Live updates: U.s. claims strikes caused ‘severe damage’ and warns Iran against retaliation

The Israeli military said on X that sirens are now sounding "across central Israel due to a missile launch from Iran."

Iran’s student News Network also reported an update on its Telegram channel that Tehran had launched a fresh attack on Israel.

Trump said the pilots who flew the B-2s over Iran landed safely in Missouri.

“Thank you for a job well done!!!” Trump wrote on Truth social.

Bitcoin fell to its lowest level since May over the weekend as rising tensions in the Middle East and renewed inflation fears triggered a sharp selloff across digital assets.

Bitcoin dropped below the $99,000 mark today — its lowest point in more than a month — as the crypto market became the first to react to escalating geopolitical risk.

Bitcoin is trading around $99,380, down more than 2% over the past 24 hours, while ether has dropped 5%, to below $2,200. solana, XRP and dogecoin also posted sharp losses, dragging the entire crypto complex deep into the red.

The selloff appears to be a combination of geopolitical shock and macroeconomic concern.

Iran has reportedly threatened to block the strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping lane that handles about 20% of global oil supply. JPMorgan warns that a full closure could drive oil prices as high as $130 per barrel.

Read the full story here.

Oil prices jumped and stock futures slipped tonight, indicating concern among investors about the possibility of economic fallout from the ongoing unrest in the Middle East following U.s. strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The major focus is on oil. Iran remains a major international oil supplier, and it also sits on the strait of Hormuz, a heavily trafficked waterway in the Persian Gulf that is a key transit channel for about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Concerns centered on whether Iran would begin limiting or shutting down access to the strait. U.s. secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a statement that closing the strait would be tantamount to “economic suicide” for Iran and called on China, Iran’s top trading partner, to head off any attempt by Iran to affect traffic.

Read the full story here.

Iran sent a communiqué to Trump in the days before last night's strikes on its nuclear facilities threatening to activate sleeper-cell terror inside the United states if it were attacked, sources said.

The message got to Trump through an intermediary at the Group of seven summit in Canada last week, which Trump left early June 16 to consider his options amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, according to sources who include two U.s. officials and a person with knowledge of the threat.

The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations declined to comment.

In "Tehrangeles," a bustling community of Iranian Americans in West Los Angeles, many members of the diaspora are feeling a wave of emotions after the United states entered Israel's war with Iran.

On one hand, there is fear. The United states directly bombed Iran for the first time, one week after Israel launched airstrikes against the country.

"I became so worried," an Iranian woman who has family in Tehran said today in an interview. she wished to remain anonymous, saying she is fearful to speak out as she expects to travel to Iran again in the future.

"Normal people [there] are innocent," she said, adding that many have unsuccessfully tried to push the Iranian regime out before, most recently with the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in the wake of Mahsa Amini's death.

Trump appeared to call for a change in the Iranian regime on Truth social this afternoon, a departure from the messaging members of his administration have been pushing since the strikes.

saying that while it is "not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,'" he said that if the current government "is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???" MIGA!!!"

The post was in stark contrast to what others in his administration have said about the strikes and the government in Iran. Just this morning, Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the mission "was not, has not been about regime change."

speaking to CBs News, secretary of state Marco Rubio shared similar messaging.

This "was not an attack on Iran, it was not an attack on the Iranian people. This wasn't a regime change move. This was designed to degrade and/or destroy three nuclear sites related to their nuclear weaponization ambitions, and that was delivered on yesterday," he said.

The U.s. ambassador to the U.N., Dorothy Camille shea, said at the security Council meeting today that the United states attacked Iran in defense of Israel and its own citizens.

"For 40 years, the Iranian government has called for death to America and death to Israel and posed a constant menace to the peace and security of its neighbors, the United states and the entire world," shea said.

shea reiterated the general consensus among U.s. politicians that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and said any retaliation from the country against the United states or its citizens will not be tolerated.

