World Iran Vs Israel 2025 War Discussion

[Saif]

How much damage has Israel inflicted on Iran's nuclear programme?

Experts told AFP that while the attacks had caused some damage to Iran's nuclear programme, they are unlikely to have delivered a fatal blow.

en.prothomalo.com

How much damage has Israel inflicted on Iran's nuclear programme?
AFP Vienna
Updated: 17 Jun 2025, 21: 53

This handout satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Isfahan nuclear enrichment facility in central Iran on 14 June 2025, after it was hit by Israeli strikes. Launched early on 13 June 2025, AFP

Israel's strikes on Iran have targeted several of its nuclear facilities as it claims the country is seeking to develop nuclear weapons -- an accusation Tehran denies.

Experts told AFP that while the attacks had caused some damage to Iran's nuclear programme, they are unlikely to have delivered a fatal blow.

Here is an update on Iran's nuclear sites as of Tuesday.

What is the extent of the damage?

Israel's operation included strikes on Iran's underground uranium enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow, and on its Isfahan nuclear site, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, citing Iranian officials.

A key, above-ground component of Iran's Natanz nuclear site has been destroyed, including its power infrastructure, the IAEA reported Monday.

The UN watchdog added Tuesday that satellite images indicated possible "direct impacts" on the underground section of the plant, where thousands of centrifuges are operating to enrich uranium.

At the underground Fordow enrichment plant, Iran's second uranium enrichment facility, the IAEA said it observed "no damage" following the attacks.

At the Isfahan nuclear site, however, "four buildings were damaged" -- the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and a metal processing facility under construction, the IAEA said.

Significant uranium stockpiles are believed to be stored around the Isfahan site.

Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group's Iran project director, told AFP that if Iran managed to transfer significant quantities to "secret facilities," then "the game is lost for Israel".

Iran's only nuclear power plant, the Bushehr plant, was not targeted, nor was the Tehran research reactor.

Can the programme be destroyed?

While "Israel can damage Iran's nuclear programme... it is unlikely to be able to destroy it," Vaez said, saying that Israel did not have the massively powerful bombs needed "to destroy the fortified, bunkered facilities in Natanz and Fordow".

Destroying those would require US military assistance, added Kelsey Davenport, an expert with the Arms Control Association.

She also noted that Israel's unprecedented attack would not erase the expertise Iran had built up on nuclear weapons, despite killing nine Iranian nuclear scientists.

What are the risks to the Iranian population?

The IAEA has not detected any increase in radiation levels at the affected sites.

"There is very little risk that attacks on Iran's uranium enrichment facilities would result in a harmful radiation release," Davenport said.

But an attack on the Bushehr plant could "have a serious impact on health and the environment", she said.

After Israel launched its strikes, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said that nuclear facilities "must never be attacked" and that targeting Iranian sites could have "grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond".

Is Iran close to developing a nuclear bomb?

After the United States under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from a landmark deal that sought to curb Tehran's nuclear activities, Iran has gradually retreated from some of its obligations, particularly on uranium enrichment.

As of mid-May, the country had an estimated 408.6 kilogrammes (900 pounds) enriched to up to 60 percent -- just a short step from the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Iran theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for about 10 nuclear bombs, according to the definition by the Vienna-based IAEA.

Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed state producing uranium to this level of enrichment, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

How much damage has Israel inflicted on Iran's nuclear programme?

While the IAEA has been critical of Iran's lack of cooperation with the UN body, it says there are "no credible indications of an ongoing, undeclared structured nuclear programme".

Tehran has consistently denied ambitions to develop nuclear warheads.

But Davenport warned that the strikes could strengthen factions in Iran advocating for an atomic arsenal.

"Israel's strikes set Iran back technically, but politically the strikes are pushing Iran closer to nuclear weapons," she said.​

 

[Saif]

Trump may take further action against Iran nuclear program: VP Vance

Vice President JD Vance said this Tuesday, responding to speculation that the United States could intervene in the conflict.

en.prothomalo.com

Trump may take further action against Iran nuclear program: VP Vance
AFP Washington
Updated: 17 Jun 2025, 21: 50

US Vice President JD Vance AFP

President Donald Trump may decide that "further action" is needed to stop Iran's nuclear program, Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday, responding to speculation that the United States could intervene in the conflict.

