New Delhi, June 22: Iran has launched a fresh wave of missiles toward Israel in what appears to be a sharp retaliation following U.S. airstrikes on three of its most critical nuclear sites. Multiple blasts over Jerusalem were heard. This comes shortly after the Israel Defence Forces’ warning of incoming Iranian missiles.
According to CNN, Israel’s military confirmed the attack early Sunday and urged citizens to immediately seek shelter. “A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel,” the Israel defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement carried by CNN. “Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” it added, urging the public to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.”
This marks the first missile barrage from Tehran since U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that American B-2 bombers had struck Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities. The escalation has now thrown the region into a dangerous new phase of conflict, prompting fears of a broader war.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), strongly condemned the U.S. strikes, calling them a “grave violation” of international norms. “The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” Araghchi said. “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”
He further accused Washington of breaching the UN Charter and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): “The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations,” reports CNN.
While Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful energy purposes, international experts have long expressed concerns. The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has noted that Iran possesses uranium enrichment capabilities unmatched by any other non-nuclear weapons state.
The U.S. strikes, confirmed by the President of the U.S., BBC and Reuters, targeted three of Iran’s most fortified nuclear installations:
Fordo, a deeply buried enrichment facility carved into a mountain near Qom; Natanz, the centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts; and Isfahan, home to a key uranium conversion plant.
According to the BBC, the attack was carried out using B-2 Spirit stealth bombers equipped with the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator — the only weapon capable of breaching the reinforced bunkers at Fordo. In a live address from the White House, President Trump, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, declared the mission a resounding success. ” Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump sadi in his White House statement. Earlier, B-2 bombers were quietly repositioned to Guam, raising speculation of an impending strike. Now that the attacks have taken place, observers say the geopolitical stakes have dramatically shifted.
Across Asia people woke up to news that the Fordo site, housing Iran’s most secretive enrichment efforts had been hit. The immediate question, analysts say, is whether this U.S. action brings the Israel-Iran conflict closer to resolution, or whether it marks the beginning of a far more dangerous and unpredictable phase. For now, the skies above Israel are once again lit up by missile defence systems, as fallout from a widened war that enters into ninth day continues to unfold
