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June 23, 2025, 1:35 p.m. ET46 minutes ago
Live Updates: Iran Fires Missiles at U.S. Base in Qatar
The target was Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American military installation in the Middle East. Qatar said its air defenses intercepted the attack.
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Farnaz FassihiJonathan SwanRonen BergmanAaron Boxerman and Adam Rasgon
Here are the latest developments.
Iran said it launched a military attack on an American base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, according to a statement by the country’s armed forces.
The base, which serves as the forward headquarters for the U.S. Central Command, was considered a prime potential target should Iran retaliate over American strikes on its nuclear installations over the weekend.
A senior White House official earlier confirmed that the United States was aware of a potential attack by Iran against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. An Israeli official also said Iran was poised to strike the base.
The officials all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.
Earlier in the day, the United States and Britain warned their citizens in Qatar to shelter in place, and Qatar announced that it had closed its airspace.
The warnings came as Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Tehran on Monday and promised more “in the coming days,” pressing on with its bombing campaign a day after the United States attacked three Iranian nuclear sites.
The new Israeli barrage, which a military spokesman said targeted a paramilitary headquarters, a notorious prison and access routes to the Fordo nuclear enrichment site that the U.S. military bombarded over the weekend, came as Iran fired salvos of missiles that sent Israelis to huddle in shelters.
The strikes came despite calls from world leaders for de-escalation, and as President Trump’s decision to join Israel’s campaign against Iran raised fears that the war would intensify. American military and intelligence officials detected potential signs that Iran-backed militias were preparing to attack American bases in Iraq, and possibly Syria.
Iran’s attack came after its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met with a key ally, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. While the Russian leader called the U.S. strikes “absolutely unprovoked aggression,” he stopped short of offering concrete support for Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in a televised address on Sunday night, said that his country was “very, very close” to realizing its objectives in the conflict but did not say when its bombing campaign would end. On Monday, an Israeli military spokesman issued a new warning to residents of Tehran and said that the army “will continue attacking military targets in the Tehran region in the coming days.”
Though Mr. Trump declared that Iran’s nuclear program had been “totally obliterated” by the U.S. bombings, the actual state of the program seemed far more murky, with senior officials conceding they did not know the fate of Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium.
Here’s what else to know:
Possible response: Mr. Trump’s decision to attack Iran, and Iran’s attacks on Monday, dimmed hopes for a negotiated solution to end the fighting. While U.S. officials say that Iran has depleted its stockpile of medium-range missiles, the country still has an ample supply of other weapons, including rockets and drones, some of which would — if employed — give U.S. forces in the region only minutes of warning before an attack.
Economic impact: Investors appeared cautiously optimistic on Monday about the potential economic fallout from the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Traders were waiting for clearer indications of whether there would be an escalation in the conflict — particularly any moves by Iran that might disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit point for global oil supplies. Read more ›
Calls for peace: After European foreign ministers met to discuss Iran, the European Union’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said that “the concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge.” The International Atomic Energy Agency held an emergency meeting in Vienna, where the head of the agency, Rafael Grossi, warned that “violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels” if Iran, Israel and the United States do not find a path to diplomacy.
The strikes: Pentagon officials described a tightly choreographed operation that included B-2 bombers carrying 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs and submarine-fired Tomahawk cruise missiles hitting a trio of sites in less than a half-hour. A senior U.S. official acknowledged that the attack on Fordo had not destroyed the heavily fortified site, but it had been severely damaged.
River Akira Davis contributed reporting.
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Farnaz Fassihi
June 23, 2025, 1:34 p.m. ET54 minutes ago
Farnaz Fassihi
In a televised speech, a spokesman for Iran’s Armed Forces said the attacks on the American base in Qatar were carried out by the Revolutionary Guards Corps. “We warn our enemies that the era of hit and run is over,” said the spokesman.
Anushka Patil
June 23, 2025, 1:34 p.m. ET55 minutes ago
Anushka Patil
Bahrain has temporarily closed its airspace, state news media said, citing the country’s transportation and telecommunications ministry. The interior ministry has asked residents to stay off the country’s main roads.
Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Qatar
U.S. bases or sites with recent U.S. military presence
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Al Udeid Air Base
Iran attacked the largest American military installation in the Middle East, a base in Qatar that serves as the headquarters for the U.S. Central Command.
Rebecca F. Elliott
June 23, 2025, 1:32 p.m. ET56 minutes ago
Rebecca F. Elliott
Oil prices fell more than 4 percent, below $71 a barrel, after Iran fired missiles at a U.S. military base in Qatar.
Aric Toler
June 23, 2025, 1:32 p.m. ET56 minutes ago
Aric Toler
Video verified by The New York Times and filmed from The Pearl Island, a manmade island in Doha, appears to show about a half-dozen missile interceptors flying across the sky to shoot down incoming Iranian missiles.
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Ismaeel Naar
June 23, 2025, 1:24 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Ismaeel Naar
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, a Gulf State very close to Qatar, several resident have confirmed. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is headquartered Bahrain. The country’s interior ministry has asked citizens and residents to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” according to a statement posted on X.
Euan Ward
June 23, 2025, 1:20 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Euan Ward
The United Arab Emirates has joined Qatar in closing its airspace, according to an analysis of flight paths and air traffic control audio by Flightradar24, a flight tracking website. “Lots of aircraft are forced to turned around,” the website said. Both countries are major hubs of international air travel.
Adam Rasgon
June 23, 2025, 1:19 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Adam RasgonReporting from Jerusalem
Qatar condemned Iran’s attack on Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military site in the Middle East, saying it was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter.”
“We affirm that Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression, in line with international law,” Majed Al Ansari, the spokesman of the Qatari foreign ministry said in a post on X. “We reassure that Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles.”
Farnaz Fassihi
June 23, 2025, 1:17 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Farnaz Fassihi
Three Iranian officials familiar with the plans said that Iran gave advanced notice to Qatari officials that attacks were coming, as a way to minimize casualties. The officials said Iran symbolically needed to strike back at the U.S. but at the same time carry it out in a way that allowed all sides an exit ramp; they described it as a similar strategy to 2020 when Iran gave Iraq heads up before firing ballistic missiles an American base in Iraq following the assassination of its top general.
Farnaz Fassihi
June 23, 2025, 1:08 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Farnaz Fassihi
Iran’s Armed Forces said in a statement that Iran “targeted the Al Udaid base in Qatar with destructive and forceful missiles.”
Ameera Harouda
June 23, 2025, 1:01 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Ameera Harouda
A series of loud booms were heard in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Lights were visible streaking upward, apparently part of a missile defense system, and some objects could be seen falling to earth.
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CreditCredit...Ameera Harouda for The New York Times
Farnaz Fassihi
June 23, 2025, 1:00 p.m. ET1 hour ago
Farnaz Fassihi
Iran’s armed forces issued a statement saying they have launched a military attack on U.S. base in Qatar, according to state television and state news agency.
Eric Schmitt
June 23, 2025, 12:50 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Eric Schmitt
Al Udeid Air Base is heavily fortified by an array of air defenses that have been on high alert in recent days anticipating an Iranian retaliatory attack.
Eric Schmitt
June 23, 2025, 12:49 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Eric Schmitt
The main U.S. base in Qatar, Al Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of U.S. Central command, has 10,000 military and civilian personnel.
Michael D. Shear
June 23, 2025, 12:42 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Michael D. Shear
The British government warned its citizens living in Qatar to shelter in place until further notice following Qatar’s decision to close its airspace amid potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American base in the Middle East. The British notice, posted on the government’s website, says: “Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice. Follow instructions from local authorities.”
Jonathan Swan
June 23, 2025, 12:39 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Jonathan SwanReporting from Washington, D.C.
A senior White House official confirms they are aware of a potential attack by Iran against the American base in Qatar. “The White House and the Department of Defense are aware of, and closely monitoring, potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar,” the official said.
Michael D. Shear
June 23, 2025, 12:00 p.m. ET2 hours ago
Michael D. Shear
A British Royal Air Force flight departed Tel Aviv on Monday, the first of what the government says will be several evacuation flights for British nationals who are seeking to leave Israel because of the country’s ongoing war with Iran. Most commercial air travel has been halted since the war began as Iran sends waves of missiles and drones in response to Israel’s attacks.
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CreditCredit...SWNS, via Associated Press
Ismaeel Naar
June 23, 2025, 11:57 a.m. ET3 hours ago
Ismaeel Naar
Qatar announced that it is temporarily suspending traffic in its airspace “to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors,” according to a statement from the country’s foreign ministry. Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American base in the Middle East, which serves as the headquarters for the U.S. Central Command.
Earlier today, the U.S. State Department had urged Americans in Qatar to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution.” A Qatari foreign ministry spokesman, Majed Al Ansari, said that the authorities would inform the public if they need to take any specific actions.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg
June 23, 2025, 11:22 a.m. ET3 hours ago
Matthew Mpoke Bigg
Here’s what to know about Iran’s notorious Evin prison.
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A guard stands outside the entrance to Evin prison in Tehran, in a 2022 photo provided by Iranian state media.Credit...Majid Asgaripour/WANA News Agency, via Reuters
Israel’s military on Monday targeted Iran’s Evin prison, a notorious detention facility in Tehran where dissidents and political prisoners are held. The detention center has long been regarded as a symbol of repression, and human rights groups and survivors say that torture and executions are routine there.
Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, announced the attack, which came amid Israeli strikes elsewhere in Tehran. Video footage verified by The New York Times shows an explosion at the main entrance to the prison compound and damage after a blast near a second entrance.
It was unclear why Israel struck the prison. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and Iran said it still had control of the facility.
Here’s what to know about the prison and the Israeli attack:
What is Evin prison?
Thousands of prisoners are held at Evin, among them hundreds of dissidents, including prominent opposition politicians, activists, lawyers, journalists, environmental activists and students. It is also used to hold prominent non-Iranian or dual-citizen prisoners, many of whom have been accused of spying.
The prison sits on a hilltop in northern Tehran at the foot of the Alborz Mountains. The compound is surrounded by electrified barbed-wire fences as well as a minefield.
How was the prison damaged?
IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, reported that projectiles had caused “damage to parts of the facility” but said the prison was “under full control.”
Video footage verified by The Times shows an explosion at the entrance and rescue workers clearing debris and metal beams collapsed by the strike from a gaping hole in the entrance.
Other footage verified by The Times shows damage to buildings in the immediate aftermath of another explosion by a second entrance to the prison complex, about 600 yards from the main prison entrance. This strike appeared to be by an entrance to a visitation center on the prison grounds.
How did Evin gain its reputation?
The prison was opened in 1971 under Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Over the next seven years, the facility came to international prominence because of what Human Rights Watch called the “horrifying conditions” in which prisoners were held by the secret police.
A 1979 revolution, set off in part by anger at the autocratic government, overthrew the shah, ushering in a theocratic regime under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. But the prison’s notoriety grew.
In 1988, thousands of Evin prisoners were executed after cursory trials, according to Human Rights Watch. Many of those killed were viewed as a threat to the new Islamic government.
Several prominent Iranians were detained at Evin during the wave of protests in 2022 that followed the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman arrested by Iran’s morality police. During the protests, a huge fire broke out at the prison. Residents nearby reported gunshots and explosions amid chants of “death to the dictator,” and IRNA reported at the time that eight people had been injured. The cause of the fire remained unclear.
In April, the European Union placed the head of the prison, Hedayatollah Farzadi, under sanctions.
What are conditions like at the prison?
Former prisoners have described long interrogations, torture, rape, psychological humiliation, solitary confinement and other examples of harsh treatment and abuse.
Executions at the prison have often been conducted by hanging, they say. Female prisoners who have been tortured have also then been denied adequate medical care, according to Amnesty International.
Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was detained in Iran in December and held at the prison before being released, said her cell had two blankets but no mattress or pillow. She said guards seized her glasses, rendering her all but unable to see. The lights in the cell were constantly on, and during daily interrogations, which lasted for hours, she was blindfolded and had to sit facing a wall, she said.
Are foreign prisoners held at Evin?
Iran has used the detention of foreign and dual citizens as a tool of its foreign policy for nearly five decades. Britain, France, the United States and others have accused Iran of detaining their citizens, as well as dual nationals, and using them as diplomatic bargaining chips.
Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French citizens, were held for over three years at Evin. Their detention has become a sticking point in relations between France and Iran.
Ms. Kohler, 40, a literature professor, and her partner Mr. Paris, a retired professor in his 70s, were visiting Iran as tourists in 2022 when they were arrested on spying charges that France strenuously rejects. Other French citizens arrested on similar charges have been gradually released, leaving Ms. Kohler and Mr. Paris as the only French citizens remaining in Iranian custody.
French authorities have likened the conditions they face in Evin to “torture,” saying they are in near total isolation and have almost no access to consular visits. Last month, France filed a complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice over their case.
France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said on Monday that Ms. Kohler and Mr. Paris were unhurt after the Israeli strikes, which he called “unacceptable,” and repeated France’s demand for their release.
Aurelien Breeden and Malachy Browne contributed reporting
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Matthew Mpoke Bigg
June 23, 2025, 11:18 a.m. ET3 hours ago
Matthew Mpoke Bigg
Two French nationals held at Iran’s Evin prison are unhurt after Israel’s military targeted the complex on Monday, France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said. The strike put the two, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, in danger and was “unacceptable,” he said, demanding their release. Kohler and Paris have been held at Evin for more than three years. Both are accused of spying, a charge that France rejects.
Jeanna Smialek
June 23, 2025, 11:01 a.m. ET3 hours ago
Jeanna SmialekReporting from Brussels
European Union foreign affairs ministers met in Brussels today to discuss Iran and other issues, and the gathering has just wrapped up. “Ministers urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiation table, and prevent further escalations,” Kaja Kallas, the E.U.’s top diplomat, told a news conference after the meeting.
Erika Solomon
June 23, 2025, 10:38 a.m. ET4 hours ago
Erika Solomon
It’s been more than 36 hours since the U.S. military struck Iran, and there has been no statement from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who will have the final say in any response. Just now, the commander of Iran’s military, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, said that the U.S. attack “will not go unanswered,” according to the government-affiliated Mehr news agency. “We will take action,” he was quoted as saying.
Adam Rasgon
June 23, 2025, 10:28 a.m. ET4 hours ago
Adam RasgonReporting from Jerusalem
Israel widens its targets in another series of strikes on the Iranian capital.
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Dark smoke wafts in the sky over a cityscape.
A plume of smoke billowed over Iran’s capital Tehran in a screen grab taken from a video posted on social media on Monday.Credit...Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The Israeli military pounded Tehran on Monday with a series of strikes targeting structures that belong to the Iranian government, according to the office of Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz.
The strikes illustrated that Israel was continuing to widen its targets. They came shortly after Iran fired missiles at Israel on Monday morning, sending Israelis running to safe rooms and public shelters for the second time in hours.
Since launching its campaign against Iran earlier this month, the Israeli military has hit Iranian nuclear facilities, scientists and senior military commanders, but it has also struck targets lacking a clear link to Iran’s nuclear program or ballistic missiles, including the state broadcaster.
According to the defense minister’s office, Israel’s strikes in Tehran on Monday targeted the headquarters of the Basij, a volunteer force under the umbrella of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that has used brutal tactics to crack down on protests in Iran, and Evin prison, the notorious facility holding political prisoners.
Israel also struck access routes to Fordo, the heavily fortified nuclear-enrichment site that the United States bombed on Sunday, the Israeli military said.
President Trump claimed on Sunday that Iran’s nuclear program had been “totally and completely obliterated.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that the American military caused “very big damage” to Fordo, but he clarified that Israel still did not know the full extent.
Morteza Heidari, the spokesman for crisis management in the province where Fordo is, on Monday reported an “attack on the Fordo nuclear site,” according to the government-affiliated Mehr and Tasnim news agencies. He said there was no danger to the public from the strikes, the news agencies said.
Later on Monday, the Israeli military said it had targeted other forces under the Revolutionary Guards, including ones that it described as being responsible for dealing with domestic threats. It also said it had hit missile and radar production sites and missile storage infrastructure.
The impact and extent of the strikes were not immediately clear. But videos verified by The New York Times showed the moment of the blast at an entrance into the Evin prison, and clouds of smoke emanating from a metal gate below a sign that reads ‘Evin Detention Facility’ in Farsi.
The reports of the strikes on the Evin prison caused particular concern in France because two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, are detained there.
“We are worried that Cécile and Jacques are going to die under bombs,” Noémie Kohler, Ms. Kohler’s sister, told Franceinfo radio on Monday. “We still have no way of contacting them,” she added. “We are absolutely panicked.”
France has accused Iran of detaining Ms. Kohler and Mr. Paris for over three years on baseless spying charges and has repeatedly demanded their release.
The strikes on Evin — which is close to apartment blocks and a popular hiking route — also hit a main power line that caused outages in two large districts of Tehran, according to the national electricity company Tavanir. It said in a statement distributed broadly to government-affiliated news agencies that it was able to repair the outages within an hour.
Iranian news outlets also reported that the Israeli military hit a building near the Iranian Red Crescent Society, an emergency response service. A video posted by the government-affiliated Mehr news agency, and verified by The Times, showed smoke rising in the area. It was not clear what was in the building that had been struck.
Erika Solomon and Sanjana Varghese contributed reporting to this article.
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Rebecca F. Elliott
June 23, 2025, 9:59 a.m. ET4 hours ago
Rebecca F. Elliott
President Trump is keeping a close eye on the price of oil, which is about $74 a barrel this morning in the United States. “EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I’M WATCHING!” Mr. Trump wrote in a post on his social-media platform. He also urged the Energy Department to “DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!”
The federal government does not directly control how much drilling takes place in the United States. That is up to private companies, many of which have been scaling back because prices were relatively low before Israel attacked Iran. U.S. oil prices have climbed around $10 a barrel in the last two weeks, and that has begun to increase prices at the gas pump. That said, both oil and gasoline prices remain moderate by recent standards, and both are lower than they were a year ago.
