President Donald Trump on Saturday said the US military had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, "completely and totally obliterating" Tehran's enrichment capacity.
The development ended days of speculation about whether America would become directly involved in Israel's war against Tehran. Mr Trump said that any retaliation by Iran against the US would be met with overwhelming force.
"Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success," Mr Trump said in a three-minute address to the nation from the White House, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated."
Iranian state media, however, said that all three sites had been evacuated and their contents moved before the bombings.
Morteza Heydari, spokesman for the Qom Provincial crisis management department, told the Tasnim news agency that “complete peace prevails in the holy city of Qom and the province".
Earlier, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian had said that his country's "response to the continued aggression of the Zionist regime will be more devastating" during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Israel had repeatedly called on its ally America to join its war and Mr Trump has said he would not tolerate Iran developing a nuclear weapons programme.
On Saturday, he said he had worked with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to co-ordinate the strikes.
"We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel," he said, adding that the action was "the most difficult" and the "most lethal".
Calling Iran "the bully of the Middle East," he said that if peace is not achieved soon, the US would go after other targets.
Earlier on Saturday in a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites had been targeted.
“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.”
He also posted a screenshot of a social media account that said: "Fordow is gone."
The US has bunker-busting bombs designed to destroy hardened facilities buried deep underground, including Fordow, which is in a mountain.
Mr Trump went on to call for peace and praise the "great American warriors".
The strikes came after the US President had voiced deepening frustration with Tehran over its failure to come to a deal on putting limits on its nuclear programme.
"This is an historic moment for the United States of America, Israel, and the world. Iran must now agree to end this war," he said in a different post.
B-2 Spirit bombers were reportedly used in the strikes. The stealth jets can carry the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. It weighs 13,600kg and can purportedly go through up to 100 metres of reinforced concrete. Its conventional explosive power is close to that of an atom bomb.
The US has previously lent support to Israel's defence in the conflict, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking Mr Trump for "support in defending Israel's skies".
Mr Trump spoke to Mr Netanyahu after the strikes, AFP reported, citing a senior White House official.
The US also "gave Israel a heads-up before the strikes," the official said.
America's attack on Iran comes despite deep divisions among Mr Trump's Republicans over whether the US should become involved in another Middle East conflict.
The President campaigned on ending costly foreign wars and vowed to bring the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars, which preceded his term, to a swift end.
"There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first," Marjorie Taylor Greene, a leading Make America Great Again Republican isolationist congresswoman, wrote in a post on X.
"Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer."
Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries criticised the strike.
“President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorisation for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East," Mr Jeffries said in a statement.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was gravely alarmed by the US strikes.
"This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security," he said in a statement.
"There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world."
Some Republican leaders, however came out strongly in support of Mr Trump's decision, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that the President "gave Iran’s leader every opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement".
And the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicks, said "our commander-in-chief has made a deliberate - and correct - decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime".
Senator Tom Cotton said Mr Trump "made the right call and the ayatollahs should recall his warning not to target Americans".
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Scoreline:
Cardiff City 0
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
The specs
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Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Indika
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2011%20Bit%20Studios%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Odd%20Meter%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
