Overview

• On June 22, US forces bombed Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan sites at Israel’s request, marking America’s first direct military intervention in the nuclear standoff.
• Israel initiated Operation Rising Lion on June 13 with air raids on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities to halt what it deems an existential atomic threat.
• Iran responded with missile strikes on Israeli territory and continues to assert its nuclear programme is strictly peaceful despite recent UN watchdog censure.
• Israel maintains deliberate nuclear ambiguity outside the NPT, with experts estimating a stockpile of 80–200 warheads housed at Dimona and other undisclosed locations.
• The US intervention has intensified regional proliferation fears and spurred renewed diplomatic initiatives among major powers to prevent a broader Middle East conflict.