US strikes ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ on Iran
Iran says ready to defend itself by ‘all necessary means’

TEHRAN, June 22, 2025 (Net) – Iran said on Sunday that it was ready to defend itself by “all necessary means” after unprecedented US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
“Iran is resolutely determined to defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and people by all necessary means,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X, condemn-ing what he described as an “unconscionable act of aggression — perpetrated by a nuclear-armed state… against a non-nuclear weapon country”.
The United States attacked three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel’s war aimed at de-stroying the Iranian nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict as Tehran accused Washington of launching “a dangerous war.”
U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that Iran’s key nuclear sites were “completely and fully obliterat-ed” in an address to the nation from the White House.
Hours later, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the time for diplomacy had passed and that his country had the right to defend itself, saying the U.S. had “crossed a very big red line.”
“The warmongering, a lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dan-gerous consequences and far reaching implications of its act of aggression,” he told reporters in Turkey in the first comments by a high-ranking Iranian official since the strikes.
Iran is a close ally of Russia, and has actively supported it in its war on Ukraine, supplying it with attack drones. Araghchi said he would be flying immediately to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin “and coordinate our positions.”
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped. Both Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination around the three locations following the strikes.
Satellite images by Planet Labs PBC taken after the American strikes, analyzed by The Associated Press, show damage to the Fordo facility, which is dug deep into a mountain, while light gray smoke lingered in the air.
It was not clear whether the U.S. would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a war with Iran for nine days. Countries around the globe are calling for diplomacy and no further escalation. Trump acted without congressional authorization, and he also warned there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against U.S. forces.
“There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,” he said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Washington had “betrayed diplomacy” with the military strikes in support of Israel, and said that “the U.S. has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran.”
Hours after the U.S. strikes, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a barrage of 40 missiles at Israel, including its Khorramshahr-4, which can carry multiple warheads. Israeli authorities reported that more than 80 people suffered mostly minor injuries, though one multi-story building in Tel Aviv was significantly damaged, with its entire façade torn away to expose the apartments inside. Houses across the street were almost completely destroyed.
Following the Iranian barrage, Israel’s military said it had “swiftly neutralized” the Iranian missile launchers that had fired and that it had begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran.
While, in Washington, US signals willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid prolonged war
The Trump administration on Sunday signaled a willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid a pro-longed war in the aftermath of a surprise attack on three of the country’s nuclear sites as US officials assessed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and the threat of retaliation against American interests.
President Donald Trump, who had addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, al-lowed his national security team to speak for him the next morning, staying quiet on social media and scheduling no public appearances.