Tony Romm
June 23, 2025, 9:10 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Tony Romm
Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, said today on CNBC that the strike on Iran had, so far, not “really disrupted” global oil markets. But Hassett added that other oil-producing countries have significant reserves, which would give President Trump “a lot of room to adjust” if Iran retaliates and prices do surge.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 8:59 a.m. ET5 hours ago
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
Netanyahu says Israel is ‘very, very close’ to achieving its goals in the war with Iran.
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Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at a microphone. Standing next to him is a man wearing a high-viz yellow vest that reads, “hospital director general.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel speaking on Thursday at the Soroka hospital complex in southern Israel after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran.Credit...Pool photo by Marc Israel Sellem
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Sunday night that Israel was “very, very close” to realizing its objectives in the conflict with Iran, hours after President Trump launched an American attack on three Iranian nuclear sites.
In a televised address, Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel had begun bombing Iran on June 13 “to remove two concrete, existential threats: the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat.”
“We are advancing, step by step, to achieve these goals,” he said. “We are very, very close to completing them.”
Mr. Netanyahu did not say when he believed Israel would end its bombing campaign. Nor did he mention another goal that some observers have suggested Israel might be pursuing in Iran: regime change.
Israelis have broadly backed Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to open the offensive against Iran. Even longtime critics of the prime minister — including Yair Lapid, head of Israel’s parliamentary opposition — have praised what they see as the war’s tactical successes.
But as Iran launches missiles in response, the conflict has also paralyzed much of Israel, shuttering schools, businesses and the international airport near Tel Aviv, leaving thousands of Israelis stranded abroad. The economic damage has compounded the cost of more than 20 months of war in Gaza and Lebanon.
Some Israeli analysts and politicians have argued that now is the time to wind down the fighting.
In his address on Sunday night, Mr. Netanyahu said that he would not be dragged into a “war of attrition” with Iran. But Israel would not cease its assault on Iran before it had “accomplished all of its goals,” Mr. Netanyahu vowed, without providing a timetable.
“We will not continue to operate beyond what is necessary to achieve them,” he said. “But we also won’t finish up too soon. When the aims are achieved, the operation will be concluded, and the fighting will stop.”
Some analysts in Israel have suggested that if Mr. Netanyahu’s war against Iran is seen as successful, he could show greater flexibility in talks to end the war with Hamas in Gaza and to free the remaining hostages there. For months, Mr. Netanyahu has seemed unwilling to make concessions in the talks, which his far-right political allies have opposed.
On Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu said that the blows dealt to Iran — a longtime patron of Hamas — would also further weaken the Palestinian armed group in Gaza.
“It will take a bit more time. But there’s no doubt that our great achievements in Iran contribute to achieving the goals in Gaza,” he said.
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Aurelien Breeden
June 23, 2025, 8:49 a.m. ET6 hours ago
Aurelien Breeden
The reports of Israeli strikes on Evin prison have raised alarm about two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who are detained at the prison. “We are worried that Cécile and Jacques are going to die under bombs,” Noémie Kohler, Ms. Kohler’s sister, told Franceinfo radio today. She also expressed fears about potential rioting at the prison if strikes intensify. “We still have no way of contacting them,” she added. “We are absolutely panicked.” France has accused Iran of detaining Ms. Kohler and Mr. Paris on baseless spying charges and has repeatedly demanded their release.
Anatoly Kurmanaev
June 23, 2025, 8:38 a.m. ET6 hours ago
Anatoly KurmanaevReporting from Berlin
Treading a fine line, Putin condemns ‘unprovoked aggression’ against Iran.
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Vladimir V. Putin is seen at a white table with at least six other men in suits.
In a photograph provided by Russian state media, Russia’s President Vladimir V. Putin met with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, at the Kremlin in Moscow on Monday.Credit...Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia met with Iran’s foreign minister in Moscow on Monday, for the first publicized meeting between senior officials of the two allied nations since Israel began its military campaign against Iran on June 13.
The Kremlin has largely stood on the sidelines while Israel has destroyed Iranian air defenses, struck nuclear facilities and killed members of Iran’s military leadership, and Iran has fired deadly missile barrages at targets across Israel. But on Monday, Mr. Putin and his officials attempted to show more explicit support for Russia’s ally — while seemingly trying to avoid provoking the United States, which intervened militarily in the conflict on Sunday, or damaging relations with Iran’s rivals in the Middle East.
“The absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran is unfounded and unjustified,” Mr. Putin said at a meeting with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, according to a Kremlin statement. “We are making efforts from our side to provide support to the Iranian people.”
Mr. Putin told Mr. Araghchi that he had spoken about the Israel-Iran war with President Trump, as well as with the leaders of Israel, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin said Mr. Putin also spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani of Iraq.
The discussions appeared to be part of the Kremlin’s broader efforts to present Russia as a potential mediator in any talks that could bring an end to the fighting.
Yet, according to the Kremlin’s statement on Monday, Mr. Putin stopped short of directly calling out the United States or Israel for attacking Iran. The careful tone contrasted with the more explicit one used by Mr. Araghchi, who denounced the “aggressive actions of Israel and the U.S.A.,” according to the Kremlin.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, attempted to toe the same careful line as Mr. Putin. In remarks on Monday, he voiced Russia’s support for Iran, without making any military or economic commitments that could potentially anger the Trump administration or siphon resources from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Peskov deflected a question about whether Russia would be willing to bolster Iranian air defenses.
“Going forward, everything will depend on what Iran will need,” Mr. Peskov said.
He added that Russia had already issued a statement condemning strikes on Iran, and had offered to mediate the conflict.
“These are types of support,” Mr. Peskov said.
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Amelia Nierenberg
June 23, 2025, 8:37 a.m. ET6 hours ago
Amelia Nierenberg
Qatar’s foreign ministry just said that recent warnings by embassies to their citizens in the country were general guidance and “do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific threats.” Qatar is home to a large American air base, and there are concerns it could be a potential target of Iranian retaliation for U.S. strikes. The U.S. State Department had earlier today urged Americans in Qatar to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution.” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed Al Ansari, said that the security situation in the country was stable and that authorities would inform the public if they need to take any specific actions.
Jeanna Smialek
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 8:16 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Jeanna Smialek and Aaron BoxermanJeanna Smialek reported from Brussels, and Aaron Boxerman from Jerusalem.
Claims of potential rights violations further strain E.U.-Israeli relations.
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A woman crouches to cook bread in a bombed-out building.
Preparing bread in Gaza in April. Many bakeries were forced to close and flour supplies ran low after Israel imposed a blockade on food and fuel supplies that ended last month.Credit...Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
Relations between Israel and the European Union have become even more fraught after the bloc found that Israel’s actions in Gaza, including the blockade of aid to the enclave, may have violated human rights obligations.
The findings came after a review by the European Union’s diplomatic service into whether Israel had violated a provision in a treaty that underpins relations between the two sides. Critics of Israel have called for the bloc to suspend the treaty, accusing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of violating the rights of Palestinians en masse. Israel has rejected the accusations.
Under the terms of the treaty, the European Union and Israel agreed that their relationship “would be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.”
The review concluded that there are “indications that Israel would be in breach” of those standards, referring to several specific issues. Those included Israeli restrictions of essential goods and food into Gaza; attacks that the report said had caused a “significant number of casualties”; and military strikes on hospitals and medical facilities.
Because E.U. member states are sharply divided on Israel, it could be difficult to achieve the consensus needed to shift the bloc’s policies toward the nation. But the report’s conclusions underscored growing frustrations, including among some of Israel’s closest allies, over the handling of the war in Gaza.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, presented the review’s findings to a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.
“Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground and help the humanitarian aid to get in and help the people,” Ms. Kallas said in a news conference after the meeting. “Today was the beginning of the debate, and not the end.”
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Two men line up outside a white trailer with red lettering.
A pharmacy at the Kuwait Hospital in Gaza City in April. Medicines were in short supply under the Israeli blockade.Credit...Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
Israel has strongly rejected the findings. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a response to the European Union, shared with The New York Times, that the review was “a complete moral and methodological failure.” The ministry pointed out that it “opens with an admission that it lacks the ability to verify its own statements.”
The next steps will be to present the finding to Israel, Ms. Kallas said. If the situation does not improve, officials could discuss other steps at their meeting in July, she added.
“Our main concern is the humanitarian aid distribution,” she said.
The back-and-forth underscored how tense relations between the European Union and Israel have become. The situation has become more complicated after Israel launched a major assault on Iran last week in a bid to cripple its nuclear program, one that now involves the United States: America struck three sites last weekend.
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Rescue workers carry a victim of a military strike as a crowd standing amid the rubble of a damaged building looks on.
A body is carried out of a health clinic in Jabaliya, Gaza, on May 15. The European Union review cites attacks on hospitals as one issue of concern.Credit...Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
E.U. officials have spoken about the conflict with Iran cautiously, and there are divisions in Europe over how much to support Israel and America’s actions. European officials have widely urged a return to diplomacy to resolve the crisis.
Many European officials and diplomats have emphasized that the conflict with Tehran should not distract from what is happening in Gaza, but the combination of events has left Brussels struggling to agree on a unified stance toward Israel.
“When all the focus is on Iran and the escalation regarding Iran, we should not forget about Gaza and the terrible war that’s taking place there, and the terrible humanitarian situation,” Caspar Veldkamp, the Dutch minister for foreign affairs, told reporters on Monday.
