Summary

Media caption,

Watch: On the second day of a shaky ceasefire, Tehran is beginning to return to normal, Lyse Doucet reports. Our chief international correspondent is being allowed to report in Iran on condition that none of her reports are used on the BBC’s Persian service. This rule from Iranian authorities applies to all international media agencies operating in Iran

  1. Hegseth: Pentagon report leak has 'political motive'published at 09:42 British Summer Time 25 June

    U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks next to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025Image source, Reuters

    More now on those comments from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who calls the US mission to strike Iran's nuclear sites "flawless", and adds: “Any assessment that tells you it was something otherwise is speculating with other motives."

    He then directly references an intelligence report which suggests that Iran’s nuclear programme has only been set back by “a few months”. Hegseth says that report is “preliminary” and “low confidence”.

    “This is a political motive here”, he adds and tells reporters that a leak investigation with the FBI is under way.

  2. Trump stands by comments on 'obliteration' of Iran's nuclear sitespublished at 09:34 British Summer Time 25 June

    Media caption,

    Leaked damage assessment of US strike on Iran was 'inconclusive' - Trump

    US President Donald Trump says he believes Iran will not be building nuclear weapons for a long time.

    Asked about the leaked intelligence report, Trump says they "really don't know" and that the US strikes caused a "total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear sites.

    US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says it was a "flawless" mission that caused devastation.

    "Any assessment that tells you otherwise," he says, has "other motives".

  3. Trump and Nato chief speak to reporters at summitpublished at 09:29 British Summer Time 25 June

    US President Donald Trump is speaking to reporters at a Nato summit in the Netherlands, alongside the alliance's secretary-general, Mark Rutte.

    You can watch live by pressing the button at the top of the page.

  4. 'Unwise' of Trump to say Iran's nuclear sites were 'obliterated', retired US general sayspublished at 09:26 British Summer Time 25 June

    A retired US general says Donald Trump was "completely wrong" to state that Iran's nuclear programme was destroyed "within hours" of the US attack on three facilities.

    "We’re talking about targets that were deep inside a mountain. It’s impossible to have an accurate battle damage assessment so quickly," Ben Hodges tells BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

    As a reminder, the US carried out strikes against three nuclear facilities in Iran at the weekend - targeting Fordo, which is buried deep below a mountain, as well as Natanz and Isfahan.

    Trump's comments shortly after the attack were "not very wise", Hodges says, adding that it's hard to know the level of damage until someone is able to go inside the mountain.

  5. Analysis

    What will Iran do next?published at 09:10 British Summer Time 25 June

    Hugo Bachega
    Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

    If the initial assessment by US intelligence, leaked to American media, is correct, then this will raise questions and concerns about what Iran does next.

    Will the Israeli and US air strikes, instead of significantly delaying Iran’s nuclear ambitions, push it to accelerate its programme once the damage is repaired and the replacements are found for the scientists who were killed?

    It will take time to have a clear idea of the extent of the damage caused by the attacks - and the debate continues about Israel’s justification, that Iran was close to the “point of no return” in developing a nuclear weapon.

    Iranian officials have already said their nuclear programme will continue, while President Trump says Iran will never again have a nuclear programme. Iranian leaders know that a line has now been crossed, and that having such a weapon is probably their only protection from further attacks.

    North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons despite pressure for its programme to be dismantled, has never been attacked.

    Today, the Iranian parliament approved a bill to stop co-operation with the global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and some officials have also raised the possibility of leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty too.

    And we still do not know what has happened to about 400kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a step below weapons grade.

    If the ceasefire holds - and both sides have reasons to respect it - international diplomats will try to resume negotiations for a deal.

    These talks, despite a weaker Iran, are likely to be difficult. A key US demand is that there should be no enrichment of uranium on Iranian soil. Something that, at least in public, Iran has rejected.

    Speaking on Fox News yesterday, Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, said: “Now it’s time for us to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace agreement”.

  6. Iranian parliament votes to suspend co-operation with UN nuclear watchdogpublished at 08:50 British Summer Time 25 June

    The Iranian parliament has voted to suspend co-operation with the UN's nuclear watchdog, according to reports in state media.

    Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) refused to condemn Israeli and US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and has "put its international credibility up for auction".

    Ghalibaf says Iran's nuclear authorities "will suspend its cooperation with the IAEA until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed".

    He also says that Iran's "peaceful nuclear program will move forward at a faster pace".

    The vote, which may prove to be symbolic or could indicate a change in direction of the Iranian establishment, still requires approval from more senior members of the government.