"The president has shown remarkable restraint in keeping our military's focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens. He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment," Vance said in a post on X.​

 

[Egyptian]

 

[Saif]

Trump says wants 'real end' to Israel-Iran conflict, not ceasefire

US President Donald Trump said he wants a "real end" to the conflict between Israel and Iran, not just a ceasefire.

en.prothomalo.com

Trump says wants 'real end' to Israel-Iran conflict, not ceasefire
AFP Tehran
Published: 17 Jun 2025, 20: 33

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the G7 Summit aboard Air Force One while travelling back to Washington from Canada on 16 June 2025. AFP

US President Donald Trump said he wants a "real end" to the conflict between Israel and Iran, not just a ceasefire, as the arch foes traded fire for a fifth day on Tuesday.

The escalating clashes saw Israeli warplanes target military sites in Iran, killing a senior commander and drawing retaliatory missile fire from Iran.

Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem shortly after air raid sirens sounded in many parts of Israel following missile launches from Iran, the Israeli military said.

The air force was "operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat", the military said.

About 20 minutes later, it said people could leave shelters as police reported debris fell in the Tel Aviv area and the fire brigade said it was tackling a blaze in the surrounding area.

The Israeli military said it killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani in an overnight strike on a "command centre in the heart of Tehran", just four days after his predecessor, Golam Ali Rashid, was killed in a similar Israeli attack.

It also said it targeted multiple missile and drone sites in west Iran, including infrastructure, launchers and storage facilities, with black-and-white footage showing some of them exploding.

Despite mounting calls to de-escalate, neither side has backed off from the missile blitz that began Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented aerial campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities.

A new wave of Israeli strikes on Tehran -- including a dramatic hit on state television headquarters that the broadcaster said killed three people -- prompted both sides to activate missile defence systems overnight.

A cyberattack on Tuesday crippled Sepah Bank, one of Iran's main state-owned banks, the Fars news agency reported.

'Complete give-up'

Trump said on Tuesday that he wanted a "complete give-up" by Iran in return for peace.

"I'm not looking for a ceasefire, we're looking at better than a ceasefire," he told reporters on the plane home after cutting short his attendance at a Group of Seven summit in Canada.

Trump again warned Iran against targeting US troops and assets in the Middle East, saying "we'll come down so hard, it'd be gloves off".

Trump had earlier issued an extraordinary warning on his Truth Social platform, saying: "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"

Trump has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he has said Washington was not involved in initial strikes.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the United States was deploying "additional capabilities" to the Middle East.

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left Southeast Asia Monday, scrapping a planned Vietnam port call, amid reports it was heading to the region.

China accused Trump of "pouring oil" on the conflict.

"Making threats and mounting pressure will not help to promote the de-escalation of the situation, but will only intensify and widen the conflict," said foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched its surprise air campaign last week, saying it aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran denies.

Iran has responded with multiple missile salvos. The Revolutionary Guards vowed Monday night the attacks would continue "without interruption until dawn".

State television said the Tel Aviv headquarters of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency was among the Guards' targets.

G7 urges de-escalation

The escalation has derailed nuclear talks and stoked fears of broader conflict.

At least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.

Netanyahu said Israel was "changing the face of the Middle East, and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself".

Iran's ISNA news agency quoted a medical official saying all doctors and nurses had their leave cancelled and were ordered to remain at medical centres.

International calls for calm have mounted.

At the G7 summit, leaders including Trump called Monday for "de-escalation" while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself.

"We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza", G7 leaders said in a joint statement that also affirmed "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon".

The United States and Iran had engaged in several rounds of indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear programme in recent weeks, but Iran said after the start of Israel's campaign that it would not negotiate while under attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that "absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue".

"It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy," he wrote on X.​

 

[PakistanProud]

Asim Munir with a Pro Israeli Pakistani:

 

[Saif]

Xi ‘deeply worried’ by Iran, Israel conflict

Chinese president Xi Jinping said Tuesday he was ‘deeply worried’ by Israel’s military action against Iran, as China also accused US leader Donald Trump of ‘pouring oil’ on the mounting conflict.

www.newagebd.net

Xi ‘deeply worried’ by Iran, Israel conflict
Agence France-Presse . Beijing 17 June, 2025, 23:02

Chinese president Xi Jinping. | File photo

Chinese president Xi Jinping said Tuesday he was ‘deeply worried’ by Israel’s military action against Iran, as China also accused US leader Donald Trump of ‘pouring oil’ on the mounting conflict.

