What is known to the US attack against 3 nuclear facilities in Iran (and how the Tehran government could answer)

The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, reacted to the facts by qualifying them as a “serious violation” to the United Nations Charter, International Law and the Non -Nuclear Weapons Non -Proliferation Treaty.

The diplomat added that Iran reserves the right to retaliate.

The events of this weekend join a larger -scale offensive initiated by Israel on June 13. Since then, both countries have exchanged attacks.

Despite his attacks, USA affirms that he is not at war with Iran and that he does not want to change the current government regime. And urged Tehran’s government to continue with the dialogue to end its nuclear program.

This, however, is uncertain to the events of the weekend, that the American president himself described as “spectacular military success” that produced the “complete and total” destruction of the three nuclear facilities in Iran.

This is what we know about the attack.

The American general Dan Caine, head of the EE.UU.

One of the objectives was Fordo, an hidden uranium enrichment plant in a remote mountainous hillside, vital for Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Washington said he also attacked two other nuclear facilities: Natanz and Isfahán.

Caine explained that the initial evaluations indicate that the three Iranian nuclear objectives suffered extreme damage and destruction.

Due to the depth of Fordo, only the US has an antibunkers pump powerful enough to penetrate the site: the massive of mass ammunition (MOP) GBU-57A/B.

The GBU-57 weighs 13,600 kg and, according to experts, can cross approximately 18 meters of concrete or 61 meters of earth before exploiting.

Due to the depth of the Fordo’s tunnels, the success of the MOP is not guaranteed, but it is the only bomb that could approach.

Caine confirmed during an informative session of the Pentagon on Sunday that, 14 MOP bombs were among the “75 precision guided weapons” used in attacks against Iran.

General Caine said he will take time to evaluate the magnitude of the damages caused by the US attack.

“The final damage in combat will take time, but an initial evaluation indicates that the three nuclear facilities suffered extremely serious damage and destruction,” he said.

Iran’s atomic energy organization said that the bombardment of the three nuclear facilities was a “brutal violation” of international law.

Both Saudi Arabia and the International Atomic Energy Agency (OIEA), UN Nuclear Control Agency, affirm that there has been no increase in radiation levels after the attack.

The political deputy director of the Iranian state broadcasting, Hassan Abedini, said that Iran had evacuated these three nuclear facilities “long ago.” In an appearance on state television, he said that Iran “did not suffer a great blow because the materials had already been removed.”

A few hours after American bombing, Iran launched a new missile barrage that hit Tel Aviv and Haifa areas. At least 86 people were injured, the Israeli authorities reported.

For his part, also in the weekend Israel said he had reached dozens of military objectives in Iran. The Iranian Red Crescent accused Tel Aviv of attacking hospitals and medical centers.

After US attacks, on Sunday morning, Araghchi said Iran reserves “all options” to respond.

He also said that Trump had “betrayed” the Americans who had been promised the end of their participation in wars.

The BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner, states that Iran must now choose between three strategic lines of action in response to the US attack:

Israel launched a surprise attack against dozens of Iranian nuclear and military objectives on June 13. He affirmed that his ambition was to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program, which, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could soon produce a nuclear bomb.

Iran insists that their nuclear ambitions are peaceful. In retaliation, Tehran launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel. Since then, both countries have continued exchanging attacks, in an air war that already lasts more than a week.

Trump has been opposing a nuclear weapon. It is widely believed that Israel possesses them, although it has not confirmed or denied it.

In March, the US National Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard, declared that, although Iran had increased her uranium reserves to unprecedented levels, she was not building a nuclear weapon, an statement that Trump described as “wrong.”

During the electoral campaign, Trump criticized the previous governments of his country for getting involved in “stupid endless wars” in the Middle East, and promised to keep the US on the margin of foreign conflicts.

USA and Iran had nuclear conversations at the time of the surprising Israeli attack. Only two days ago, Trump said he would give Iran for two weeks to establish substantial negotiations before attacking, but that period turned out to be much shorter.

With information from Thomas Mackintosh and Nadine Yousif by BBC News.

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