'Near-total' internet blackout in Iranpublished at 09:42 GMT

09:42 GMT

By Merlyn Thomas

Iran is now under a near-total internet blackout, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring agency, as the US and Israel carry out strikes on Iran.

This isn’t the first time the country’s internet has been shut down.

Just last month, the country was plunged into a near-total internet blackout during nationwide protests that swept across the country, which were brutally crushed by the government.

Some people briefly managed to access the internet using methods such as SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet and virtual private networks (VPNs). It's likely those who have access will try to use these same methods again.

At BBC Verify we’re continuing to monitor and verify footage of these strikes across the region. We’ll have more on that for you soon.

Image source, NetBlocks

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its air force is conducting "a broad strike on a number of military targets" in western Iran.

Earlier this morning, explosions were reported in the western cities of Kermanshah and Tabriz.

Trump's threats and nuclear negotiations: How did we get here?published at 09:29 GMT

09:29 GMT

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem

Image source, Getty Images

The justification for the US and Israeli attack on Iran will be the subject of intense debate in the hours and days ahead.

Trump first threatened to bomb Iran last month as security forces brutally repressed anti-government protests, killing thousands of people. But since then, his focus has largely turned to Iran's nuclear programme, although he has not fully explained why the issue has become an emergency requiring the use of military action.

For decades, the US and Israel have accused Iran of trying to secretly develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has repeatedly denied it is seeking a bomb and says its programme is only for peaceful purposes, though the country is the only non-nuclear-armed state to have enriched uranium at near weapons-grade level.

Iran says its enrichment activity stopped after its nuclear facilities were hit by the US during the war with Israel last year, although it has not allowed inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access the damaged sites. President Trump has repeatedly said the facilities had been "obliterated" in the attacks.

Three rounds of talks between the US and Iran for a deal were held this month, and further negotiations were expected next week. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated, met with US officials in Washington yesterday, a day after discussions were held in Geneva, in what could have been a desperate last-ditch attempt to prevent a strike.

In an interview to CBS News, Albusaidi said a deal was "within our reach" and that "substantial progress" had been made in the talks, asking for more time for negotiations. Publicly discussing details of Iran’s proposal for the first time, he mentioned Iran’s offer that it would never again have a stockpile of enriched uranium, the commitment to an irreversible downgrade of the existing stockpile and to verification by the IAEA.

Albusaidi described the proposals as better than the nuclear deal signed with Iran under the Obama administration in 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump pulled out from the agreement in his first term at the White House, in 2018.

Prior to the talks, Iran had already rejected US demands to discuss limits its ballistic missile programme as well as ending its support for proxies in the region, saying those demands were a breach of its sovereignty. Albusaidi said Iran was "open to discuss everything", and that non-nuclear issues could be discussed separately with Iran’s neighbours.

David Gritten
BBC News Middle East

Bahrain’s National Communication Centre says the service centre of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet has been “subjected to a missile attack”, according to a statement quoted by the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

“Further details will be provided in due course,” it adds, without attributing the attack to any country.

“The public is urged to follow instructions issued by the relevant official authorities and to obtain information from official sources only.”

Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the 5th Fleet, whose area of responsibility includes the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

There was no immediate comment from the US military, although the US embassy had earlier warned citizens to shelter in place amid reported threats of missiles and drones over Bahrain.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent at Gatwick

We are currently sitting on a Qatar Airways plane at Gatwick while the pilot awaits instructions.

It was due to land in Doha this evening, which now sounds implausible. Doha sits next to the largest US airbase in the Middle East at Al Udaid.

As I write this a friend in Bahrain is sending me photos of Iranian incoming missile strikes.

Flights are being rerouted all over the Gulf region and of course nobody knows how long this will last and where it will end.

Iran always made it clear it would retaliate if attacked.

It still retains a lot of missiles and drones - at least it did on Saturday morning - and it has a large number of US military targets in the region to choose from, including US Navy warships at sea.

Explosions have been seen in Bahrain.

It came after the Bahraini interior ministry said in a series of alerts on X that emergency sirens had been sounded. It also urged residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

Image source, Donald Trump/Truth Social

Donald Trump has announced the US has started "major combat operations" in Iran accusing the Iranian regime of waging an "unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States".

The US President released a video on Truth Social in the early hours of the morning in the US, shortly after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital Tehran.

What did he say?

• The US president says Iran can never have a nuclear weapon" and explains that is why Operation Midnight Hammer struck Iran's nuclear programme at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan
• Trump claims Iran has rejected every opportunity to renounce its nuclear ambitions and continued to develop long range missiles that can threaten allies in Europe, US troops overseas and "could soon reach the American homeland"
• He says the US is going to raze Iran's missile industry to the ground and "annihilate" its Navy
• Trump says that the Iranian regime has chanted "Death to America" for 47 years

• "The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties," he adds
• "The hour of your freedom is at hand," Trump says to the people of Iran and calls for them to "take over your government"

David Gritten
BBC News Middle East

In his earlier video statement, President Trump urged Iranians to use their large-scale attacks on Iran to overthrow the country’s clerical establishment.

