Operation Rising Lion / True Promise III - Iran vs Israel
On the night of 12-13 June 2025, Israel conducted a unilateral operation with multiples waves of airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear program as well as Iran's military chain of command and facilities. The attacks were first reported around 3:00 a.m. local time on Friday 13 June, in Tehran, followed by additional explosions in other provinces across the country. In all, a dozens of facilities across Iran had been struck in the first of multiple waves of airstrikes.
Among the facilities targeted were Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, the heavy water production facility at Arak., and othr sites in Khorramabad, Khondab among others.
According to a video address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the preemptive operation was expected to "continue for as many days as it takes. This operation will hurt Iran's nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories and its military capabilities." Iran's nuclear scientists and its ballistic missiles program were also targeted.
Voicing his hope that Operation Rising Lion would pave the way for regime change in Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in an address to the Iranian People that:
The objective of Israel's operation is to thwart the Islamic regime's nuclear and ballistic missile threat to us. As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom.
In the past 24 hours, we have taken out top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime's most significant enrichment facility and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal. More is on the way. The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker.
This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard.
The attacks followed the day prior a resolution being voted by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), declaring that Iran is not complying with its obligations regarding nuclear non-proliferation. Following the vote, a joint statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (A.E.O.I.) declared that "the Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution," and that the head of the A.E.O.I. had issued orders to establish a new uranium enrichment facility in a secure location and to increase production of enriched fissile material by replacing first-generation centrifuges at the Fordow enrichment site with advanced IR-6 machines.
US Secretary of State Rubio, released a statement distancing the United States from Israel's strikes, stating that "we are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel." President Trump had expressed his preference for diplomatic talks and discussed this issue, with both US and Iranian sides initiallly due to pursue a sixth round talks in Muscat, Oman that upcoming Sunday.
On June 11, the US State Department announced that the United States had started withdrawing nonessential staff from the Middle East, with the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, reportedly preparing for an emergency evacuation. US government staff in neighboring countries were also reported to have been given the option to relocate.
Israel Katz, Israel's Minister of Defense declared a special state of emergency for the entire country, expecting retaliation by Iran.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, issued a statement saying that "with this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself — and it will undoubtedly face it". Following this, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israel in its first retaliatory move, with most of these reportedly intercepted by Israel defenses. Additionally, a number of appointments were made to replace commanders killed by Israel. This included Major General Mohammad Pakpour as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (replacing Hossein Salami) and Major. General Abdolrahim Mousavi as chief of staff of the army (replacing Mohammad Bagheri). Ali Shadmani was promoted to the rank of major general in charge of a major command unit (suceeding Gholam Ali Rashid).
Multiple regional countries condemned Israel's military operation, including Saudi Arabia which expressed "its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms". Turkey and Russia also strongly condemened the attacks. UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement asking both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed on 21 June 2025 that a large nuclear complex in Esfahan had been targeted for a second time during Israel's attacks on Iran over the past nine days, with several more buildings struck. Six buildings were struck duing that attack: a natural and depleted uranium metal production facility which had not yet begun operations, a fuel rod production facility, a building with low-enriched uranium pellet production as well as a laboratory and nuclear material storage, another laboratory building, a workshop handling contaminated equipment and an office building with no nuclear material. In addition, the IAEA had reported that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop - which made the machines used to enrich uranium - had been struck by Israel. That site had previously been under IAEA monitoring and verification as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including with installed Agency cameras.
IAEA Director General Grossi reported on 20 June 2025, that four buildings at Esfahan were damaged in Israel's 13 June 2025 attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor-fuel manufacturing plant, and the enriched uranium metal processing facility, which was under construction. However, no increase of off-site radiation levels was reported. As in Natanz, the main concern resulting from the attack was chemical toxicity.
Natanz's Fuel Enrichment Plant was attacked by Israeli airstrikes on the 13th of June which targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the facility, including an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, and emergency power supply and back-up generators. On the same day, the main cascade hall appeared to have been attacked using ground-penetrating munitions. Natanz's second main facility is the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant which consists of aboveground and underground cascade halls. On the 13th of June the above-ground part was functionally destroyed and the strikes on the underground cascade halls were seriously damaging. The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment.
However, within the Natanz facility there is both radiological and chemical contamination. It is possible that Uranium isotopes contained in Uranium Hexafluoride, Uranyl Fluoride and Hydrogen Fluoride are dispersed inside the facility. The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if inhaled or ingested. This risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory devices. The main concern inside the facility is chemical toxicity.
On 18 June, the IAEA said in an update that it had information that two centrifuge production facilities in Iran – the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center – were hit. Both locations were previously under IAEA monitoring and verification under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). At the Tehran Research Center, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. At the Karaj workshop, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured.
The Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor under construction in Arak, was hit on 19 June 2025. As the reactor was not operational and did not contain any nuclear material, no radiological consequence was expected. The nearby Heavy Water Production Plant was assessed to have been hit, with key buildings at the facility were damaged, including the distillation unit. However, no radiological consequence was expected.
On 21 June 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that the US military had struck three nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan in Iran Six B-2 stealth bombers were reported to have been used to drop 12 GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MO) bunker buster bombs on the Fordow nuclear site.
Earlier reports had surfaced on 21 June that US B-2 bombers had been deployed and flying over the Pacific Ocean.
Iranian state TV reported however that nuclear material had been removed from all three facilities prior to the US airstrikes.
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