"Any Iranian attack, direct or indirect, against Americans or American bases will be met with devastating retaliation," she said.

shea urged the security Council to call upon Iran "to end its 47-year effort to eradicate the state of Israel, to terminate its drive for nuclear weapons, to stop targeting American citizens and interests and to negotiate peace and good faith for the prosperity and security of the Iranian people and all other states in the region."

Divisions among Republican lawmakers are showing after Trump's decision to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky denounced the decision, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also spoke out. Trump maintained support from other lawmakers, including sen. Lindsey Graham of south Carolina.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow, according to the state media Islamic Republic News Agency.

Araghchi and Putin will discuss the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel and the United states.

Netanyahu praised the U.s. strikes and told reporters there was "very great damage to Fordo."

Netanyahu said the fighting would end when Israel achieves its goals.

"When we achieve the goals, we will not continue the activity beyond what is necessary to achieve them," he said, saying Israel would "not end it too soon, either."

In remarks at Pocono Raceway for today's NAsCAR Cup race, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh shapiro discussed the U.s. attack on Iran.

"Our security team, our state police, homeland security and others, we've been in dialogue with one another to make sure that there's no threat to the commonwealth as a result of what happened overseas," shapiro said. "There is no threat; the people of Pennsylvania are safe. We're going to remain vigilant in our work here to keep the people of Pennsylvania safe."

shapiro said what's most important now is that there is no escalation to the situation with Iran, but he stressed that it would be dangerous for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

"I don't think any of us want to get dragged into another long war in the Middle East," he said. "I think it's important that we're vigilant about that."

shapiro added that the Trump administration "holds responsibility for what comes next."

Nuclear sites Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan were hit in the early-morning strikes by the United states, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement.

Available information shows Isfahan sustained "extensive additional damage," Grossi said. The site had already been damaged by Israeli strikes.

It wasn't immediately clear how much damage Fordo and Natanz sustained, but Grossi confirmed both were hit. He said Natanz, like Isfahan, had already been damaged by Israeli strikes.

Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian strongly condemned the U.s. attack.

"The actions of the U.s. seriously violate the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East," Lin said on X. "China calls on the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and start dialogue and negotiation."

The spokesperson said China is ready to help restore peace in the Middle East.

A question that hovers over President Donald Trump’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is whether he went ahead without proper authorization from Congress.

sen. Richard Blumenthal, D—Conn., a member of the Armed services Committee, said he did not.

“Under the Constitution and the War Powers Act, he’s obligated to inform Congress and seek approval for using American military force,” Blumenthal told NBC News in an interview. “He has done neither.”

This week, Blumenthal said he’ll press the Trump administration to disclose how it plans to protect American troops in the region and bring about peace.

“One of my main concerns is possible retaliation by Iran against the 40,000 troops we have in the Middle East, but also around the world through use of drones and terrorist attacks against bases and embassies.”

“There’s now an obligation to provide the American people — not just Congress — with all the facts, and I’m going to be demanding answers,” Blumenthal added.

People protesting the Trump administration and the U.s. bombing of Iran gathered in Times square today holding anti-war signs and flags.

The Answer Coalition organized at least 17 nationwide protests today. “We demand an immediate end to U.s. and Israeli attacks on Iran and its sovereignty,” its website reads. “The people of the United states want more funding for health care, education and infrastructure.”

“We’re out here today because the people of the United states do not want a war on Iran,” said protester Gabriela silva with the Party for socialism and Liberation. “Trump and Netanyahu waged a completely unprovoked, illegal attack on Iran that the people of this country completely reject.”

Yvette Felarca represented an organization called BAMN at the protest.

“I think it’s really dangerous. Trump is such a weak idiot that the only policy he has is war, so this is super dangerous,” she said.

A handful of counterprotesters holding Israeli flags also attended, some blowing horns in an attempt to overpower the speeches.

The U.s. mission to saudi Arabia has advised its personnel and American citizens in the country to "exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region" following America's attack on Iran, according to a security alert from the U.s. Embassy and Consulates in saudi Arabia.

"We advise all U.s. citizens to maintain a personal safety plan. Crises can happen unexpectedly while traveling or living abroad, and a good plan helps you think through potential scenarios and determine in advance the best course of action," the alert advised.

