Israel Launches Operation Rising Lion to Hit Iran's Nuclear Site

Israel launched an air attack targeting Iran’s nuclear and military facilities in the early morning of 13th June 2025. The operation, christened ‘Operation Rising Lion, ' was authorised by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also declared a state of emergency in the country, fearing a counterattack by Iran.

The United States of America, which is the biggest supporter of Israel, has said that it was not involved in the Israeli attack.

The United States also announced that the American and Iranian negotiators will meet in Oman on 15 June 2025 for the sixth round of talks on Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme.

The Israeli attack follows the decision of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 12 June  2025. The IAEA voted to declare that the Iranian nuclear programme had breached the terms of a 1974 agreement, and it was enriching uranium above the requirement of a peaceful civilian nuclear programme..

Iran’s top nuclear scientist and military commander killed 

According to the Israel Defence Force (IDF), it struck over 100 sites in Iran to kill senior leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran and top nuclear scientists. 

According to Iran Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, and Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, were killed in the Israeli attack.

Six nuclear scientists were also killed in the strike that included Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation and Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi, involved in Iran's nuclear weapons programme.

The Israelis also hit the main Iranian nuclear site at Natanz.

Nuclear Weapons, NPT and Iran  

Iran is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which was signed in 1968 and came into force on 5 March 1970.

Under the NPT, only five countries - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America can keep nuclear weapons.

Other signatories of the NPT can use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but cannot use it for military purposes.

India, Pakistan and  Israel are not members of the NPT. India and Pakistan have tested nuclear weapons, and the world agrees that Israel also has nuclear weapons, though it has never publicly acknowledged it. 

Uranium as a fuel 

Uranium 235 is a fissile material, enriched to make it usable for nuclear civilian or military purposes. 

For a nuclear weapon, the uranium 235 needs to be enriched to 90 %.

Role of IAEA 

• The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is not a party to the NPT. 
• It is responsible for monitoring the nuclear facilities of NPT signatory countries that have promised not to build a nuclear weapon.
• The main purpose of the inspection is to ensure that these countries do not divert the uranium for military purposes.

Timeline of Iran’s Nuclear Programme 

Iran has an active nuclear programme, and many countries suspect that it is trying to build a nuclear weapon. 

• The United Nations nuclear watchdog, IAEA, in a report in 2010, said that Iran possessed 19.75% enriched uranium at its Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant.
• Negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America) + European Union started in 2015, and a deal was signed.
• Under the deal, Iran was to limit its enrichment to 3.57 %, and international sanctions imposed on it would be lifted.
• The United States under Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, and the deal collapsed.
• Iran resumed its nuclear enrichment programme, and according to an IAEA report released in May 2025, it has already produced enough enriched uranium material to build 10 nuclear bombs.
• The Present Donald Trump administration has resumed talks with Iran, and the sixth round of talks is expected to be held in Oman on 15 June 2025.

Why is the world worried about the Iranian nuclear programme?

Iran is ruled by a fundamentalist Islamic government that came to power in 1979 after the Islamic revolution in the country.

The Iranian government has openly said that it will destroy Israel, and considers the United States its enemy number one.

Israel says that it cannot allow Iran to go nuclear, as its very existence will be in danger, as Iran has threatened more than once to destroy Israel.

Israel has earlier tried to sabotage the nuclear programme of Iran by hacking its nuclear facilities and assassinating top Iranian nuclear scientists.

Muslim leadership 

Iran is a Shia majority muslim country, while the other Arab States like Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc are Sunni Muslims.

There is a deep animosity between Iran and Saudi Arabia, both of which project themselves as the leaders of the Islamic world.

Also, Saudi Arabia has close military ties with the United States, and the Iranian government fears that both these countries want to change the regime in Iran.

If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, then there will be pressure on Saudi Arabia to go nuclear. 

It will fuel a nuclear arms race in the West Asia region, which is rich in oil and gas reserves and is a major supplier to the world.

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