The Netherlands had been vocal in pushing for the review. That was notable, since it had traditionally been seen as centrist on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said Hugh Lovatt, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“That speaks to the growing frustration and anger amongst a number of European governments,” Mr. Lovatt said, adding that conversations “will continue to happen about other steps, whether it’s banning settlement products and financial services.”
Some member states have pushed for especially serious consequences.
“This is the time for action,” José Manuel Albares Bueno, Spain’s foreign minister, said as he headed into Monday’s meeting. He said he would call for a suspension of the agreement with Israel, along with an embargo on weapon sales to the country.
“Europe must show courage,” he added.
But in the end, the review and its findings might be more symbolically important than practically effective, because E.U. nations remain deeply split on issues related to Israel.
Imposing sanctions or suspending the agreement, for instance, would require unanimity among member states — which is unlikely. The prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, for example, is an ally of Mr. Netanyahu and would almost certainly not agree to impose restrictions on Israel.
Even more modest measures, like peeling back parts of the agreement, would require support from a substantial majority of European nations.
“It’s a complex situation,” Hadja Lahbib, the European commissioner for crisis preparedness, said on Monday.
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Kiana Hayeri
June 23, 2025, 7:39 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Kiana HayeriReporting from Vienna
The Israeli strikes on Tehran have damaged the main power lines in the northern part of Iran’s capital, according to the Iranian government-affiliated Mehr news agency. It cited a statement from the national electric company, Tavanir, that said power outages were affecting parts of Tehran districts 2 and 3, which are home to more than 1 million people.
Jeanna Smialek
June 23, 2025, 7:32 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Jeanna SmialekReporting from Brussels
The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog says the war could lead to ‘unimaginable levels’ of destruction.
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Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, pulls out a chair at a conference table.
Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, at an emergency meeting of the agency in Vienna on Monday.Credit...Christian Bruna/Getty Images
Rafael Grossi, the head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, warned on Monday at an emergency meeting in Vienna that “violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels” if Iran, Israel and the United States do not find a pathway to diplomacy.
Speaking a day after American warplanes and submarines struck three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, Mr. Grossi reiterated that armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place, given the risk of radioactive releases. He offered to travel immediately to Iran and to engage with all parties involved to help ensure the protection of nuclear facilities.
“We may not agree on the reasons behind and even the consequences of the current crisis, but there is a common denominator that exists,” he said at the meeting of the watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. “First, we don’t want to see a nuclear accident.”
Israel began its military campaign against Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership on June 13. The United States intervened militarily early on Sunday local time, attacking the three Iranian nuclear sites, with President Trump saying that the goal was to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
American officials have said that while Israel’s intelligence agency believes that Iran can achieve a nuclear weapon in 15 days, American spy agencies believe that it could take several months, and up to a year, for Iran to make a weapon.
The International Atomic Energy Agency declared on June 12 that Iran was not complying with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations. But Mr. Grossi stressed on Monday that the correct approach was diplomacy, and urged a return to negotiations.
“Military escalation not only threatens lives, it also delays us from taking the diplomatic path to achieve the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Grossi said Monday. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for civilian use, not to develop weapons.
“There has never been a time more important than now to muster the political courage to step away from the edge,” Mr. Grossi said.
Later on Monday, the Israeli military said that it had attacked access routes to the Fordo nuclear enrichment site to obstruct them, a day after the United States struck the site itself. Both Israeli and American officials have said the site was severely damaged in Sunday’s U.S. strikes, but that it would take time for a full damage assessment.
Mr. Grossi said that at this time “no one, including the I.A.E.A.,” is in a position to has fully assessed the damage at Fordo. He added that Iran has informed the agency that there was no increase in off-site radiation levels at any of the three sites hit by the United States.
Senior American officials have conceded that they do not know the fate of Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium. Mr. Grossi said on Monday that Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had written in a June 13 letter to him that Iran would adopt “special measures” to protect nuclear equipment and materials.
Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.
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Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 6:55 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
The Israeli military says it struck access routes to the Fordo nuclear enrichment site today in order to obstruct them. The United States attacked Fordo — a reinforced nuclear facility deep underground — with a massive bombardment early yesterday morning. Both Israeli and American officials have said the site was severely damaged but are still assessing the full scale of the damage. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies, including Mehr and Tasnim, had reported earlier today that Israel struck the Fordo site itself.
Claire Moses
June 23, 2025, 6:53 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Claire Moses
The L.A. Sheriff’s Department apologizes for a post sympathizing with Iran bombing victims.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday deleted and apologized for a post on X that expressed sympathy for “the victims and families impacted” after American strikes on three Iranian nuclear targets this weekend.
The Sheriff’s Department removed the line from similar posts on Facebook and Instagram, saying in the edited posts that “Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is closely monitoring the situation overseas alongside our local, state, and federal partners.”
In the original post, according to a screenshot by the local TV news station KTLA, the department said “Our hearts go out to the victims and the families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran.”
In its statement on Sunday, the Sheriff’s Department called that post “offensive and inappropriate.”
“This post was unacceptable,” the Sheriff’s Department said, “made in error, and does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna or the Department.”
As a law enforcement agency, the Sheriff’s Department said, it did not comment on “foreign policy or military matters.” It said it was conducting an internal investigation to determine how the post was created and published.
Los Angeles County is home to large populations of both Iranian and Jewish people, including many Iranian Jews.
Of the roughly 400,000 Iranian-born immigrants in the United States, roughly one-third lives in or around Los Angeles, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Westwood, a neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles near the U.C.L.A. campus, has been nicknamed “Tehrangeles.”
Los Angeles is also home to more than 500,000 Jews, the second-largest Jewish community in the U.S., according to 2021 research by Brandeis University.
The Sheriff’s Department’s social media post emphasized that there was no specific danger for residents but encouraged people to be vigilant.
“At the moment, there are no known threats to Los Angeles County. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are increasing patrol checks at places of worship and other sensitive locations throughout the county,” the sheriff’s department said.
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Anatoly Kurmanaev
June 23, 2025, 6:27 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Anatoly Kurmanaev
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, during a meeting today in Moscow that “the absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran is unfounded and unjustified,” according to a statement from the Kremlin.
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CreditCredit...Russian pool, via Reuters
Jeanna Smialek
June 23, 2025, 6:25 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Jeanna SmialekReporting from Brussels
European officials voice fears of further escalation in the Israel-Iran war.
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Kaja Kallas stands behind several microphones with assorted flags behind her.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, in Brussels, on Monday. European ministers “are very much focused on the diplomatic solution,” she said.Credit...Virginia Mayo/Associated Press
Foreign ministers from across the European Union stressed on Monday that the war between Israel and Iran — in which the United States intervened militarily this weekend — could escalate further, potentially destabilizing the region and the world.
The ministers were in Brussels for a meeting on Monday, where they were scheduled to discuss Israel, China and other pressing security matters. Yet the unfolding situation between Israel and Iran overshadowed other topics, with ministers calling for a return to negotiations.
“Ministers are very much focused on the diplomatic solution, and also the concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, told journalists. Ms. Kallas added that any Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas, would be “extremely dangerous.”
American military and intelligence officials have detected signs that Iran-backed militias were preparing to attack American bases in Iraq, and possibly in Syria, in retaliation for the U.S. strikes in Iran on Sunday, fueling fears that tensions could ramp up. If Tehran were to close access to the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices could soar and some U.S. Navy ships could be pinned in the Persian Gulf, American military officials say.
Ms. Kallas and foreign ministers from Britain, France, and Germany met with Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in Geneva on Friday. Ms. Kallas said that at that meeting, Iran was opening up to discussions of “nuclear, but also broader security issues that are concerning Europe.”
Still, officials fretted that a peaceful outcome remained far from guaranteed.
“We are very concerned about the risk of an escalation, which could be devastating in the Middle East and have very serious consequences for the stability of the world,” Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs, said as he headed into Monday’s meeting.
“Europe can bring its experience, its competence, in-depth knowledge of these questions to open a space for negotiation,” he added.
While Mr. Barrot and other European officials suggested that strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities by Israel and the United States might delay nuclear developments, they also said that a negotiated solution would be more durable in the long run.
“At this moment, I think it’s very important to find a way back to the negotiations,” Caspar Veldkamp, the Dutch minister for foreign affairs, told reporters.
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Kiana Hayeri
June 23, 2025, 6:20 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Kiana HayeriReporting from Vienna
IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, has reported that Evin Prison was hit. It cited the judiciary media center at the site as saying that projectiles caused “damage to parts of the facility” but that the prison was “under full control.”
Sanjana Varghese
June 23, 2025, 6:35 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Sanjana Varghese
Videos verified by the New York Times showed an explosion today at the entrance to Evin Prison, a notorious detention facility on the outskirts of Tehran where hundreds of dissidents and political prisoners are held. Footage shows the moment of the blast at an entrance into the prison compound, and large clouds of smoke emanating from a metal gate below a sign that reads ‘Evin Detention Facility’ in Farsi. Another video, distributed by the Iranian broadcaster Iran International, is filmed from a car driving on the highway directly adjacent to the compound and shows plumes of smoke continuing to rise from the area.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 5:54 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
Israel’s military has just attacked several sites in Tehran, including the Evin prison and a headquarters of the Basij state paramilitary group, according to a statement from Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister. The impact and extent of the strikes were not immediately clear.