The U.s. mission to saudi Arabia's staffing and operations continue as normal, according to the alert.

The head of Iran's Red Crescent society said that no radiation was reported in the wake of the U.s. strikes on three major nuclear facilities in Iran.

Eleven people were injured as a result of the strikes, though most have already been released from the hospital.

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, praised the U.s. strikes, saying that the U.s. "acted with incredible bravery and morality."

He said that any further Iranian attacks on Israeli civilians would "be met with overpowering, righteous force."

Asked whether Israel was planning to enact regime change in Iran and if Israel intended to target Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Danon said, "We have many targets still."

"Regime change, that's up to the Iranian people," he added. "I pray that there will be change for the people of Iran, but that's for the Iranian people to decide, not for us."

Danon said that it was still early to assess the attack.

sen. Bernie sanders, I-Vt., accused the Trump administration of lying to the American public in its justification for strikes in Iran.

"In the 1960s the United states government lied to the American people and took us into a terrible war in Vietnam," he wrote in a statement.

similarly, he said, the U.s. government told Americans that they had to invade Iraq in 2002 because of weapons of mass destruction. "The American people were lied to about Iraq, with tragic consequences," he said.

"The American people are being lied to again today. We cannot allow history to repeat itself," sanders continued. "The U.s. faces enormous problems here at home, which we must address. We cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into another Middle East war based on lies."

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said he supported Congress trying to reassert its war powers, but argued that "on matters of war, trade, and immigration, Congress has ceded far too much authority to the executive."

"Reclaiming that authority is critical to restoring Congress as the Article I branch of government, as the Founders intended," Torres said in a post to X.

He said that while he supports reasserting Congress's war powers, "we must be honest: presidents of both parties have unilaterally undertaken major military operations without Congressional authorization."

Hezbollah issued a statement today condemning the U.s. attack on Iran, adding that it "reveals the true face of the United states as the greatest threat to regional and international security and stability."

"This aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and the United Nations Charter, which prohibits targeting nuclear facilities and the use of force against a sovereign state," the statement read. "It represents a reckless and dangerous escalation that, if not stopped and met with decisive action, threatens to expand the scope of war and push the region and the world toward the unknown."

Protests erupted around the world today in response to U.s. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Demonstrators gathered in Tehran's Revolution square, waving flags and holding posters of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. similar rallies took place in Munich, seoul and Quezon City, Philippines.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin after U.s. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. NBC News’ Hala Gorani details the significance of the meeting amid tensions in the Middle East. 

The U.s. state Department ordered the departure of U.s. government personnel family members and nonemergency personnel from Lebanon today due to "the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region," according to an alert from the U.s. Embassy in Lebanon.

"Due to ongoing regional events, we remind U.s. citizens to continue to exercise caution and encourage them to monitor the news for breaking developments," the embassy said.

The Department of Homeland security issued a new bulletin today warning of a "heightened threat environment" following the U.s. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.

The bulletin warns that "low-level cyber attacks against Us networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against Us networks."

DHs also warns of possible violence by independent actors.

"Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target Us Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020," it says. "The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland."

sen. Adam schiff, D-Calif., said in an interview on CNN’s “state of the Union” that the strike on Iran should not have been ordered, but that “the destruction of these facilities is a positive in the sense that it will set back Iran’s program.”

“And look, this is a nefarious regime that is the pre-eminent state sponsor of terror, it should have never been pursuing a nuclear program,” he said.

schiff said that if Iran was not yet “in a sprint for a bomb, it is now going to engage in a sprint for the bomb.” He also said Trump’s actions were not constitutional, arguing that the administration should have come to Congress ahead of the strikes.

President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites has divided his political base, pitting hardcore Trump loyalists who’d support him under any circumstances against those who want to see the U.s. steer clear of far-flung conflicts.

John Bolton, who was Trump’s national security adviser during his first term, said he believes the split isn’t permanent and that the more isolationist members of Trump’s coalition will ultimately come back into the fold.