"When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations," he declared.

He also told members of the Iranian security forces that they would be given “immunity” if they laid down their arms, or else “face certain death”.

In early January, Trump threatened to bomb Iran as security forces cracked down on nationwide anti-government protests, killing at least 6,480 people, according to human rights activists. He warned that those responsible would "pay a big price" and told protesters that "help is on its way".

But the president said days later that he had received assurances from Iran’s government that the "killing has stopped" and his focus turned to the country's nuclear programme, which has been at the centre of a long-running dispute with the West.

US-Israel attacks on Iran

• US and Israel launch an attack on Iran, as Trump confirms "major combat operations" are under way
• Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says his country launched a "pre-emptive" attack on Tehran
• Explosions were heard in five cities in Iran, including Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah, as well as in the capital Tehran - images show smoke rising

Israel says Iran launches retaliatory strikes

• The IDF says Iran has fired missiles towards Israel in response to the attack
• In a statement, the IDF says: "Sirens were sounded in several areas across the country following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel"

• The Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats, it adds

The wider picture:Israel has woken up this morning at war with Iran for the second time in less than a year, writes our Middle East correspondent

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just issued a statement.

"My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, a short time ago, Israel and the United States embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.

"I thank our great friend, President Donald Trump, for his historic leadership. For 47 years, the Ayatollah regime has been shouting 'Death to Israel,' 'Death to America.'

"It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans, and massacred its own people. This murderous terrorist regime must not be armed with nuclear weapons that would allow it to threaten all of humanity. Our joint action will create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.

"The time has come for all segments of the Iranian people - the Persians, the Kurds, the Azeris, the Baluchis, and the Ahwazis - to throw off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peaceful Iran.

"I appeal to you, the citizens of Israel, to listen to the instructions of the Home Front Command. In the coming days, in Operation 'The Roar of the Lion,' we will all be required to have endurance and fortitude.

"Together we will stand, together we will fight, and together we will ensure the eternity of Israel."

Here's the full statement from the Israeli Defense Forces, which says Iran has fired retaliatory strikes against Israel.

"A short while ago, sirens were sounded in several areas across the country following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel.

"The public is requested to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command.

"At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat.

"The defense is not hermetic, and therefore it is essential that the public continue to adhere to the Home Front Command’s guidelines.

"The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command."

The Israel Defence Force has just issued a statement saying that a "short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel."

The Iranian Fars news agency reported a little earlier that explosions were heard in the cities of Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah, as well as in the capital Tehran.

Soroush Negahdari
BBC Monitoring

Several Iranian state-linked news agencies and online platforms have been targeted by cyber attacks following US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, according to the Telegram channel of the hard-line Hamshahri daily.

The report said a “widespread wave” of cyber operations had begun alongside the military escalation, with a number of major domestic media platforms experiencing disruption or operational difficulties.

According to preliminary reports cited by the channel, the websites of the state news agency IRNA and the semi-official ISNA news agency were among outlets reportedly hacked or facing access problems.

It also said there were reports of disruptions affecting widely used online applications in Iran, although further details about the nature or source of the attacks were not immediately available.

Based on BBC Monitoring verification, at the time of publication, the websites of the state broadcaster’s IRIB News, IRGC-linked Tasnim and Fars news agencies, the semi-official Mehr and ISNA agencies, were not accessible, at least from abroad.

More now from Trump's statement on Truth Social: The president claims that Iran "attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas and could soon reach the American homeland."

He says that the US is undertaking a "massive" operation to "prevent this very wicked radical dictatorship from threatening America".

President Donald Trump said on Friday the US hadn’t made a “final decision” on whether to strike Iran - but added that he was “not happy” with their negotiating position during nuclear talks.

Trump said that Iran was "not willing to give us what we have to have”, insisting that Iran “cannot have nuclear weapons”.

Indirect talks in Geneva between the two countries took place earlier in the week, with both sides saying progress has been made on reaching a deal.

Washington has been ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme, with Trump repeatedly stating that the US was “ready, willing, and able” to act “with speed and violence, if necessary".

Asked whether tensions could lead to a drawn out conflict in the Middle East, Trump told reporters on the White House’s front lawn that “there’s always a risk”.

“When there’s war, there’s a risk of anything - both good and bad,” he added.

More now from Trump: "we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried."

He adds that "we are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally ... obliterated."

Trump has said the US has launched "major combat operations" in Iran in a video posted on Truth Social.

US President Donald Trump has posted an eight-minute video on his social media platform, Truth Social and confirms that the US was involved in the attack on Iran.

We are still listening to the video and Trump's full remarks and will update you soon.