June 13, 2025

Beginning late in the night of June 12-13, Israel carried out large-scale strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities and leadership. The United States has said that it was not involved in the attack. Israeli strikes and Iranian retaliatory actions remain ongoing and will likely continue for days, if not longer. This special newsletter includes a brief roundup of what we know about the strikes so far, as well as links to a variety of Iran Watch resources helpful to understanding the current moment and what might come next.

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WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

Israeli fighter aircraft participates in Operation Rising Lion (Photo Credit: Israeli Defense Force)

Israel claims to have used roughly 200 aircraft to strike dozens of targets in Iran, including nuclear facilities and military bases. Sites reportedly struck include.

  • The Natanz and Fordow uranium enrichment facilities
  • The Arak heavy water reactor complex
  • The Esfahan Nuclear Technology Center
  • The Parchin military complex
  • The headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), as well as multiple other targets in or near Tehran
  • Several military installations across the country, likely including IRGC missile bases near Tabriz and Kermanshah

As of this writing, Israel is not reported to have struck the nuclear power plant at Bushehr.

The extent of damage to the targeted sites is not yet clear. What is clear is Israel’s success in killing several senior IRGC commanders and Iranian nuclear scientists, including:

  • Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (Iran’s top military officer)
  • Major General Hossein Salami, the overall commander of the IRGC
  • Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, which controls Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal
  • Major General Gholamali Rashid, commander of the Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the coordinating headquarters for Iranian military operations
  • Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a military adviser to the Supreme Leader
  • Fereidoun Abbasi-Davani, a senior nuclear scientist and former head of the AEOI
  • Mohammad Mehdi Teranchi, a senior nuclear scientist involved in Iran’s pre-2004 nuclear weapon program
  • Three nuclear scientists affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University: Abdulhamid Minouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, and Amirhossein Feqhi

As of this writing, senior Iranian political leaders are not known to have been targeted. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi all issued statements following the initial strikes.

Khamenei pledged that Iran would retaliate. Israeli officials claimed to have engaged more than 100 drones launched from Iran early on Friday. Iran then launched a salvo of missiles later in the day, at least some of which were intercepted by Israeli air defenses. No significant damage in Israel has yet been reported, but Israel and neighboring countries have closed their airspace and taken other precautions in anticipation of attacks.

The United States denied involvement in the Israeli strikes, although President Donald Trump said that he had been informed about them in advance. Trump urged Iran to continue negotiations and reach a deal with the United States over its nuclear program in order to avert additional, more damaging Israeli strikes. The Iranian foreign ministry said it held the United States responsible for the Israeli attack, but made no comment on the negotiations. As of this writing, Iran is not reported to have attacked U.S. bases or assets in the Middle East.

 

IRAN WATCH RESOURCES

Israel struck several Iranian nuclear sites and will likely attack more. This table lists the declared and known undeclared facilities relating to Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle and weaponization effort. Each entry gives the facility’s purpose, location, and, where known, its operating status.

How far advanced was Iran’s nuclear program before the Israeli strike? This estimates how soon Iran could have enriched enough uranium to fuel a small nuclear arsenal using its declared stockpile and centrifuges.

How far might the Israeli strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program? This table lists the quantity and capability of the centrifuges known to be installed in each of Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)’s Behnam Ben Taleblu and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Michael Eisenstadt sat down with us in late April to discuss, among other things, the likely scenarios following a military strike on Iran’s nuclear program.

Any Iranian retaliation against Israel will likely involve the use of its extensive missile arsenal. This table sets forth what is publicly known, claimed, or estimated about the capabilities of Iran's missiles.

Previous attacks may provide a clue as to how Iran will retaliate. This analytical article breaks down the targets, munitions used, and takeaways from the Iranian missile strike on Israel in October 2024.

This analytical article examines Iran’s first direct attack on Israel in April 2024.

Iran’s response could escalate into a broader regional conflict, potentially drawing in the United States. This 2022 report examines Iran’s asymmetric military capabilities, including strike and naval assets that it could bring to bear in a conflict waged in and above the Persian Gulf.

 

INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS

Bystanders and emergency crews look at damage in Tehran (Photo Credit: Tasnim News Agency)

Governments around the world and international organizations commented on the strikes.

Iran Watch is a website published by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. The Wisconsin Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that conducts research, advocacy, and public education aimed at inhibiting strategic trade from contributing to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 


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