“I think his base will fall in behind him,” Bolton told NBC News in an interview sunday. “I think people like [conservative pundit] Tucker Carlson will all fold and find some reason to kiss the ring again. Because if he [Trump] casts them out into outer darkness, then they’re just exposed as the extremists that they are.”

Elliott Abrams, a special representative for Iran in the state Department during Trump’s first term, took issue with Trump’s claim saturday night that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been “completely and totally obliterated.”

“We do not have battle damage assessment,” he told NBC News in an interview sunday.

“The business about ‘obliterated,’ that’s Trump. somebody wrote that line for him or it came from him naturally.”

“We may well have, but there’s no way to know that yet,” added Abrams, who is now senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

President of the U.N. General Assembly Philemon Yang said he is "deeply alarmed" by the U.s. attacks on Iran and called on all parties involved "to engage in diplomacy and pursue dialogue" to settle disputes.

"Military might does not bring durable peace. Dialogue does," Yang said. "The people in the Middle East need peace and not more wars."

If the Iranians try to retaliate for the missile strikes on their nuclear program by launching terror attacks on U.s. soil, local law enforcement is as ready as it can be, a top security expert said.

"Local law enforcement will be casting a wide net and preparing for everything from a lone wolf attack by an Iranian sympathizer to a larger organized attack on some big public event, or on a public place that attracts a lot of people like a mall or a sports venue," Brian Higgins, a former chief of the Bergen County Police in New Jersey who now teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told NBC News.

Higgins, who also runs a security consulting firm called Group 77, said they're operating on the assumption that "there are already sleeper cells in the U.s. that could potentially be activated to launch domestic terror attacks."

"We have people on watch lists," he said. "Local police are in contact with the FBI."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem this evening and offered a prayer for the peace of the Israel Defense Forces soldiers and for hostages still held in Gaza.

“The people have risen as a lion," he also said. "We will continue to perform wonders and miracles to ensure the eternity of Israel for generations.”

Netanyahu also offered a special prayer for the peace of Trump.

As is customary, the Israeli prime minister inserted a note containing a prayer into the Western Wall that said: “The people have risen as a lion. Am Israel Chai!” That means “The people of Israel live” in Hebrew.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said on CBs News' "Face the Nation" that Congress should have been called back to Washington ahead of the strikes and argued that there was "no imminent threat to the United states."

"Frankly, we should have debated this War Powers Resolution that Ro Khanna and I offered, instead of staying on vacation and doing fundraisers and saying, 'Oh, well, the president’s got this under control, we’re going to cede our constitutional authority,'" Massie said, referring to a Democratic lawmaker.

In a separate interview on CNN, Massie reiterated that if House speaker Mike Johnson "thought that America was in danger imminently, he should've brought us all back to Congress, yet he did not."

Massie argued that Trump's move would "fragment" the GOP and hurt the party in the midterm elections.

"I think this was a bad move politically, but it's also just a bad move legally and constitutionally and policywise," Massie said.

shortly after Massie's interviews, Trump criticized the lawmaker in a lengthy post to Truth social, calling Massie "a simple minded 'grandstander' who thinks it’s good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon."

Trump indicated that he would work to oust Massie when the lawmaker is up for re-election.

"The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard," Trump said. "MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one."

Rep. Adam smith, D-Wash., said in an interview on MsNBC that Trump "just started a war with Iran."

"We bombed Iran. That is an act of war by any definition, and Iran will likely respond to it," said smith, who is the top Democrat on the House Armed services Committee.

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei accused President Donald Trump's administration of colluding with Israel "to wage an unjust war of aggression" against Iran.

"This unconscionable act of aggression — perpetrated by a nuclear-armed state and the depository of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which is also a permanent member of the UN security Council — against a non-nuclear weapon country constitutes a profound betrayal of the basic norms & principles these institutions embody," Baqaei wrote on X today.

Baqaei also said that Iran is "resolutely determined to defend itself and its people "by all necessary means."

Middle Eastern leaders have been quick to condemn President Donald Trump’s paradigm-shifting attack on Iran. But the attacks may earn private praise from an Arab world that has long seen Iran as the primary threat to regional stability.