Erika Solomon
June 23, 2025, 6:03 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Erika Solomon
Iranian news outlets reported that Israeli strikes hit a building beside to the Red Crescent Society in the capital Tehran. A video posted by the government-affiliated Mehr news agency, verified by the New York Times, showed white smoke billowing up in front of the building.
Anatoly Kurmanaev
June 23, 2025, 5:38 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Anatoly Kurmanaev
The Kremlin appears to be pushing back against the suggestion that it is offering little support to its ally, Iran. Russia has offered to mediate in the current conflict and has condemned strikes on Iran, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told reporters. “These are types of support,” he said. “Going forward, everything will depend on what Iran needs.”
Nader Ibrahim
June 23, 2025, 5:29 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Nader Ibrahim
Dozens of Israelis descended to this shelter after sirens warning of incoming missiles sounded in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
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CreditCredit...Reuters
Jeanna Smialek
June 23, 2025, 5:21 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Jeanna SmialekReporting from Brussels
The International Atomic Energy Agency is holding an emergency meeting today in Vienna, where the head of the agency, Rafael Grossi, warned that “violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels” if Iran, Israel and the United States do not find a pathway to diplomacy. “Iran, Israel and the Middle East need peace,” he added.
Jeanna Smialek
June 23, 2025, 5:24 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Jeanna SmialekReporting from Brussels
Saying that “military escalation not only threatens lives, it also delays us from taking the diplomatic path to achieve the long term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon,” Grossi also offered to travel immediately to Iran and to engage with all parties involved to help ensure the protection of nuclear facilities.
June 23, 2025, 5:14 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Helene CooperEric Schmitt and John Ismay
What is the Strait of Hormuz, and why is it important?
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An overhead view of a curved, narrow body of water.
A satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz, showing the Iranian coast at top, and Qeshm Island and Oman below.Credit...Gallo Images, via Getty Images
One way that Iran could potentially retaliate for the American strikes on three of its nuclear sites, analysts say, would be to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas.
In meetings at the White House, senior military officials have raised the need to prepare for that possibility, after Iranian officials threatened to mine the strait, a narrow 90-mile waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Such a move could pin any U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, American military officials say.
In more than a week of fighting between Israel and Iran, Israel’s military has steered clear of hitting Iranian naval assets. So while Iran’s ability to respond to attacks has been severely damaged, it has a robust navy and maintains operatives across the region, where the United States has more than 40,000 troops. Iran also has an array of mines that its navy could lay in the Strait of Hormuz, which hugs a portion of Iran’s southern border.
A quarter of the world’s oil and 20 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so mining the choke point would cause oil and gas prices to soar. The majority of those fuels go to Asia, meaning that countries there would most likely be severely affected by any closure. The United States and other countries would feel the effects in the form of higher energy costs.
Closing the waterway could isolate American minesweepers in the Persian Gulf on one side of the strait. Two defense officials indicated that the Navy was looking to disperse its ships in the gulf so that they would be less vulnerable. A Navy official declined to comment, citing operational security. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Even before the U.S. military struck Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, Iran vowed that it would respond forcefully to any attack by American forces — potentially setting off a cycle of escalation. Since the strikes, Iran appears to be weighing its options.
“Iran is strategically weaker but operationally still lethal across the region, and Americans still have troops across that part of the world,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.
Military officials and analysts said missile and drone attacks remained the biggest retaliatory threat to U.S. bases and facilities in the region. Some also worry that the Quds Force, a shadowy arm of Iran’s military, could attack U.S. troops.
Much is at stake for Iran if it decides to retaliate. “Many of Iran’s options are the strategic equivalent of a suicide bombing,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “They can do enormous damage to others if they mine the Strait of Hormuz, destroy regional oil facilities and rain a missile barrage against Israel, but they may not survive the blowback.”
But Iran can make it hugely expensive, and dangerous, for the U.S. Navy to have to conduct what would most likely be a weekslong mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to one former naval officer who was stationed on a minesweeper in the Persian Gulf. He and other Navy officers said that clearing the strait could also put American sailors directly in harm’s way.
Mining the strait would also inflict severe economic damage in Iran because nearly all of the country’s oil exports move through the channel.
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Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 4:54 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
The Israeli military just said it was launching further attacks on “military targets in Tehran,” the Iranian capital. News outlets affiliated with the Iranian government reported that explosions were being heard across the city.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 4:38 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the latest barrage of Iranian missiles. Israel’s state-owned electricity company said that there had been a strike adjacent to a “strategic infrastructure facility” in the country’s south, causing “disruptions” in the power supply for communities in the area.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 4:17 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
This volley of missiles from Iran seems a bit different from recent attacks. Rather than one large barrage, Iranian forces have launched smaller volleys over roughly a half-hour at several different parts of the country, setting off air-raid sirens as far off as the southern border with Gaza. This could force Israelis across the country to stay in bomb shelters for even more protracted periods.
Erika Solomon
June 23, 2025, 4:08 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Erika Solomon
Iran’s commander in chief, Amir Hatami, said in a video meeting with top ranking commanders that Iran would give a “decisive response” to the United States, according to comments published by Tasnim news agency, which is closely affiliated with Iran’s government. “We consider martyrdom a great blessing, but now we are fighting for victory,” he said.
David Pierson
Berry Wang
June 23, 2025, 3:58 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
David Pierson and Berry WangReporting from Hong Kong
China says the U.S. hurt its own credibility by striking Iran.
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Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, speaking during a U.N. Security Council meeting at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sunday.Credit...Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
China said the United States has hurt its reputation as a global power and its diplomatic standing by attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities while it was engaged in talks with Tehran.
“Iran is harmed, but also harmed is U.S. credibility — as a country and as a party to any international negotiations,” Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, told China’s state broadcaster on Sunday.
In the battle for global narratives, China has long cast the United States as a warmonger and a destabilizing power while presenting itself as a responsible global leader championing peace and fairness.
At an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Sunday, Mr. Fu said that China condemned the U.S. strikes and was joining Russia and Pakistan in drafting a U.N. resolution calling for a cease-fire, the safety of civilians and a start to peace negotiations.
The criticism of the United States was echoed in Chinese state media reports on Monday, with the official news agency, Xinhua, accusing the United States of escalating violence in the region.
“The worsening situation in the Middle East is a stark reminder that power politics and military interventions lead to nothing but chaos and instability,” the article said.
In a separate editorial on Monday, the Communist Party tabloid, the Global Times, said the U.S. strikes had weakened “the foundation of the international security order.”
On China’s heavily censored internet forums, users have left furious comments about how Iran was deceived into thinking it was negotiating a nuclear agreement with the United States, only to lower its guard and become the target of U.S. bombs.
China’s rhetoric belies a more complicated reality. Beijing has been one of Tehran’s biggest backers, diplomatically and economically. Its purchases of almost all of Iran’s oil exports have helped a brutal Iranian regime stay in power and deliver support to its terrorist proxies abroad, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
It remains to be seen how China might use its influence over Iran as fears of a broader conflict grow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urged China to persuade Tehran not to make good on a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital waterways for the transport of oil.
“China will certainly oppose Iran” closing the strait, said Wang Yiwei, the director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University in Beijing, because of China’s need for access to Iranian oil. But it would only do so on its terms and in its own time, he suggested.
“However, it would be improper, or even counterproductive, to discuss this with the United States, or to exert pressure on Iran at the request of the United States,” he added.
When asked on Monday what China would do if Iran closed the strait, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, deflected and called on the international community to “step up its efforts to promote the de-escalation of the conflict.”
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Jeanna Smialek
June 23, 2025, 3:55 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Jeanna SmialekReporting from Brussels
European foreign ministers discussed Iran this morning over breakfast. “Ministers are very much focused on the diplomatic solution, and also the concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge,” Kaja Kallas, the E.U.’s chief diplomat, told journalists after the discussion.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 3:29 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
The Israeli military said Iran just fired another volley of ballistic missiles at Israel, triggering aid-raid sirens in parts of the country’s north. Israeli air defenses are attempting to intercept the attack.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 3:30 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
Sirens are now wailing in central Israel in response to additional missile fire, according to the Israeli military.
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Credit...Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Anatoly Kurmanaev
June 23, 2025, 3:07 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Anatoly Kurmanaev
The Kremlin confirmed that President Putin will meet Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in Moscow today. It would be the first publicized meeting between senior officials from the two countries since the start of Iran-Israel war. Putin has been reluctant to come to the aid of Iran, his key Middle Eastern ally, as he tries to juggle conflicting priorities with the Gulf states and the Trump Administration.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 1:13 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
Israel’s Air Force is attacking “military infrastructure sites” in the Iranian province of Kermanshah, the Israeli military said in a statement. The province, in western Iran, borders Iraq and lies hundreds of miles from Tehran and the three nuclear sites that the U.S. attacked on Sunday.
Aaron Boxerman
June 23, 2025, 2:34 a.m. ETJune 23, 2025
Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem
Israeli fighter jets attacked surface-to-surface missile launchers and storage sites in Kermanshah, the military later said, calling it part of Israel’s broader aim of degrading Iran’s military capabilities.