  7. Former US ambassador says leaked report is 'premature'published at 08:29 British Summer Time 25 June

    A former US ambassador to Israel says it's "premature" to know the full extent of the impact of the US bombings on Iranian nuclear sites.

    Daniel Shapiro, who served in the Obama administration, tells BBC's Newsday programme: "I wouldn't expect any assessment this early."

    "It takes a bit longer to get the real information," he says.

    The most important question, he argues, is "what is the status of the highly enriched uranium?"

  8. Ex-Pentagon official questions differing reports of Iranian nuclear damagepublished at 08:05 British Summer Time 25 June

    A former Pentagon official who served in the first Trump administration says classified information should "never see the light of day", after the leak of a Pentagon intelligence report into damage to Iran's nuclear programme.

    Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mick Mulroy says the leak was dangerous as it put "human sources at risk". They "can get killed if they are compromised", he says.

    The former official also questions how previous assessments that the strikes would set back Iran's nuclear facilities by years were "so wrong".

    "They obviously had something wrong before, or they had something wrong now - it can't be both," he says. "The White House is using the word obliterated, and the report is much less confident."

    Asked whether the US was "finished" striking Iran, Mulroy says that "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon."

    "There could be additional strikes to ensure that they never get to a place where they have nuclear weapons," he says.

  9. US intelligence assessment says strikes didn't destroy Iran's nuclear programmepublished at 07:40 British Summer Time 25 June

    A satellite view shows an overview of Fordo underground complex, after the U.S. struck the underground nuclear facility, near QomImage source, Maxar
    Image caption,

    Iran's Fordo nuclear site was one of those struck by the US overnight on Saturday

    As we've been reporting, an early Pentagon intelligence assessment of the US's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities says it did not destroy the country's nuclear programme and probably only set it back "a few months, tops".

    Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not eliminated in Saturday's bombings, sources familiar with the Defense Intelligence Agency evaluation tell the BBC's US partner CBS.

    Iran's centrifuges are largely "intact" and the impact of the strikes was limited to aboveground structures, sources add.

    The White House has called the assessment "flat-out wrong", and says it was leaked by "a low-level loser in the intelligence community".

    Speaking onboard Air Force One earlier, US President Donald Trump said all three nuclear sites in Iran were hit "perfectly" and destroyed, and that the US media reports are "very disrespectful" to those who carried out the strikes.

    Read more on the intelligence assessment here.

  10. Iranians' lives as they know it have changed, reports BBC's Lyse Doucet from inside Iranpublished at 07:10 British Summer Time 25 June

    Lyse Doucet
    Chief international correspondent, reporting from Iran

    At the main crossing from Turkey into north-western Iran, many more Iranians were leaving the country than returning - visibly exhausted by the long journey to the border, laden with bags, a sign they're not coming back soon.

    There is enormous relief here that Israel's bombing has stopped, but great scepticism too.

    "It's a temporary truce", one man shouts at the border, everyone huddled with him said the same.

    Daily rhythms have started to resume, but only slowly. Authorities still haven't restored the internet, the airports are shut, the sale of petrol is restricted.

    University students have been unable to sit their exams and government employees are still working form home. Iranians' lives as they know it have changed and the future feels uncertain.

    Lyse Doucet is being allowed to report in Iran on condition that none of her reports are used on the BBC’s Persian service. This law from Iranian authorities applies to all international media agencies operating in Iran.

  11. A turbulent 24 hours as a fragile ceasefire appears to be holdingpublished at 06:54 British Summer Time 25 June

    It's been a day since US President Donald Trump first announced the ceasefire between Iran and Israel would begin - and for the most part the fragile peace between the longstanding enemies has held.

    Shortly after it was announced, the Israeli prime minister's office accused Iran of launching missiles toward its territory after the truce came into force - which Iran denied. Israeli ministers threatened retaliatory action.

    The situation drew the ire of Trump, who angrily accused both countries of violating the peace, and expressed a particular displeasure with Israel.

    Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the situation minutes later. Israel "refrained from further attacks" as a result of this intervention, according to the Israeli prime minister's office, but said it had chosen to strike a radar array near Tehran.

    While there are no guarantees it will remain this way, there have been no reports of attacks or other escalations in the conflict since.

  12. UK papers lead with Trump's comments on Iran and Israelpublished at 06:32 British Summer Time 25 June

    The headline on the front page of The Times reads "UK to match China and Russia with nuclear jets". The headline on the front page of The Guardian reads "Britain to buy US jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons."

    Trump's comments about the conflict between Israel and Iran are scattered across the front page's of the UK's papers today.

