The United States and Israel carried out coordinated missile strikes across multiple locations in Iran on Saturday, targeting sites in Tehran and other regions in what they described as a pre-emptive operation against perceived security threats. The attacks reportedly focused on key government and military installations, including locations linked to Iran’s top leadership. The escalation marked a dramatic shift from diplomacy to direct military action, coming only days after a third round of nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Geneva that had shown cautious signs of progress despite failing to produce a final agreement.
The Geneva talks, mediated by Oman, were part of ongoing efforts to address concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme. Tehran has consistently maintained that its nuclear activities are intended for civilian energy purposes, while the United States and Israel argue that the programme could be used to develop nuclear weapons. The discussions involved indirect exchanges alongside limited direct engagement between senior officials, including US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Omani officials described the negotiations as having achieved “significant progress,” and both sides agreed to continue dialogue, with technical-level discussions scheduled to take place in Vienna the following week.
Despite the diplomatic momentum, deep disagreements remained unresolved. Washington demanded that Iran halt uranium enrichment entirely and address its ballistic missile programme as part of any sanctions-relief arrangement. Iran rejected these conditions, insisting that enrichment is a sovereign right and proposing instead to limit stockpiles under international monitoring rather than dismantle facilities or transfer nuclear material abroad. Iranian officials expressed optimism about continuing negotiations, while US leaders signalled growing frustration over what they viewed as insufficient concessions.
A confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, circulated among member states around the same time as the talks, appears to have influenced the strategic calculations behind the strikes. According to the report, Iran had stored highly enriched uranium at an underground facility linked to the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Research Center and had restricted inspection access to a declared enrichment site. The agency raised concerns about transparency and urged broader inspections, noting that Iran had not granted access to certain facilities since their declaration. The findings reinforced longstanding Western suspicions that Tehran’s nuclear activities extended beyond previously acknowledged limits.
Following the release of the report and the inconclusive outcome of negotiations, US officials adopted a more hardened tone. President Donald Trump publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Iran’s negotiating position and warned that Washington could not accept continued nuclear advancement. Soon afterward, the United States and Israel authorised military action, arguing that Iran’s ongoing enrichment activities and refusal to meet key demands constituted an imminent threat. Trump stated that the objective of the operation was to eliminate dangers posed by Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities, asserting that diplomatic opportunities had been exhausted.
The strikes triggered immediate retaliation from Iran, leading to exchanges of missile and drone attacks across the region and pushing the Middle East into a rapidly widening confrontation. What had begun as high-stakes negotiations in European capitals quickly transformed into open military escalation, illustrating how unresolved disputes over nuclear transparency, enrichment rights and regional security concerns moved the crisis from the negotiating table to active conflict.
