What we know so far about the ‘massive and ongoing’ attack on Iran

Israel and the US have attacked Iran in a joint military strike, with explosions heard and filmed in Tehran. In retaliation, Iran has launched missile strikes on a number of other countries with US military interests.

Here’s what we know so far.

Why have Israel and the US attacked Iran?

The military action has been launched amid tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, with US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggesting in recent weeks that an attack was an option unless Iran agreed to his demands to rein it in.

A day before the strikes, he said he was “not happy” with the progress of talks with Iran’s leaders, as he insisted the regime “cannot have nuclear weapons”.

Trump, posting on his Truth Social platform after explosions were reported in Iran, said the objective of the strikes was to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people”.

“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world,” he said.

Trump urged Iranians to “take over your government”, telling them: “The hour of your freedom is at hand.”

What did the strikes target?

Iranian media reported that strikes were happening nationwide, from the capital Tehran to cities including Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah.

One apparent strike happened near the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reuters reported that he was not in Tehran at the time, and had been transferred to a secure location.

The military campaign is expected to focus on Iranian military sites. Trump said US forces would target Iran’s nuclear sites, its missile industry, its navy and its terrorist proxies.

Has Iran retaliated?

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has confirmed its armed forces have commenced what it says is a “decisive response to these hostile acts”.

In a statement, it told Iranians to seek refuge in areas not being targeted, saying the government had made prior arrangements to ensure the supply of basic necessities.

CNN says Iran’s state-affiliated media is also reporting that four US bases in the Middle East were targeted as a response to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran,

Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, and the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain were targeted by Iranian missile attacks, Fars news agency said, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

It is also being reported that the King Hussen Air Base in Jordan has been attacked.

Qatar’s Defence Ministry says its military shot down several missiles before they reached its space.

The ministry said the missiles were dealt with as soon as they were detected “in accordance with the pre-approved security plan”.

The Ministry of Defence emphasised that the Qatari Armed Forces possessed the full capabilities and resources to protect the country.

Loud booms were also heard in parts of Abu Dhabi, according to five witnesses, including two Reuters correspondents.

Is the US going to war with Iran?

Trump described the strikes as a “major combat operation”.

In the US, the power to formally declare war rests solely with Congress, which had not authorised the action.

“No president was willing to do what I am willing to tonight,” Trump said.

A US official told The New York Times the campaign could last several days, representing a far more forceful effort than America’s bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year.

Trump acknowledged that the US “may have casualties” as a result of the operation. He said General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had warned him that American troops could be killed or injured in a war with Iran.

Israel’s military detected ballistic missiles launched from Iran in response to the attack. American bases and embassies in the region were also on high alert, amid expectations that Tehran and its network of proxy paramilitary forces would strike at US interests.

What is Iran’s nuclear weapons capability?

Iran does not yet have a nuclear weapon, but as analysts from the Council on Foreign Relations wrote earlier this month, the regime has “a long history of engaging in secret nuclear weapons research in violation of its international commitments”.

In May last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran’s cache of near-weapons grade enriched uranium had increased by 50 per cent in three months. The US and Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s key nuclear facilities shortly after that.

Why have there been protests in Iran recently?

In late December, protests erupted across Iran which were initially sparked by economic grievances, with the country’s plunging currency causing skyrocketing inflation.

The protests spread rapidly and morphed into a widespread anti-government push, but the movement ended in January after the regime cut off internet access and authorised violence against those taking to the streets. Human rights activists feared the death toll would top 10,000.

How has the conflict affected flights around the world?

Israel, Iran and Iraq closed their airspace after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launched “preventive” airstrikes on Tehran.

Israel’s ministry of transport said the country closed its airspace and asked citizens to stay away from airports.

It added that it will alert passengers 24 hours before flights can resume.

Virgin Australia partner Qatar Airways has announced “the temporary suspension of its flights to, and from, Doha” due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

“Once usual operations resume, we anticipate delays to our flight schedule,” the airline said.

Qatar, through partner Virgin Australia, provides about 70 flights a week from Australia’s capital cities to Europe and the Middle East through its major hub in Doha.

Dubai-based Emirates has said the conflict has disrupted several of its flights thanks to the closure of the Persian Gulf region’s airspace.

“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements,” said the airline, which operates 77 weekly services between Australian capital cities and Dubai.

Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, cancelled flights from Singapore to Dubai and Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia.

Germany’s Lufthansa is suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon, and Oman until March 7 following the strikes on Iran, a company spokesperson said.

The airline is also suspending flights to and from Dubai on Saturday and Sunday, the spokesperson said.

KLM said it was cancelling flights from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv.

Air France is cancelling flights to and from Tel Aviv, and Air Arabia has cancelled flights to Iran, Iraq and other parts of the region.

What has been the global reaction?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the first foreign leaders to weigh in on America’s attack on Iran.

He said Australia “stands with the brave people of Iran in their struggle against oppression”.

“We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security,” Albanese added.

“It has long been recognised that Iran’s nuclear program is a threat to global peace and security. The international community has been clear that the Iranian regime can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.“

The European Union issued a statement where it called Israel and the US’ attacks on Iran “perilous”, but stopped short of criticism against Netanyahu and Trump. Instead, it strongly rebuked Islamic Republic.

“Iran’s regime has killed thousands. Its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, along with support for terror groups, pose a serious threat to global security. The EU has adopted strong sanctions against Iran and supported diplomatic solutions, including on the nuclear issue”, said the organisation’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the US-Israeli strikes on Iran as “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state”, demanding an immediate halt to the military campaign and a return to diplomacy.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he would not accept anyone dragging “the country into adventures that threaten its security and unity”, in an indirect message to the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

With Chris Zappone, AP, Reuters

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