Mujib Mashal
June 22, 2025, 11:54 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Mujib MashalReporting from New Delhi
As Iran mulls the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, India has increasingly been buying oil from diverse sources to reduce its dependence on the Middle East. India, one of the world’s largest importers, buys cheap oil from Russia, to the displeasure of Europe and the U.S. And they are buying more energy from the U.S. “A large volume of our supplies do not come through the Strait of Hormuz now,” Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s minister of petroleum and natural gas said.
Choe Sang-Hun
June 22, 2025, 11:46 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Choe Sang-HunReporting from Seoul
North Korea said on Monday that it strongly denounced the U.S. attack on Iran, accusing Israel and the U.S. of aggravating the tension in the Middle East. North Korea called for the censure of the U.S. and Israel by the international community, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in Pyongyang’s first official reaction to the American air strikes.
Victoria Kim
June 22, 2025, 11:21 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Victoria KimReporting from Sydney
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia on Monday said the country supports the U.S. strike on Iran. Australia is one of the few U.S. allies to fully back the attack, as many expressed concern. “The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. And we support action to prevent that,” Albanese said at a news conference in the capital, Canberra, while also urging a return to dialogue to prevent a full-scale war.
June 22, 2025, 11:03 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Joe RennisonRiver Akira Davis and Eshe NelsonJoe Rennison reported from New York, River Akira Davis from Tokyo and Eshe Nelson from London.
Global markets dip as traders gauge the fallout from U.S. strikes on Iran.
June 18June 20June 235,9605,9806,0006,020
Data delayed at least 15 minutesSource: FactSet
Investors appeared cautiously optimistic on Monday, hoping that the potential economic fallout from the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend would not escalate further.
The S&P 500 index rose 0.6 percent in early morning trading, even after European markets broadly fell.
Oil prices fell, erasing earlier gains. The price of West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for U.S. crude oil, dropped more than 1 percent in early trading, to around $73. Brent crude, the international benchmark, also fell more than 1 percent.
Traders were waiting for clearer indications of whether there would be an escalation in the conflict in the Middle East — particularly any moves by Iran that might disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical transit point for global oil supplies. Last year, about 20 million barrels of oil were shipped through the waterway each day, representing about 20 percent of the world’s total supply. Most of that oil was bound for Asia.
Places like Japan and Taiwan rely on the Middle East for almost all of their crude oil imports, meaning that any disruption to traffic through the passageway could inflict a large economic blow. China is the largest purchaser of Iranian oil.
Stocks in Japan inched lower, while Chinese stocks rose.
If the risk of Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz increases, so will the price of oil, said Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute. In that case, “the Japanese economy could be exposed to downside risks that exceed those of the Trump tariffs,” he said.
Other analysts expect fallout from the U.S. strikes to be relatively short-lived.
The oil market is better equipped to respond to shocks than it has been in the past because of spare capacity held by exporters, according to Daniel Hynes, a senior commodity strategist at ANZ Research. Geopolitical events involving producers can have a big impact on oil markets, but in recent years prices have tended to quickly retreat as risks ease, Mr. Hynes said.
Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said there could be more volatility in stock movements this week. But, he added, the market may view the Iran threat as “now gone.” In that case, he said, “the worst is now in the rearview mirror.”
June 22, 2025, 10:47 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Yan Zhuang
President Trump doubled down on his claim that three Iranian nuclear sites had been “obliterated” by U.S. bombings. “Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images,” he said in a social media post. “Obliteration is an accurate term!” Pentagon officials have characterized the damage to the sites – at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – as “severe.”
June 22, 2025, 9:17 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Katie BennerAlessandro Marazzi SassoonJamie McGee and Valerie CrowderKatie Benner reported from Washington, D.C., Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon from Georgia, Jamie McGee from Tennessee, and Valerie Crowder from Florida.
Around military bases in the U.S., unease over what comes next.
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Uniformed officers stand while holding four flags, including a U.S. flag, on the left.
An Army color guard during a ceremony at Fort Benning in Georgia in April.Credit...Brynn Anderson/Associated Press
For some families who gathered this weekend at Fort Benning in Georgia, the past few days have served as a solemn reminder of the unsettling emotions military service can bring. On Friday, a group of Army enlistees graduated from basic training. On Saturday, President Trump bombed Iran. On Sunday, service members and their loved ones pondered an uncertain future.
“People can lose their life, so I’m worried,” said Michele Bixby, 24, of upstate New York, whose brother had just graduated. “But it’s what he wanted to do; it’s what he loves to do. He’s going to move forward with it no matter what.”
One day after the administration announced it had carried out airstrikes at three nuclear sites in Iran, the mood in some communities around military bases on U.S. soil varied from firm support to bitter disagreement. But one sentiment stood out among those interviewed: concern for the safety of America’s troops everywhere.
No one knows how the strikes on Iran could affect service members. Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, emphasized on Sunday that the administration did not want an open-ended war. But Iranian leaders have vowed to retaliate, and U.S. military installations in the Middle East, with more than 40,000 active-duty troops and civilians employed by the Pentagon, are already potential targets.
That reality, along with the potential repercussions for the entire military, was on the minds of many people around U.S. bases at home, even as service members accepted that reality as part of the job.
“A lot of the families around here are quickly realizing this is a real threat; this is something we need to be worried about,” said Meghan Gilles, 37, a self-described military brat who works in the Army Reserve’s human resources division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, a training site and home to the 101st Airborne Division.
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Four people, all dressed in T-shirts and shorts, stand with their arms around one another under a shelter-like structure near a sign reading, “Elgin AFB Museum History.”
Blake Carlson, right, a National Guard member, was at Eglin Air Force Base on Sunday with his brother Brady, left, and their parents, Garry Pruitt and Tonya Carlson. Credit...Valerie Crowder
At Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Blake Carlson, a 23-year-old Army National Guard combat medic who was visiting from Austin, Texas, said that he could be deployed. “It’s what I signed up for,” he said. “If I have to, I’ll do it.” But his mother and brother hoped the country would not be dragged into the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Some people who were interviewed stood by Mr. Trump and agreed with his assertions that the targeted bombings were unlikely to lead to a wider conflict. Mr. Carlson’s mother, Tonya Carlson, said she hoped the attack would force Iran to negotiate with the United States.
Others stood by Mr. Trump’s statement that Iran posed an imminent threat — a point that contradicts recent national security assessments. “Iran doesn’t need to have nuclear weapons, for sure,” said Tony Saluzzo, 72, a former combat engineer who served in the U.S. offensive against Iraq and lives near Fort Campbell.
James Arthur, a 42-year-old retired Coast Guard captain who lives north of Tampa, Fla., and was visiting the Air Force Armament Museum at the Eglin base, said that the Iran airstrikes happened “about two decades too late.”
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A man wearing sunshades and a blue T-shirt stands on a pathway near grass. Three flags on poles are in the rear.
James Arthur, a retired Coast Guard captain who was visiting the museum at Eglin Air Force Base, said the airstrikes against Iran happened “about two decades too late.”Credit...Valerie Crowder
Other former service members castigated Mr. Trump for bombing Iran without congressional approval. The Constitution’s framers included language to ensure that wars would not be entered rashly, said Paul Oyler, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who lives near the Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, where he was based while on active duty.
He said he would have agreed with the airstrikes if there were a proven, credible threat to the region, but “I don’t have any reason to believe that Iran was in possession of actual nuclear weapons.”
Denver Thiery, 30, who works on military maintenance contracts and lives in Trenton, Ky., near Fort Campbell, said he would remain firmly behind Mr. Trump. But he also acknowledged that it was difficult to know exactly what capabilities Iran possessed.
“I don’t know the truth of what’s going on,” he said. “I don’t know if they really have nuclear warheads or not. I don’t know what I can support anymore.”
Ms. Gilles, the reservist, whose father is a veteran and whose husband is an active-duty serviceman, was troubled by the decision to edge the country to war at the very moment the government was cutting funding for Veterans Affairs.
The administration is taking away a lot of benefits for veterans and “then just sending them off again to be the world police,” Ms. Gilles said.
If the current conflict worsens, military members and veterans said, they would put aside their disagreements over Mr. Trump and support one another. But one veteran lamented what he said such a scenario would ultimately mean.
“I learned from my time on active duty that war is devastating,” Mr. Oyler said.
John Ismay contributed reporting.
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Farnaz Fassihi
June 22, 2025, 8:54 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Farnaz Fassihi
Several residents of Tehran are posting on social media and sending text messages about very heavy Israeli strikes tonight on several locations in central Tehran, including residential areas, and say they can hear and see air defense engaged with small Israeli drones. Ilia Hashemi, a well-known blogger and activist, posted a video of his neighborhood in Ghisha, central Tehran, with flying objects in the air and the sound of air defense interceptions followed by explosions.
Ephrat Livni
June 22, 2025, 8:49 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Ephrat Livni
The Israeli military said early Monday that residents could leave protected spaces following an earlier announcement of a missile attack from Iran. The military did not provide details on any strikes or interceptions. Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said it had not received reports of injuries after sirens sounded in central Israel, except for cases of anxiety and people who were injured on their way to protected spaces.
