The 12-Day War: US-Israel Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Sites 2025
Clear accounts of the June 2025 Israel-Iran conflict, the IAEA safeguards finding, the Israeli and US strikes, and the attacks on Israeli civilians.
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- Iran’s nuclear program and the June 2025 IAEA findingOn June 12, the IAEA Board found Iran in non-compliance with its safeguards agreement over unresolved undeclared nuclear material and activities. Israel began strikes the next day; the US struck three nuclear facilities on June 21–22.
- Operation Rising Lion: Israel’s air campaign and command strikesIsrael launched Operation Rising Lion on June 13, 2025, with 200 fighter jets striking more than 100 targets. The opening wave hit nuclear and military sites, air defenses and senior commanders in Iran.
- Mossad operations and the targeting of Iran’s nuclear scientistsThe IDF said nine Iranian nuclear scientists were killed in the June 13 opening strikes and described a years-long intelligence effort to track them.
- Operation Midnight Hammer: US strikes and damage assessmentsOn June 21–22, 2025, US forces attacked Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan using B-2 bombers, 14 GBU-57 penetrators and Tomahawk missiles. US officials reported severe damage, while the IAEA could not independently inspect the sites afterward.
- Cyberattacks on Bank Sepah and NobitexA hacking group called Predatory Sparrow claimed attacks on Bank Sepah and the Nobitex cryptocurrency exchange in June 2025. Blockchain analytics firms traced more than $90 million from Nobitex wallets to addresses used in the attack.
- Iranian missile attacks, Israel’s defenses and civilian protectionIran fired about 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel during the 12-day conflict. Israeli and US defenses intercepted most threats, but impacts killed 28 people and exposed the limits and supply costs of missile defense.