UN urges restraint as Israel strikes Iran
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on June 13 urged both Iran and Israel to exercise "maximum restraint" amid a sudden escalation between the two states following Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear installations. Condemning the Israeli strikes, the statement from the secretary-general's office expressed concerns about a wider conflagration throughout the Middle East, warning that "a descent into deeper conflict" would be "a situation that the region can hardly afford."
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also issued a statement expressing concerns over the development, stating:
[N]uclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment. Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security.
Grossi confirmed that the Natanz nuclear site had been impacted, with the Isfahan and Fordow sites also expected to be targeted. He emphasized that "any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes" is a violation of the UN Charter, and the Statue of the IAEA, as stipulated in the agency's previous resolutions, namely GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533.
Iran ratified the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) in 1970 as one of the original signatories, and also concluded a Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, which entered into force in 1974. Since Iran’s disclosure of its nuclear program in 2002, it has been repeatedly found to be in breach of international safeguard agreements. The nuclear program is also at issue in diplomatic tension between the US and Iran. With the Israeli strikes, Iran has withdrawn from the next round of nuclear talks scheduled for Oman.
In an official statement released shortly after Israel launched its assault on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) justified the attack as a "preemptive strike," citing that Iran's nuclear program has "reached the point of no return."
Israel's assertion follows a resolution adopted by the IAEA's Board of Governors just hours before the air-strikes began, which found that Iran had failed to meet its NPT obligations by conducting secret activities involving undeclared nuclear material at three locations. The board urged Iran to immediately remedy non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement by taking all necessary measures and engaging in constructive diplomatic dialogue with the US to address international concerns related to Iran's nuclear activities.
From JURIST, June 13. Used with permission. Internal links added.
US role in 'Operation Rising Lion'
The US says it's helping to intercept missiles being fired into Israel by Iran in retaliation for "Operation Rising Lion," in which Israeli strikes have killed top Iranian military officers and targeted Iran's nuclear facilities.
The US response to the strikes appears to have evolved over the hours. In an initial statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran."
But President Trump told multiple reporters the US knew an Israeli attack was coming, warning in one interview that there is "more to come, a lot more," and in another saying that Iran "should now come to the table to make a deal before it's too late." (NewsHour)
Death toll in Israel-Iran strikes
Israel and Iran exchanged missile barrages for a third straight day June 15. Human rights groups say Israel's strikes have killed at least 406 people in Iran, while the death toll in Israel rose overnight to 13. (NewsHour)
Trump threatens to join Israel's war with Iran
President Donald Trump said on June 19 that he would decide "within the next two weeks" if the United States will join Israel’s war with Iran. Since Israel launched its campaign on June 12—based on the claim that Tehran already has the capability to build nine nuclear bombs—at least 263 Iranian civilians have been killed by Israeli bombardments, according to a Washington-based rights group with networks in Iran. Israel says Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 Israelis. Both sides are accused of hitting civilian targets. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was "appalled" by Israel's bombing of the headquarters of an Iranian state media corporation during a live broadcast, which killed two people. Iran, meanwhile, said it was targeting a military site in Beersheba when one of its missiles landed on a hospital. Israel's deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel called the hospital strike "deliberate" and "criminal." Israel's critics were quick to point out the hypocrisy, noting Israel's consistent targeting of medical facilities in Gaza over the last 20 months.
Trump is being urged by some to enter the fray, specifically to take out a key underground uranium enrichment facility with a "bunker-buster" bomb that only the US possesses. But some of the president’s key allies are warning against US involvement, questioning how it will advance his "America First" agenda or be in keeping with his vow to end foreign wars. European officials were holding talks on June 20 with the Iranian foreign minister in Geneva, ostensibly to seek a diplomatic solution centred on a new US proposal to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. Israel is believed to have possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960s. (TNH)
Trump enters war with Iran
US B-2 bombers have struck the nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and the underground facility of Fordow—where a bunker-buster was apparently used. Trump warned of more strikes "if peace does not come quickly." Benjamin Netanyahu called the bombings a "bold decision." (NYT)