Annie Correal
June 22, 2025, 8:45 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Annie Correal
Air defense units are responding to Israeli air attacks over Karaj, west of Tehran, according to the Fars News Agency, an Iranian outlet affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards. Residents took to social media to report hearing dozens of explosions.
Ephrat Livni
June 22, 2025, 8:26 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Ephrat Livni
Sirens sounded across several areas in Israel early Monday, as the military said it had identified missiles launched from Iran and was working to intercept the projectiles.
June 22, 2025, 8:23 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Annie Correal
Israel continued its aerial attacks on Iran overnight Monday, hitting key military targets, including Parchin, according to Nour News, which is affiliated with Iran’s National Security Council. Parchin is a military complex southeast of Tehran where Iran is believed to have tested high explosives, and is among sites suspected to have been used by Iran to enrich uranium.
Iran has denied that Parchin has been used for nuclear development, but has refused to comply with demands from the U.N. nuclear watchdog to inspect the site.
June 22, 2025, 7:50 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Ephrat Livni
France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said in a post on social media late on Sunday that, beginning on Monday, France will deploy military aircraft to Israel to bring home French citizens seeking to leave the country amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Annie Correal and Sanam Mahoozi
June 22, 2025, 7:31 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Annie Correal and Sanam Mahoozi
The head of the judiciary of Iran, Mohsen Ejei, said in a post on X that the United States “must await severe punishment,” adding that it had been “complicit” with Israel “and now it is itself a perpetrator.”
June 22, 2025, 7:07 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Ephrat Livni
The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has arrived in Moscow on a diplomatic campaign to “rally the world against Israel,” according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
David E. Sanger
June 22, 2025, 6:28 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
David E. Sanger
U.S. officials concede they don’t know the whereabouts of Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium.
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Hegseth is standing on the podium for a press conference, gesturing.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on Sunday.Credit...Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
A day after President Trump declared that Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and totally obliterated” by American bunker-busting bombs and a barrage of missiles, the actual state of the program seemed far more murky, with senior officials conceding they did not know the fate of Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium.
“We are going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel and that’s one of the things that we’re going to have conversations with the Iranians about,” Vice President JD Vance told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, referring to a batch of uranium sufficient to make nine or 10 atomic weapons. Nonetheless, he contended that the country’s potential to weaponize that fuel had been set back substantially because it no longer had the equipment to turn that fuel into operative weapons.
The Iranians have made it clear they are not interested in having conversations with the United States, accusing Washington of deceiving Tehran during the last set of negotiations while planning the air attack. Moreover, that stockpile of fuel is now one of the few nuclear bargaining chips in Iranian hands.
In a briefing for reporters on Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, avoided Mr. Trump’s maximalist claims of success. They said an initial battle-damage assessment of all three sites struck by Air Force B-2 bombers and Navy Tomahawk missiles showed “severe damage and destruction.”
Satellite photographs of the primary target, the Fordo uranium enrichment plant that Iran built under a mountain, showed several holes where a dozen 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators — one of the largest conventional bombs in the U.S. arsenal — punched deep holes in the rock. The Israeli military’s initial analysis concluded that the site, the target of American and Israeli military planners for more than 26 years, sustained serious damage from the strike but had not been completely destroyed.
But there was also evidence, according to two Israeli officials with knowledge of the intelligence, that Iran had moved equipment and uranium from the site in recent days. And there was growing evidence that the Iranians, attuned to Mr. Trump’s repeated threats to take military action, had removed 400 kilograms, or roughly 880 pounds, of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity. That is just below the 90 percent that is usually used in nuclear weapons.
The 60-percent enriched fuel had been stored deep inside another nuclear complex, near the ancient capital of Isfahan. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said by text that the fuel had last been seen by his teams of United Nations inspectors about a week before Israel began its attacks on Iran. In an interview on CNN on Sunday he added that “Iran has made no secret that they have protected this material.”
Asked by text later in the day whether he meant that the fuel stockpile — which is stored in special casks small enough to fit in the trunks of about 10 cars — had been moved, he replied, “I do.” That appeared to be the mystery about the fuel’s fate that Mr. Vance was discussing.
If so, Isfahan would not be the only place where the custodians of the Iranian nuclear program — a subject of nationalistic pride and the symbol of Iran’s ability to defend itself — were trying to move equipment and material out of sight, and harden the Fordo plant to protect what had to stay in place.
Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies at the tunnels leading into the Fordo mountain, taken in the days before the American strike, show 16 cargo trucks positioned near an entrance. An analysis by the Open Source Centre in London suggested that Iran may have been preparing the site for a strike.
It is unclear exactly what, if anything, was removed from the facility.
In fact, there was only so much the Iranians could save. The giant centrifuges that spin at supersonic speeds, purifying uranium, are piped together and bolted to the cement floor. One U.S. official said it would have been unrealistic to completely move equipment out of Fordo after the conflict with Israel began.
The official added that historical documents about the nuclear program were buried in the bowels of the site, likely complicating any efforts in reconstituting it. In coming days, both the Iranians and intelligence agencies expect to learn more about the Natanz enrichment site, which is older, larger and less well protected than Fordo. It was struck by the Israelis repeatedly, and they destroyed an aboveground enrichment center and disrupted the electrical system. Mr. Grossi later said he believed the interruption of the electrical supply could have sent the centrifuges spinning out of control, probably destroying all of them.
How long it would take the Iranians to repair and replace that equipment is unknown; it would probably stretch for years. But Iran is also building a new, deep replacement for Natanz in the south of the city. Officials in Tehran have told the I.A.E. A. that they have not yet opened the plant, so there is nothing to see.
If Iran is truly pursuing a nuclear weapon — which it officially denies — it is taking more time than any nuclear-armed nation in history. The United States developed the Manhattan Project in four years or so, developing the bombs dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war in the Pacific. The Soviet Union conducted its first test in 1949, only four years later. India, Pakistan and Israel all sped the process.
The Iranians have been at it for more than 20 years, and an archive of data stolen from a Tehran warehouse by Israel a number of years ago showed that Iranian engineers were exploring nuclear triggers and other equipment that would only be used to detonate a weapon. That was around 2003, when, according to American intelligence, the engineers received instructions to halt work on weaponization.
Comments by Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days suggest they believe that work has resumed, though no evidence to support the contention has been made public. If so, the strikes on Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan may only reinforce the view among Iranian leaders that they need a weapon for survival of the government.
History also suggests that diplomacy has usually been more effective than sabotage or military attacks in providing assurances that a country does not pursue atomic weapons. More than 15 years ago, the joint U.S.- Israeli attack on Natanz, using a sophisticated cyber weapon, caused about a fifth of the country’s 5,000 or so centrifuges to blow up.
But the Iranians not only rebuilt, they installed more sophisticated equipment. Before Israel’s attack this month, they had roughly 19,000 centrifuges in operation.
It was only when the Obama administration struck the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that the United States got a fuller picture of its capabilities, thanks to the work of inspectors. And those inspections were choked off — and many security cameras disabled — after Mr. Trump declared the nuclear accord a “disaster” and withdrew from it.
Tehran’s reaction was to scale up centrifuge production, enrich uranium at levels only weapons states need, and stonewall the I.A.E.A.
Now, it is unclear whether the team of I.A.E.A. inspectors who were in the country when the conflict with Israel broke out will be permitted by the Iranian government to resume their inspections, which would include verifying the whereabouts and the safety of that near-bomb-grade uranium.
All international inspections have been suspended during wartime, Iranian officials have said. And even if they were to resume, it was unclear the inspectors could physically gain access to the bombed Fordo underground plant, or the wreckage of the larger enrichment facility at Natanz.
Mick Mulroy, a former Pentagon official in the first Trump administration and a former C.I.A. officer, said of the strike: “With the type and amount of munitions used, it will likely set back the Iranian nuclear weapon program two to five years.”
June 22, 2025, 6:28 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Michael Crowley
The State Department issued a worldwide travel advisory for Americans overseas, urging them to “exercise increased caution” due to “the “potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad.” It also noted that the war is causing travel disruptions and airspace closures across the Middle East.
Michael Crowley
Edward Wong
June 22, 2025, 6:02 p.m. ETJune 22, 2025
Michael Crowley and Edward WongMichael Crowley and Edward Wong report on diplomacy and foreign policy from Washington and have covered international news for decades.
Is the U.S. at war with Iran?
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Demonstrators hold up various “No US-Israeli war on Iran!” signs outside the White House.
Demonstrators hold signs against the U.S. strikes against Iran in Washington outside the White House on Sunday.Credit...Eric Lee for The New York Times
Before he ordered strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, President Trump did not seek permission from Congress, to which the U.S. Constitution grants the sole power to declare war. Many Democrats and even some Republicans say that the attack was tantamount to a declaration of war and that Mr. Trump acted illegally.
Several Trump aides say they disagree, calling the strike a limited action aimed solely at Iran’s nuclear capabilities that does not meet the definition of war. “This is not a war against Iran,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News on Sunday.
Vice President JD Vance argued that Mr. Trump had “clear authority to act to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
However, later on Sunday, Mr. Trump wrote online that his military aims could be much more expansive: “If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”
Criticisms of the attack, which came less than two weeks after Israel began its bombing campaign against Iran, include Mr. Trump not giving American policymakers, lawmakers and the public enough time to debate a role in a conflict that experts warn could grow quickly if Iran retaliates.