Trump’s signature foreign policy achievement of his first term, the Abraham Accords that normalized Israeli diplomatic relations with several Middle Eastern countries, was born from Gulf Arab governments’ increasing anxiety over expanding Iranian influence. 

For generations, Iran has cultivated powerful proxy groups throughout the Middle East, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militant groups in Iraq, whose focus on threatening Israel have promoted rampant instability in their host countries. It also helped to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad in syria.

since Hamas, also an Iranian proxy, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has virtually destroyed nearly all of those groups and regimes aligned with Iran. In Lebanon and syria, curbing Iranian influence was quietly welcomed even as leaders from those countries continued to publicly oppose Israel. 

U.s. government personnel in Turkey are being instructed to "maintain a low profile" and avoid personal travel to the U.s. Consulate in Adana "due to regional events," according to a security alert issued by the U.s. Embassy and Consulates in Turkey today.

"Negative sentiment toward U.s. foreign policy may prompt actions against U.s. or Western interests in Türkiye," they warned. "In the past, such activities have included demonstrations, calls for boycotts of U.s. businesses, anti-U.s. rhetoric, and graffiti. Large gatherings may result in enhanced police presence, road closures, and traffic disruptions. Any gathering, even those intended to be peaceful, could escalate and turn violent on short notice."

The Iranian parliament is moving to close the strait of Hormuz following the U.s. attack on three of the country's nuclear sites, according to Iranian state-owned media organization Press TV.

Iran is closing the strait, which is critical for global trade, in response to America's actions and the international community's inaction, the outlet reported.

NBC News has not independently verified the closure of the waterway.

New York state is on “high alert” after Trump announced that the U.s. struck three nuclear sites in Iran, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“We are not aware of any specific or credible threat to New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a statement. “However, given New York’s distinctive global profile, we are taking this situation extraordinarily seriously.”

All state agencies, utilities and other critical infrastructure facilities are on high alert for any possible disturbances, she said, and the MTA and the Port Authority have activated counterterrorism protections in partnership with local law enforcement.

President Donald Trump shared a post to Truth social hours after his administration's decision to attack Iran, touting "great unity in the Republican Party, perhaps unity like we have never seen before."

"Now let’s get the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill done," Trump wrote, referring to his proposed budget reconciliation bill. "Our Country is doing GREAT. MAGA!"

The morning after the U.s. military executed an operation against three Iranian nuclear facilities, the Trump administration appears unified in its message to the regime that retaliation would be a severe mistake. NBC News' Garrett Haake reports from the White House on President Donald Trump's message, along with his Cabinet secretaries.

President Donald Trump is claiming success from the U.s. military strike to cripple Iran's nuclear capabilities, yet there is uncertainty on how leaders in the Middle East will respond. NBC News' Matt Bradley reports from Tel Aviv on how Iran has been perceived by other nations in the region in recent decades and how that may indicate Middle Eastern leaders' reaction to the current strikes.

Additional personnel working for the U.s. Embassy in Baghdad left the country yesterday and today, according to a security alert from the embassy.

The embassy said the U.s. mission to Iraq began "the orderly departure" of some of its personnel on June 12 "out of an abundance of caution." The embassy and the consulate general in Erbil have also temporarily suspended routine visa services but will continue providing services for U.s. citizens.

"There is increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence or attacks against U.s. businesses and locations frequented by U.s. citizens," the embassy warned. "We urge all U.s. citizens in Iraq to avoid locations frequented by foreigners and any large gatherings or crowds."

sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said in an interview on ABC News' "This Week" that while the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff Dan Caine has said that the damage assessment is not yet complete, the U.s. strikes have "severely damaged Iran's critical nuclear infrastructure."

Cotton said that if Iran targets Americans in retaliation, "The military force you will see will make last night look like child's play."

He added that the U.s. has troops in the region and that the president has "no higher priority" than the safety of Americans.

