Donald Trump has warned Iran to make a nuclear deal or face “slaughter” as fears of all-out war in the Middle East grow. The US president issued the stark warning after Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion” in the early hours of Friday morning, attacking Tehran’s nuclear facilities and military commanders.
Israel said around 200 Israeli Air Force aircraft dropped 330 munitions on around 100 targets, including ballistic missile factories. At least 20 senior commanders were killed, two regional sources said, reportedly including the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force. Iran warned “the gates of hell will open” in retaliation, while Israel said the strikes were only the start of its campaign.
“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal,” Trump said on Friday. “There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left.”
Britain and the US both denied any involvement in Israel’s attack. While Sir Keir Starmer convened an emergency Cobra meeting and urged restraint, Trump labelled the attack “excellent” and said Washington had been informed beforehand. “We gave them a chance [to strike a nuclear deal] and they didn’t take it,” he said. “They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more.”
Tehran was among six cities struck in the overnight attack, which Iran said killed six nuclear scientists and several top commanders, including Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Mossad operatives also conducted covert sabotage missions targeting Iran’s air defence systems, including building a drone base near Tehran, a security source told the Times of Israel.
Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz was damaged, but no radioactive contamination was found outside the site. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran’s nuclear facilities in Isfahan were not impacted. The UN’s nuclear watchdog warned that any military action jeopardising safety could have severe consequences.
