Israel Strikes Iran’s Nuclear Program And Military Leaders (Live Updates)

June 13, 2025 adminsr

Topline

Israel launched a series of major military strikes against Iran and its nuclear program on Thursday, killing several top military officials and nuclear scientists in the country, in a move that U.S. officials said was a “unilateral” action as they denied any involvement by U.S. forces.

A view of a damaged building in the Iranian capital, Tehran, following an attack by Israel.

Anadolu via Getty Images

Timeline

June 12, 10:30 p.m. EDTIranian state media said the commander in chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Hossein Salami, was killed in the Israeli strikes, along with Gen. Gholamali Rashid, the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian military.

State media reports added that Fereydoun Abbasi, a prominent nuclear scientist and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran was also killed in the strike.

An Israeli military official claimed to the Associated Press that Iranian nuclear sites were targeted in the strike, though he did not detail which ones.

It remains unclear as of 8:45 p.m. EDT whether any people have been killed, though explosions were reported in the capital city of Tehran.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement the U.S. is not involved in the strikes and that Israel believed the strikes were “necessary for its self-defense.”

Rubio urged Iran to not target U.S. interests or personnel.

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Key Background

The attack comes a day after several U.S. embassies in the Middle East were evacuated over “heightened security risks” in the region. President Donald Trump, who has opposed immediate military action against Iran in hopes a nuclear deal could be reached, said Thursday afternoon, prior to the strike, “it looks like something could very well happen” and that the U.S. was “fairly close” on a nuclear agreement. Trump also said an attack by Israel “could blow” a potential agreement, noting there is a “chance of massive conflict.”