An Israeli military official told reporters on Saturday that it was working with the US to carry out dozens of strikes across Iran.
The official stated that intelligence indicated an acceleration in Iran’s ballistic missile programme, prompting the decision to take immediate action.
The official also said that Iran’s government was working to advance its nuclear program while simultaneously concealing and strengthening it, and the offensive was intended to significantly degrade the Iranian regime’s capabilities.
In an interview with French network TF1 posted online 10 days ago, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, said most of Iran’s enriched uranium remains intact after a US attack on nuclear facilities in June 2025, but he said there is no indication that Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapons capability.
When asked if the IAEA had seen evidence of Iran trying to work toward a weapon, he told TF1, “No,” adding, “On the contrary, I see today a willingness on both sides to reach an agreement.”
“Despite this, Iran had accumulated most of the material by June last year. Bombings and attacks are still largely where they were at the time of the attacks,” Grossi told the French network. Some of it may be less accessible, but the content is still there. From a nonproliferation perspective, the material remains. “That’s why there is so much interest – I would say urgency – in reaching an agreement that can prevent new military action in the region.”
Grossi was directly involved in the latest round of indirect talks between the US and Iranian delegations in Geneva, Switzerland, last week.
An Israeli military official said Saturday that the initial strikes had a variety of initial targets, ranging from practical targets to “essential personnel” who would have more freedom of operations, though the official declined to comment when asked by reporters on who might have been targeted.