Following decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched a surprise aerial campaign last week against targets across Iran, saying it aimed to prevent its arch-foe from acquiring atomic weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.

The sudden flare-up in hostilities has sparked fears of a wider conflict, with Trump urging Iran back to the negotiating table after Israel’s attacks derailed on-going nuclear talks.

Trump also issued an extraordinary warning on his Truth Social platform: ‘Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!’

Asked about Trump’s remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: ‘Fanning the flames, pouring oil, making threats and mounting pressure will not help to promote the de-escalation of the situation, but will only intensify and widen the conflict.

‘The Chinese side calls on all relevant parties, especially countries with special influence on Israel, to shoulder their responsibilities, take immediate measures to de-escalate tensions, and prevent the conflict from expanding and spreading.’

China’s president Xi Jinping called for de-escalation of the conflict ‘as soon as possible’ during a meeting with Uzbekistan’s president in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, state media reported.

‘Israel launching military action against Iran has caused a sudden escalation in tension in the Middle East, China is deeply worried about this,’ Xi said, according to Xinhua.

‘We oppose any act that infringes upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries.’

China’s embassies in Iran and Israel also urged Chinese citizens to leave the countries ‘as soon as possible’, after Israel and Iran traded heavy strikes.

‘The Chinese Embassy in Iran has coordinated with the Iranian side to facilitate outbound travel and reminds Chinese citizens currently in Iran to leave the country... as soon as possible’, the embassy in Tehran said in an online statement.

It suggested border crossings with Turkey, Armenia, and Turkmenistan as possible routes out.

China’s embassy in Israel urged citizens to depart ‘in the direction of Jordan’ as it warned that the conflict was ‘continuing to escalate’.

‘Much civilian infrastructure has been damaged, civilian casualties are on the rise, and the security situation is becoming more serious,’ it said in a post on WeChat.​

 

[Saif]

Is the world close to a nuke radiation incident?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities has sparked concerns among sections of the global community, atomic energy regulators and experts on the risks of nuclear contamination.

www.thedailystar.net

ISRAEL’S ATTACKS ON IRAN
Is the world close to a nuke radiation incident?

Experts say Israel’s attacks on Iran’s atomic facilities have increased fears of nuclear and chemical contamination

People arrive with their luggage before the departure of buses evacuating foreign passport holders, mainly European and Polish nationals, from Israel at a meeting point in Tel Aviv yesterday. The operation, coordinated by the Polish embassy, aims to evacuate several hundred people who will board buses headed to Sinai, Egypt, and then continue to Warsaw, Poland. Photo: AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to launch strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities has sparked concerns among sections of the global community, atomic energy regulators and experts on the risks of nuclear contamination.

WHAT DID THE IAEA SAY?

Addressing an urgent session of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on Monday, Grossi said radiation levels appear normal outside both the Natanz nuclear installation and another facility in Isfahan also targeted in Israeli strikes.

However, the IAEA director general warned that military escalation "increases the chance of a radiological release". Grossi had on Friday told the UN Security Council that Israel's strike on Natanz destroyed the above-ground part of the facility. While the main centrifuge facility underground was not hit, it lost power because of the attack.

HAVE NUKE FACILITIES BEEN HIT BEFORE?

Al Jazeera cannot find a record of an operational nuclear installation coming under attack, but power plants have often been attacked while under construction – mostly in the Middle East.

A week into the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, Iran's Operation Scorch Sword damaged Iraq's unfinished Osirak nuclear reactor in the world's first attack on a nuclear power plant.

Israel conducted another air attack the following year, destroying the French-built reactor in Operation Opera. A decade later, US Operation Desert Storm attacked the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Centre, of which Osirak was a part.

Iraq also attacked Iran's incomplete nuclear reactor at Bushehr during the Iran-Iraq War, damaging it. The Soviet Union eventually completed the reactor in the early 2000s, and it went into operation in 2009.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dan Smith, the head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said the world has rarely been in much danger from accidental nuclear weapons use. Previously, risks have primarily arisen from the threat of miscalculations.

"The last time that there was open information to show we were so close to disaster is the Petrov incident in September 1983 – a false alarm in the Soviet early warning system that he [an engineer] refused to report," Smith said.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR ADDED TO RISKS TOO?