The furor over the sudden strikes follows years of bipartisan efforts in Congress to try to place greater limits on a president’s ability to order military action, efforts that arose because of disastrous American wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.
So is the United States at war with Iran? And did Mr. Trump have the authority to order his attack without consulting Congress?
What does the U.S. Constitution say about war?
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A man holds up a shredded copy of the Constitution. He’s wearing a light blue button up shirt and a hat.
A demonstrator holds a shredded copy of the Constitution of the United States on Sunday.Credit...Eric Lee for The New York Times
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution assigns Congress dozens of powers like collecting taxes and creating post offices, as well as the power to “declare war” and to “raise and support armies.”
The Constitution’s framers considered that clause a crucial check on presidential power, according to an essay by the law professors Michael D. Ramsey and Stephen I. Vladeck for the National Constitution Center. Early in American history, Congress approved even limited conflicts, including frontier clashes with Native American tribes.
But the question is complicated by Article II of the Constitution, which delineates the powers of the president, and which designates the U.S. leader as the “commander in chief” of the U.S. military.
Presidents of both parties, relying heavily on legal opinions written by executive-branch lawyers, have cited that language to justify military action without congressional involvement.
Congress tried asserting itself with the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which says the American president must “consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances.”
But presidents have repeatedly disregarded that language or argued for a narrow definition of the “introduction” of forces. Congress has done little to enforce the resolution.
What are members of Congress saying about the U.S. strikes?
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President Trump walks off from Marine One and onto the South Lawn of the White House. He’s wearing a dark blue suit with a red hat and red tie.
President Trump walking across the South Lawn as he returned to the White House on Sunday.Credit...Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times
Democrats have almost uniformly criticized Mr. Trump for acting without legislative consent, and a few Republicans have as well.
“His actions are a clear violation of our Constitution — ignoring the requirement that only the Congress has the authority to declare war,” Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, said in a statement echoed by many of his colleagues.
Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, told CBS News that there was no “imminent threat to the United States” from Iran.
Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, said on the same CBS program that Congress must act this week to assert a role in any further U.S. military action.
“Would we think it was war if Iran bombed a U.S. nuclear facility? Of course we would,” Mr. Kaine said. “This is the U.S. jumping into a war of choice at Donald Trump’s urging, without any compelling national security interests for the United States to act in this way, particularly without a debate and vote in Congress.”
Some Democrats say Mr. Trump has already gone unforgivably far. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called on Saturday night for Mr. Trump’s impeachment.
Hawkish Republicans rejected such talk. “He had all the authority he needs under the Constitution,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC News on Sunday. Mr. Graham cited Mr. Trump’s power as commander in chief under Article II of the Constitution.
“Congress can declare war, or cut off funding. We can’t be the commander in chief. You can’t have 535 commander-in-chiefs,” Mr. Graham said, referring to the combined number of U.S. representatives and senators. “If you don’t like what the president does in terms of war, you can cut off the funding.”
Mr. Graham noted that Congress has made formal war declarations in only five conflicts, and none since World War II. However, there has been a legal equivalent from Congress that President George W. Bush was the last American leader to successfully seek: an authorization for the use of military force, often called an A.U.M.F.
What are legal scholars saying?
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Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran stands at the lectern. He’s wearing a dark gray blazer and is standing in front of the Iranian flag.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran called the U.S. attack an “outrageous, grave and unprecedented violation” of international law and of the United Nations charter.Credit...Khalil Hamra/Associated Press
Several lawyers and scholars who have studied the international law of armed conflict say the United States is without a doubt at war with Iran for purposes of application of that law, and that Mr. Trump acted in violation of international conventions.
“The short answer is that this is, in my view, illegal under both international law and U.S. domestic law,” said Oona Hathaway, a professor of international law at Yale Law School who has worked at the Defense Department.
Brian Finucane, a former lawyer at the State Department, agreed that Mr. Trump needed to ask Congress for authorization beforehand. He also said “there is certainly a U.S. armed conflict with Iran, so the law of war applies.”
On Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called the U.S. attack an “outrageous, grave and unprecedented violation” of international law and of the United Nations charter, which forbids U.N. members from violating the sovereignty of other members.
Mr. Araghchi did not specifically say that his country is now at war with America. Mr. Finucane also said the United States had violated the U.N. charter.
Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University who has also worked at the Defense Department, said “one important matter for both domestic law and especially international law is the issue of ‘imminence.’”
The Trump administration is justifying the U.S. attack by saying Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon was imminent, Mr. Goodman noted.
But “the law would require that the attack would be imminent,” he said, and “it is very hard to see how the administration can meet that test under even the most charitable legal assessment.”
Even if one were to focus on the question of a nuclear bomb, U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Iran had not yet decided to make such a weapon, even though it had developed a large stockpile of the enriched uranium necessary for doing so.
How often have presidents sought congressional approval for war?
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The U.S. Capitol building seen at night.
The furor over the sudden strikes also follows years of bipartisan efforts in Congress to try to place greater limits on a president’s ability to order military action, efforts that arose because of disastrous American wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.Credit...Eric Lee/The New York Times
In the decades since Congress declared war on Japan and Germany in 1941, U.S. presidents have repeatedly joined or started major conflicts without congressional consent.
President Harry S. Truman sent U.S. forces into Korea. President Ronald Reagan ordered military action in Libya, Grenada and Lebanon; President George H.W. Bush invaded Panama; President Bill Clinton ordered the bombing of mostly Serbian targets during the Kosovo War; President Barack Obama joined a 2011 NATO bombing campaign against the government of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya and led a military campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Mr. Obama broke with this trend in September 2013 when he decided against launching a planned strike against Syria without first seeking congressional authorization. The strike was unpopular in Congress, which never held a vote, and Mr. Obama did not act.
President George H.W. Bush won congressional authorization for the use of military force against Iraq in 1991. His son, George W. Bush, did the same in separate requests for Afghanistan and Iraq before ordering invasions of those countries in 2001 and 2003.
In the years since the Al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, several presidents have also ordered countless airstrikes and special operations raids on foreign soil to kill accused terrorists. Those have largely relied on broad interpretations of the two authorizations for the use of military force that Congress granted the executive branch for the so-called war on terror.
Emma Ashford, a scholar of U.S. foreign policy at the Stimson Center, said that in the post-9/11 wars, “some presidents have largely stopped asking permission at all.”
In January 2020, Mr. Trump chose not to consult Congress before ordering an airstrike that killed a senior Iranian military commander, Qassim Suleimani, while he was visiting Iraq. Many members of Congress called that a clear act of war that was likely to begin wider hostilities. Iran responded by firing 27 missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq, inflicting traumatic brain injuries on about 100 U.S. troops. But the conflict did not expand further.
Last year, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. ordered U.S. airstrikes against the Houthi militia in Yemen without getting congressional permission, and Mr. Trump did the same this year.
Advances in military technology, including drones and precision-guided munitions, have allowed presidents to take action with minimal initial risk to U.S. forces. Military officials say that Saturday’s strike in Iran, carried out by B-2 stealth bombers, encountered no resistance.
But critics say the action invites Iranian retaliation that could escalate into full-scale war.
What happens next
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The White House seen at night with red light streaks across the frame.
Advances in military technology, including drones and precision-guided munitions, have allowed presidents to take action with minimal initial risk to U.S. forces. Credit...Eric Lee for The New York Times
G.O.P. leaders in the House and Senate have signaled support for the strike, but Democrats and a few Republicans are demanding that Congress approve any further military action.
Mr. Kaine, who serves on the committees on armed services and foreign relations, introduced a Senate resolution last week requiring that Mr. Trump get explicit congressional approval before taking military action against Iran. Mr. Kaine on Sunday said the measure was still relevant and that he hoped it would come to a vote this week.
Mr. Massie, the Kentucky Republican, introduced a similar war powers resolution last week in the House with Ro Khanna, Democrat of California.
“When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that’s an act of war,” Mr. Massie wrote on social media on Sunday.
Mr. Massie said he was “amazed at the mental gymnastics” Mr. Trump’s defenders have employed to argue the United States was not entering a war by attacking Iranian nuclear facilities.
Megan Mineiro contributed reporting.
Our Coverage of Tensions in the Middle East
Trump’s Decision to Strike: Over the weekend, the United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran, in an effort to support Israel in its war against Iran, potentially kicking off a more dangerous phase in the conflict. The Times spoke to 6 Trump voters to get their reactions to the military operation.
Iran’s Nuclear Dreams: Strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities may not have delivered a death blow to a program that is deeply embedded in Iran’s history, culture, sense of security and national identity. One way that Iran could potentially retaliate for the American strikes, analysts say, would be to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas.
China’s Condemnation: China's ambassador to the United Nations has said attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities have harmed international credibility for the U.S. China depends on Iran for oil and to counter American influence.
Israel’s Goals: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in pursuit of a conclusive victory against Iran, saying that Israel will fight as long as necessary. Israeli strikes have killed Iran’s top military leaders and underscored how degraded Iran’s network of anti-Israel militias has become, experts say.
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