The world’s largest direct-membership organization for shipowners, charterers, shipbrokers, and agents is warning that while it is still unclear how Iran will respond to saturday’s U.s. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the threat to commercial shipping in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula has risen.

 “The Houthi threat against shipping in the Red sea and Gulf of Aden has also gone up,” said Jakob Larsen, head of security at Bimco, which represents global shipowners. “The Houthis now threaten merchant ships with affiliation to Israel or the U.s., but attacks against merchant ships with other affiliations cannot be ruled out.”

Larsen said it is expected that U.s. warships and merchant ships affiliated with Israel or the U.s. would be the preferred targets for the Iranians.

In an email to CNBC, a Hapag Lloyd spokesperson tells CNBC, “We currently are still crossing the street of Hormuz. Alert level is high, though, and things might change by the hour.”

Read the full story here.

Markets across the Middle East ended mostly higher on sunday after the United states entered the war between Israel and Iran and struck three key Iranian nuclear sites, Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.  

stocks in Tel Aviv reached an all-time high on sunday on bets that Washington’s entrance into the conflict with Tehran would help it to come to an end, despite the Iranian Foreign Minister’s insistence that the country could not return to diplomacy “while under attack.”

The broader TA-125 index was trading 1.77% higher on sunday, while the TA-35, Tel Aviv’s blue-chip index, was up 1.5%. Equities climbed in Israel last week after the country hit targets in Iran.

Read the full story here.

Israel struck multiple cities in Iran today, including the central city of Yazd for the first time, the IDF said in a statement.

The country's air force struck what it said are dozens of military targets, including missile and unmanned aerial vehicle sites in Isfahan, Bushehr, Ahvaz and Yazd. This includes the Imam Hussein strategic Missile Command Center in Yazd, "where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored" and around 60 were launched toward Israel, according to the IDF.

"During the strikes, an IAF aircraft identified Iranian Armed Forces soldiers loading missile launchers and eliminated them," the IDF said. "The IDF will continue to reach and strike in any area within Iranian territory to eliminate threats posed to the state of Israel."

NBC News has not been able to independently verify any of the IDF's claims.

A gas field in Iran's southwestern Bushehr province was hit by Israeli strikes earlier today, the state-run Fars news agency reported.

Parts of the area "caught fire as a result," the agency reported, adding that eyewitnesses said a drone was used to carry out the attack.

Earlier, the Israeli military said in a statement that it had carried out strikes on several parts of Iran, including Bushehr.

Missile launchers, military sites for the production of air defense batteries and a command center were hit, along with a drone storage center, it said. Iranian military personnel were also killed, the statement added.

secretary of state Marco Rubio said in an interview on Fox News that if Iran retaliates, "it’ll be the worst mistake they’ve ever made."

He added that the U.s. "can fly in and out of Iran at will."

"We are not declaring war on Iran," Rubio said. "We’re not looking for war in Iran, but if they attack us, then I think we have capabilities they haven’t even seen yet. It would be a terrible mistake on their part, and frankly, it’s not what we hope for or wish."

The U.N. security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting today at Tehran's request following U.s. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last night, U.N. sources tell NBC News.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today the action by a permanent member of the U.N. security Council member was “a flagrant breach of the UN Charter” and dealt “a devastating blow” to the global nonproliferation regime.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, calls on the security Council to convene an emergency session to unequivocally condemn the criminal act of aggression by the United states against Iran and to hold the administration in Washington accountable for its violations of fundamental principles of United Nations Charter and of norms of international law,” the Iranian foreign minister said adding, “silence in the face of such blatant aggression will plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos.”

The emergency meeting was first reported by Reuters. 

Bahrain is calling for de-escalation after the U.s. attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran.

The kingdom emphasized "the need for coordinated regional and international efforts to halt escalation and military operations" and called for a return to negotiations between the U.s. and Iran, according to a statement.

"This approach aims to restore peace and security in the region and spare its people the horrors and dangers of war," that statement read.

According to an Arab diplomatic source, when asked whether sen. Lindsey Graham is correct that a saudi-Arab-Israel deal is now back on track, the source said, “I doubt any deal will be done but it depends now whether this becomes a war of attrition.”

