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Twelve-Day War: Israel and the US strike Iran
June 13–24, 2025· Conflict or rivalry
FactTreaties, membership, measured data, events.
A short air war in June 2025 in which Israel, then the United States, bombed Iran's nuclear and military sites.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
On June 13 Israel struck nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan and killed senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran fired about 550 ballistic missiles and over 1,000 drones at Israel. On June 22, in Operation Midnight Hammer, US B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting bombs on Fordow and Natanz. After Iran fired at a US base in Qatar, with advance warning, a ceasefire took hold on June 24. Deaths: roughly 950–1,200 in Iran and about 30 in Israel (estimates vary).
Why it matters
It was the first direct US strike on Iran's nuclear program, exposed weak Iranian air defenses, and set the stage for the far larger 2026 war.
Key facts and numbers
Israeli and US military briefings, satellite imagery, IAEA statements, and casualty counts from Iran's government and the rights group HRANA.
What to watch
How much damage was done: Trump said the sites were 'obliterated'; early US intelligence suggested months of delay. The fate of Iran's roughly 400 kg of 60%-enriched uranium is unknown.
Connections (2)
▸Twelve-Day War: Israel and the US strike Iran bombed sites of Iran's nuclear programFact
The relationship
Israel struck enrichment and conversion sites at Natanz and Isfahan from June 13, 2025 and killed leading nuclear scientists. On June 22 US B-2s dropped 30,000-pound bunker-busters on Fordow, buried inside a mountain, and on Natanz, while Tomahawks hit Isfahan. Iran then curbed cooperation with UN inspectors.
Since when and why
June 13–24, 2025: Israel's Operation Rising Lion and the US Operation Midnight Hammer, ordered by Netanyahu and Trump.
How we know
Satellite imagery, US and Israeli briefings, and IAEA reports confirming damage and loss of inspector access.
What to watch
Debated: whether the bombing set the program back for years or strengthened arguments in Tehran for building a bomb as the only sure deterrent.
▸Twelve-Day War: Israel and the US strike Iran preceded US–Israel war with Iran (2026)Fact
The relationship
The 2025 war left key questions open: Iran's enriched uranium was unaccounted for, inspectors were largely barred and Iran rebuilt missile forces. UN sanctions returned in September 2025. When renewed talks with Washington in February 2026 failed to bridge the gap, the US and Israel struck again on a far larger scale.
Since when and why
Between the June 24, 2025 ceasefire and February 28, 2026, with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leading diplomacy.
How we know
IAEA reports, the European 'snapback' notice at the UN, and US and Israeli statements citing Iranian rebuilding after 2025.
What to watch
Whether a deal was within reach in February 2026, as Iran and some mediators claim, or the attack would have come regardless.