    More specifically, the expletive he used when he accused the two countries of breaching the initial ceasefire.

    The Times writes that the US president dropped "the f-bomb to keep peace in the Middle East" while the Guardian refers to his "angry warning" to the two countries on its front page.

    You can read more on what the papers are covering this morning here.

    Media caption,

    Watch: Trump uses expletive in warning to Iran and Israel

  13. If you're just joining us...published at 06:05 British Summer Time 25 June

    Here are the latest developments overnight after a leaked US intelligence report raised doubts about the destruction of Iran's nuclear programme:

  14. Trump says he doesn't want regime change in Iranpublished at 05:53 British Summer Time 25 June

    We have more from Trump, who says he doesn't want to see regime change in Iran.

    "I'd like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible. Regime change takes chaos, and ideally we don't want to see so much chaos," he adds.

    Trump also says Vladimir Putin called to offer his help with the Iran conflict, but he says he rejected the offer and told the Russian president: "No I don't need help with Iran, I need help with you."

  15. Watch: Trump rejects reports US strikes didn't destroy Iran nuclear sitespublished at 05:37 British Summer Time 25 June

    Media caption,

    Watch: Trump responds to reports US strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear programme

    We have more reaction from Donald Trump on the leaked intelligence assessment that said Iran's nuclear programme was not destroyed by US strikes.

    Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the US president says all three nuclear sites in Iran were hit "perfectly" and destroyed.

    He also adds US media reports are "very disrespectful" to those who carried out the strikes.

    Earlier he lashed out on social media at news outlets for trying to "demean one of the most successful military strikes in history".

  16. Iran executes three men accused of spying for Israelpublished at 04:46 British Summer Time 25 June

    The Iranian judiciary's news agency says Iran has hanged three men accused of spying for Israel.

    The Mizan agency says they were also convicted of trying to smuggle equipment into the country to "carry out assassinations".

    Mizan names Idris Ali, Azad Shojai and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul as the men who were arrested and tried for their "cooperation favouring" Israel.

    Iran has also arrested 700 people accused of having ties with Israel during the 12-day conflict, according to the state affiliated Nour News.

  17. Watch: US didn't hit Iran nuclear stockpile, says California congressmanpublished at 04:01 British Summer Time 25 June

    Media caption,

    US didn't hit Iran nuclear stockpile, says California congressman Brad Sherman

    A US congressman has questioned the Trump administration's use of "vague terms" to declare victory over Iran's nuclear programme.

    In an interview with the BBC, Brad Sherman, a Democrat, says Iran still retains their stockpile which would be roughly "enough for nine nuclear weapons".

    He adds that nothing from the White House suggests that the US has eliminated the centrifuges that are vital for uranium enrichment.

  18. Watch: Three things we learned about Trump's foreign policy stylepublished at 03:27 British Summer Time 25 June

    Media caption,

    Three things we learned about Trump's foreign policy from Iran strikes

    Donald Trump was seemingly on the fence about getting involved in the Iran-Israel conflict - and then he suddenly took a gamble and carried out strikes against three of Iran's nuclear facilities.

    Trump's critics warn his unpredictable style is dangerous, while loyalists say it's the start of the US president's "doctrine".

    The BBC's reporter Bernd Debusmann lays out what we learned about the US president's foreign policy style.

  19. Trump lashes out at US media over intelligence leakpublished at 02:51 British Summer Time 25 June
    Breaking

    Donald Trump has responded to reports about the leaked intelligence assessment on the US strike on Iran.

    Posting on Truth Social, Trump lashed out at the US media and their reporting.

    "FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY. THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!"

    Trump's administration has continued to push back on the report that says the US strikes on Iran did not eliminate its nuclear programme.

    Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding the Marine One presidential helicopter and departing the White House on 24 June 2025 in Washington, DC.Image source, Getty Images
  20. US to reopen embassy in Jerusalem following ceasefirepublished at 02:26 British Summer Time 25 June

    The US embassy in Jerusalem has announced it will be opening on Wednesday and lifting shelter in place orders for employees.

    In a statement, the embassy cites the ceasefire between Israel and Iran and the "lifting of all restrictions" by Israel's Home Front Command for resuming its operations.

    However, it also issues a travel warning for employees.

    "US government employees and their family members are restricted from travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice," the statement said.

    Prior to the ceasefire, the embassy issued multiple security alerts for employees and their family members to shelter in place amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

    A US flag flies at the US embassy complex in JerusalemImage source, AFP via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A US flag flies at the US embassy complex in Jerusalem