The source went on to say that what happens next depends on whether Iran feels weak and is willing to come to the table, or whether Iran is embarrassed and feels it has to strike back. It might not retaliate against U.s. troops but use proxies elsewhere in the region and against U.s. allies.

And it depends on how much Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now willing to make a deal on Gaza. The saudis are very clear that the Palestinian issue has to be resolved before anything else can happen.

NBC News analyst Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at the Pentagon and the CIA, said Iranian options for retaliation after the U.s. struck three nuclear facilities include going after U.s. military assets and having groups affiliated with Iran, like the Houthis, fire on U.s. vessels.

Bash said the U.s. will posture in the region to prevent and deter Iran from waging any significant retaliation.

More than 125 American aircraft took part in the mission that struck three Iranian nuclear sites, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, told a news conference earlier today. 

B-2 stealth bombers were joined by fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets and “dozens and dozens of air refueling tankers,” Caine said, adding that a full array of “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft” also joined the mission, which led to strikes on the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. 

Caine said that at midnight Friday, a large “B-2 strike package comprised of bombers” took off from the U.s. Part of this package headed west and into the Pacific “as a decoy,” he said.

“The main strike package comprised of seven B-2 spirit bombers, each with two crew members, proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications throughout the 18-hour flight to the target area,” Caine said. 

Dozens of people have been arrested in Iran over alleged ties to Israel, the deputy police commander of Fars province said, according to semiofficial state media.

At least 52 people were detained on charges of disturbing public opinion, possessing and storing drones or drone parts, as well as filming sensitive areas and sending the footage to opposition media outlets, the IRGC-linked semiofficial Fars news reported.

NBC News was not immediately able to independently confirm the arrests or the related charges.

A growing number of similar arrests have been reported in Iran, as well as in Israel, over alleged ties to opposing sides as the two countries continue to trade strikes, with the U.s. also now stepping into a larger role in the conflict.

Iran said the three nuclear facilities struck by the U.s. were evacuated before being hit. U.s. defense officials say they still need to complete a full battle damage assessment. NBC News’ Richard Engel reports on Iran’s response to the attacks. 

The location of the 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of 60% enriched uranium has not been revealed by Iran, Israel or the U.s., but it is central to what happens next.

If the uranium has been sealed inside the Fordo nuclear facility, Israeli and U.s. teams will be racing to establish that it is now out of reach.

Vice President JD Vance said sunday that the U.s. is not at war with Iran, but with Tehran’s nuclear weapons program, and declined to confirm with 100% confidence that the country’s nuclear sites had been completely destroyed.

During an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” moderator Kristen Welker asked the vice president whether the U.s. was now at war with Iran after President Donald Trump said the U.s. military had dropped bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites on saturday.

The move marked the first time that the U.s. had attacked Iran and prompted concerns about whether attacks could drag the U.s. into a wider war. Hours later, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel, causing damage in Tel Aviv.

“We’re not at war with Iran,” Vance said. “We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.”

Read the full story.

submarines began launching Tomahawk missiles at 5 p.m. ET on saturday, The time of target was 6:40 p.m. ET, or about 2:10 a.m. local time, to 7 p.m. ET.

More than 125 U.s. military aircraft participated in the operation. The B-2s hit Fordo and Natanz. The submarines hit Isfahan with Tomahawks. More than 75 total weapons were used. This was also the military’s first operational use of GBU-57s, and more than a dozen were used.

It was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.s. history and the second-largest B-2 mission ever flown, only exceeded by missions after 9/11. The military launched B-2s to the Pacific as a decoy, part of a deception effort.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine said that the mission was successful in that it appears Iran did not fire on the U.s. aircraft at any point in the attack and Iranian fighter jets were not scrambled to intercept them.

It is not known if Iranian forces did not see the U.s. planes because they are designed to not be detected by radar.

“Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission. We retained the element of surprise,” the general said. Cain added, though, that the bomb damage assessment has not been completed. Given that the Pentagon does not have forces on the ground, it may be difficult for the U.s. to definitively know the damage.