A more recent nuclear contamination scare came early in Russia's invasion of Ukraine when it seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on March 4, 2022. The ZNPP has six reactors, and it stands on the left bank of the Dnipro River, which forms part of the front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

The IAEA eventually intervened to ensure all six reactors were powered down and hostilities around the plant ceased, but the plant still needs a steady supply of water and electricity to cool spent fuel rods and reactors.​

 

[Saif]

Disinformation and the Israel-Iran conflict

In the unfolding Israel-Iran conflict, disinformation is not peripheral—it is central.

www.thedailystar.net

Disinformation and the Israel-Iran conflict

A man looks at an Iranian daily newspaper, displaying an image of an explosion in Israel, at a newsstand in Tehran on June 15, 2025. PHOTO: AFP

In the high-stakes theatre of Middle Eastern geopolitics, few rivalries are as fraught and consequential as that between Israel and Iran. Their confrontation, long waged through proxies, covert operations, and cyberwarfare, has increasingly become a war not only of missiles and militias but also of narratives and perception. As the spectre of full-scale conflict looms, disinformation emerges not merely as a side-effect of war, but as a weapon of war itself. This is not unique to the Israel-Iran standoff. Recent conflicts such as the Ukraine-Russia war, and even the brief but intense India-Pakistan clashes, reveal how disinformation is now central to shaping international sympathy, diplomatic alignments, and battlefield legitimacy.

Disinformation—intentionally misleading or false information—has assumed a strategic role in contemporary warfare, shaping the informational terrain upon which public opinion, international diplomacy, and battlefield decisions rest. In the Israel-Iran conflict, disinformation is used to justify pre-emptive strikes, delegitimise opponents, rally domestic support, and neutralise global condemnation. Unlike the propaganda of the 20th century, today's disinformation is algorithmically amplified, digitally disseminated to be globally consequential. Crucially, it is disproportionately and deliberately shaped by a powerful consortium of US, Israeli, and European intelligence infrastructures—granting one side a decisive upper hand in monopolising interpretation and totalising perception on the global stage.

Psychological warfare by other means

For both Israel and Iran, the goal is to shape how their actions are perceived rather than merely to carry them out. Israel often justifies its operations as preventive measures against existential threats. When Iranian-backed militias are targeted in Syria or Gaza, Israeli officials frame their actions as limited, precise, and necessary. Iran, conversely, portrays such attacks as unlawful aggression, appealing to international norms and casting itself as the victim of Zionist and imperialist designs.

Yet these competing narratives are rarely anchored in transparent evidence. Casualty figures are selectively reported; satellite images are curated or doctored; and metadata is manipulated. But the informational advantage lies squarely with Israel and its allies. With robust support from the US and European intelligence agencies—often with access to global surveillance systems, sophisticated AI-driven media monitoring, and diplomatic channels—Israel enjoys a structural upper hand in controlling the flow and framing of information.

This intelligence collaboration doesn't simply defend interests. It pre-empts critique. Leaked dossiers, anonymous briefings to Western media, and selective disclosures are orchestrated to generate strategic doubt about Iran's intentions while shielding Israel's actions under a cloak of necessity and legitimacy.

Weaponising social media

The battleground has expanded from physical territory to digital terrain. On platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, Instagram, and TikTok, armies of bots, trolls, and ideologically aligned influencers wage a perpetual contest over meaning. Israel, bolstered by its cyber units and coordinated hasbara (public diplomacy) efforts, systematically targets trending narratives, deploying content that emphasises Iranian threat perceptions and casts its own military responses as moral imperatives.

Iran, meanwhile, leverages a network of regional proxies and sympathetic voices in the Global South to counter this narrative. But Iran's digital influence—fragmented, reactionary, and linguistically segmented—rarely achieves the same reach or credibility in the Western mainstream. The asymmetry is glaring: Israeli-aligned privileged narratives often appear in prestigious outlets through op-eds, embedded journalism, and think tank publications, while Iranian messaging is filtered through the lens of suspicion and delegitimisation.

Here, the algorithm becomes an ally. Content critical of Israel or sympathetic to Palestinians or Iran is more frequently suppressed, flagged, or shadow-banned on Western platforms—a reflection of the deeper entanglement between Silicon Valley, Washington, and Tel Aviv.

The proxy dimension

Proxy groups further complicate this information ecosystem. Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria, and Hamas in Gaza operate not only as military actors but as narrative warriors. Through videos, statements, and martyrdom imagery, they craft emotional appeals aimed at mobilising regional solidarity and global outrage. These tactics often blur the line between information and spectacle.

