On Sunday, June 22, news broke that the US had bombed Iranian nuclear sites, inserting itself into the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

Earlier in June, Israel launched surprise attacks against Iran, targeting military and nuclear sites. In justifying the attack, Israel argued that it was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Israel is also widely believed to have its own nuclear weapons, though the nation has neither confirmed nor denied.

Iran responded by saying that its nuclear programme is peaceful and retaliated by launching hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel. For over a week, the two countries have continued to exchange strikes.

According to Washington-based group Human Rights Activists, over 950 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Iran, with many more wounded. In Israel, more than 24 people died as a result of Iranian attacks, with more than 1,000 injured.

In the night between Saturday and Sunday, the US targeted three nuclear facilities with bunker-buster bombs, wading its way into the conflict between Israel and Iran. During a press conference, Chairman of the US military chiefs Dan Caine said they believe that the operation caused “extremely severe damage and destruction”.

Speaking at the same event, US defence minister Pete Hegseth said that the strikes did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people, adding that the mission “was not, and has not been about regime change”.

Hegseth also confirmed that the Trump administration did not inform Congress before launching the strikes. The announcement of the operation came only two days after Trump had given Iran a two-week deadline to engage in nuclear peace negotiations.

During an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani said that the US had “decided to destroy diplomacy.” He added that the Iranian military will decide the “timing, nature and scale” of a “proportionate response.”

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the operation revealed how the US was “behind” Israel’s aggression against his country. He added that the US “must receive a response for their aggression”.

“We have always stated that we are ready to engage and negotiate within the framework of international law, but instead of accepting logic, the other side has demanded the surrender of the Iranian nation,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has flown to Moscow to coordinate with their ally, Russia.

The strikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities mark a significant escalation in the conflict between Iran and Israel. The latter said that they were in “full coordination” with the US in planning the operation against Iran.

As the two Middle Eastern countries keep exchanging attacks, Israel also continued its invasion of Gaza. Israel’s military campaign on the Strip has killed over 55,000 people and injured thousands more since the country launched its offensive in October 2023.

A recent EU review into Israel’s actions in Gaza highlighted the severe and continued restriction of food and medicines into Gaza, which, according to Taoiseach Micheál Martin, “amounts to the use of starvation as a method of war”.

The review “describes an unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians in Gaza resulting from indiscriminate attacks without proportion or precaution, as well as attacks on hospitals, forced mass displacements and the killing of journalists. All of this with a persistent lack of accountability.”

He added: “We will now work with partners to follow up on this important report with concrete steps, and I will be discussing it with my colleagues in the European Council when we meet next week.”

Did you know that this Pride month you can support GCN by donating €1 when you shop online with PayPal? Simply select GCN at checkout or add us as your favourite charity* at this link to support Ireland’s free LGBTQ+ media.

*GCN is a trading name of National LGBT Federation CLG, a registered charity – Charity Number: 20034580.