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been “obliterated” has not been independently confirmed and raises the core question this morning: Will Iran be able to covertly rebuild its nuclear program as North Korea did?

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, used more restrained language, saying there was “extremely severe damage” to the three facilities targeted by the U.s. but it was too early to know the exact damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

In a press briefing this morning, Defense secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.s. attacks were intended to "destroy or severely degrade" Iran's nuclear program.

Operation Midnight Hammer targeted three nuclear facilities, Hegseth told reporters today, adding that the operation "did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people."

"The United states does not seek war, but let me be clear, we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened," he added. "The President Trump said no nukes. He seeks peace, and Iran should take that path."

Concerns about a potential retaliation from Iran are growing after President Donald Trump revealed that the U.s. attacked three nuclear sites in the country. NBC News’ Hallie Jackson discusses how Americans are reacting to the strikes. 

Iran has called on the United Nations security Council to convene an emergency meeting "without delay" to discuss the United states' strikes on its nuclear facilities, which the Iranian ambassador to the U.N., Amir saeid Iravani, called a "blatant and unlawful act of aggression."

In a letter sent overnight, Iravani called on the security Council, of which the U.s. is a permanent member, to condemn Washington's strikes "in the strongest possible terms."

He further called on the council to "take all necessary measures" to ensure "that the perpetrator of such heinous crimes is held fully accountable and does not go unpunished."

The U.s. is calling the military strikes against Iran Operation Midnight Hammer. 

According to a defense official, the submarines began launching Tomahawk missiles at 5 p.m. ET yesterday. The time of the target was 6:40 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET.

The official added that more than 125 U.s. military aircraft participated in the operation. The B-2s hit Fordo and Natanz. The submarines hit Isfahan with Tomahawks. More than 75 total weapons were used. This was also the military’s first operational use of GBU-57s, and more than a dozen were used. 

It was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.s. history and the second-largest B-2 mission ever flown, only exceeded by missions after 9/11. The military launched B-2s to the Pacific as a decoy, part of a deception effort. 

Iran had vowed to retaliate strongly if its nuclear sites came under attack. Now that they have, Tehran has to choose between retaliating and risking a wider war, or pausing and consolidating at home, said Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East security at the Royal United services Institute, a London-based think tank.

"Iran’s options are both limited and incredibly risky," she said in an emailed statement. De-escalation could allow the regime to focus "inwards to deter political instability, reinforce elite command and control, and manage the political fallout from 10 days of war with Israel."

"But inaction carries its own cost — undermining Tehran’s credibility after years of vows to protect its nuclear program at all costs," she added.

A military option, direct or through proxies, carries its own risks, and could invite punishing U.s. reprisals, particularly if American forces suffer casualties, she said. "Tehran’s next move may determine whether this war expands — or ends in uneasy, albeit possibly temporary, restraint," she added.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had said he plans to call an emergency meeting of the agency's board of governors on Monday to discuss the "urgent situation" in Iran following the United states' attacks on its nuclear facilities.

“In view of the increasingly serious situation in terms of nuclear safety and security, the Board of Governors will meet in an extraordinary session tomorrow, which I will address,” Grossi said in a statement.

He said that the IAEA had been informed by the Iranian regulatory authorities that there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels after the attacks on three nuclear facilities, including the Fordo uranium enrichment site.

“As of this time, we don’t expect that there will be any health consequences for people or the environment outside the targeted sites,” he said. “We will continue to monitor and assess the situation in Iran and provide further updates as additional information becomes available.”

satellite imagery captured by Planet Labs PBC following the United states' strikes appears to show damage to the Fordo nuclear facility, the site shrouded in secrecy and dug deep into a mountain, The Associated Press has reported.

According to the AP, an analysis of the imagery suggested some damage to the site, where gray smoke could be seen lingering in the air. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

One Iranian MP said the site had not been seriously damaged, disputing Trump's claims that the nuclear facilities struck had been "obliterated." NBC News was not immediately able to independently verify the situation on the ground.