But proxies also provide Iran with plausible deniability. When disinformation is disseminated through unofficial channels, Iran can distance itself while still benefiting from the resulting confusion or sympathy. Israel, in turn, leverages this ambiguity to cast wide suspicion on all Iranian activities, branding even peaceful dissent as subversive or terror-linked.

The disinformation advantage here again rests with Israel and its allies, who can quickly flood the zone with counter-narratives, backed by deep intelligence archives, press access, and institutional trust.

Influencing international diplomacy

Disinformation does not remain confined to the Middle East. Both states aim to sway international institutions and shape global policy. Israel frequently raises alarms about Iran's nuclear ambitions, sometimes leaking or selectively interpreting intelligence. These revelations, often disseminated through Western think tanks and friendly journalists, are rarely scrutinised with the same rigour applied to Iranian claims.

Iran counters by alleging that such leaks are fabrications designed to incite pre-emptive war or sanctions. But lacking equal access to global media platforms and credibility with Western audiences, Iran struggles to gain traction. This imbalance tilts diplomatic outcomes: sanctions regimes, arms sales, and UN resolutions are often influenced by narratives crafted within Western echo chambers, many of which are informed by intelligence sourced from or aligned with Israeli interests.

Suppressing dissent, manufacturing consent

Internally, disinformation serves a dual purpose: discrediting foreign adversaries and stifling domestic dissent. Iran frequently invokes the spectre of Israeli sabotage or Western espionage to delegitimise protests and arrest critics, labelling them foreign agents. Israel, particularly during military escalations, equates opposition to its actions with antisemitism or treachery, creating a climate of fear that chills journalistic and academic freedom.

This convergence of security, nationalism, and information control is hardly unique to these states, but its intensity in the Israel-Iran conflict illustrates how disinformation has become central to regime maintenance. In both societies, the space for debate narrows as truth itself becomes suspect.

A new type of fog: Epistemic chaos

The classical "fog of war" refers to the uncertainty commanders face in the chaos of combat. Today, that fog is epistemic. What is real? What is manipulated? What is staged? In the Israel-Iran conflict, this is no accident—it is design. The goal is not to assert a truth, but to overwhelm the informational field with conflicting claims, delaying action and deepening division.

Israel's alliance with Western media ecosystems and intelligence apparatuses ensures that its narratives often appear first, and more authoritatively. Iran, in contrast, must labour to dispute these with fewer tools, less credibility, and greater risk. This epistemological asymmetry renders global publics and policymakers vulnerable to persuasion through repetition rather than verification.

Disinformation as a weapon of mass distraction

In the unfolding Israel-Iran conflict, disinformation is not peripheral—it is central. But unlike a level playing field of contested claims, the disinformation war is lopsided. With algorithmic amplification and the strategic backing of US and European intelligence and media infrastructures, Israel wields disproportionate influence over what becomes the dominant narrative.

This is not to exonerate Iran or diminish its own manipulations, but to highlight how power shapes perception. Disinformation erodes trust—not just in states, but in the very notion of shared reality. If the international community hopes to de-escalate this volatile confrontation, it must confront the narrative imbalance embedded in the architecture of digital and diplomatic power.

Complicating this landscape further is the deepening division within the US political establishment—between the interventionist neoconservative camp, long aligned with Israeli strategic ambitions, and the MAGA-aligned isolationist right, which remains staunchly opposed to being drawn into another Middle Eastern quagmire, particularly one driven by regime-change aspirations. This internal fracture plays out in the disinformation arena as well, with conflicting leaks, contradictory messaging, and politicised intelligence shaping the narratives that reach both domestic and international audiences. Ironically, this discord—rooted in partisan self-interest rather than principled restraint—has so far acted as a brake on full-scale US involvement, frustrating efforts by more hawkish elements to entangle Washington in "finishing the job" Israel may have initiated.

That said, the imperative is clear: invest in genuinely independent journalism, establish multilateral verification frameworks, and enforce accountability on digital platforms. In an age where virality eclipses veracity—and where intelligence leaks parade as journalism—truth is not merely compromised; it is systematically dismantled. In this asymmetrical information war, that erosion of truth may be the most perilous casualty of all.

Dr Faridul Alam is a retired academic who writes from New York, US.​