Israel has launched a wide-scale military strike against Iran following months of faltering nuclear negotiations between the Trump administration and Tehran.

Explosions were reported in Tehran as Israeli Defence Forces confirmed they had conducted strikes inside Iran. In response, Israel declared a nationwide state of emergency, bracing for potential Iranian retaliation.

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Iranian state media confirmed the death of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Commander Hossein Salami in the initial strike of Israel's Operation Rising Lion. State media also said that nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi were killed.

Prime Minister Netanyahu:
"Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival.

This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat." pic.twitter.com/3c8oF1GCYa

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 13, 2025

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran is preparing to manufacture tens of thousands of ballistic missiles — capable of killing millions of Israelis even without being armed with nuclear warheads.

Netanyahu also said that Iran may be just months away from not only enriching sufficient uranium but actually building a functional nuclear weapon.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said the strike was launched to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities. “Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime pose an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the broader international community,” the IDF stated.

A statement from IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin on the preemptive Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear targets pic.twitter.com/IJNT5LXz6o

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 13, 2025

The escalation follows a long trail of hostilities, beginning in April 2024 when Iran, for the first time, launched direct strikes on Israeli territory. Israel retaliated within days, targeting and damaging Iran’s S-300 air defence system.

Tensions surged again on October 1, when Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel. Jerusalem responded on October 26 with a barrage of strikes on Iranian military sites and missile depots.

Amid the rising tensions, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration attempted to revive nuclear talks, with hopes of succeeding where previous efforts had failed. Negotiations, brokered by Oman, began in Muscat on April 12.

BREAKING: Israel has attacked Iran in a preemptive strike after declaring a state of emergency. pic.twitter.com/f4kzkOKw5T

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 13, 2025

Trump urged Netanyahu to hold off on striking Tehran and allow diplomacy to proceed. After the initial round, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News the goal was to cap Iran’s uranium enrichment at 3.67% — the level permitted under the original 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Trump had exited in 2018.

"I want to have an agreement with Iran," says @POTUS. "I'd much prefer an agreement. As long as I think there is an agreement, I don't want them going in ... I'd much prefer the friendly route." pic.twitter.com/zE7bIdANeH

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 12, 2025

However, Witkoff reversed his position the following day, stating, “Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.”

The second and third rounds of negotiations were held in Rome and Muscat, with both sides publicly expressing optimism. But progress unravelled after the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions in late April. The next round of talks, set for May 3, was postponed indefinitely.