
In recent dialogues regarding its nuclear program, Iran has insisted on its prerogative to enrich uranium albeit at lower concentrations.