Your questions answered on the Israel-Iran conflict

Iran and Israel continued to assault one another on Wednesday evening, as US President Donald Trump stated “I could do it, I could not do it” when requested whether or not the US would be part of the battle.

BBC consultants and correspondents reply your questions on what is going on – and what might occur if the battle escalates.

Israel’s place on that is that it has no alternative, that it believes in the previous few months Iran was accelerating in the direction of constructing a nuclear weapon, and that talks aimed toward curbing Iran’s nuclear programme had been going nowhere, and that due to this fact this was the final resort.

They’ve stated they see an existential menace from Iran, and have argued that if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon it might use it as a result of it has beforehand vowed to destroy the state of Israel.

That Iran was near constructing a nuclear weapon just isn’t essentially a view shared by the remainder of the area, and it isn’t essentially shared by the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company, neither is it shared by the final open supply report we’ve seen from US intelligence which didn’t say that Iran was about to provide a nuclear weapon.

– Frank Gardner, safety correspondent

The Israel Protection Forces has issued some evacuation notices for sure components of the capital Tehran, however these areas are extraordinarily dense and extremely populated.

We have seen footage of giant site visitors jams as huge strains of vehicles attempt to escape Tehran in the direction of the northern a part of the nation, which they take into account secure.

However there have been strikes on these areas as nicely. As a result of the targets have been so widespread by Israel, no space will be thought of secure.

In Tehran, the federal government introduced they had been opening the metro stations 24 hours a day so individuals can take shelter.

Tehran has 10 million individuals, so you possibly can think about evacuating that variety of individuals just isn’t actually doable.

– Nafiseh Kohnavard, Center East correspondent

There’s actually danger, and the implications for the US are pretty important.

There are about 40,000 to 50,000 US troops at round 19 areas throughout the Center East. There are US personnel primarily based in Cyprus, and a US naval facility in Bahrain.

It should all depend upon how the US decides to become involved, and to what extent.

– Mikey Kay, Safety Temporary host

I do not assume so – not any longer.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, 2023, Israel has systematically taken down loads of the primary line of defence that Iran had.

They’ve depleted Hamas in Gaza, they’ve largely depleted Hezbollah’s arsenal in Lebanon, and Syria is now not an ally of Iran as a result of Bashar al-Assad has been deposed, albeit not by Israel.

The Houthis in the meantime are comparatively constrained in Yemen. So they aren’t very nicely coordinated.

– Frank Gardner, safety correspondent

Iran’s supreme chief is Ali Khamenei. He’s a non secular determine, however he has rather more energy than Iran’s president.

He’s the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is a decision-maker for the nation, together with negotiations with the US.

However he doesn’t command the help of all of Iran – his individuals are divided, and that division is deepening.

Iran witnessed large protests in opposition to the regime solely two years in the past. Ladies participated in these protests, demanding their rights and freedoms.

However we can not ignore that this regime nonetheless has its supporters – together with within the armed forces that are related to the regime.

– Nafiseh Kohnavard, Center East correspondent

There is not any clear reply.

We have seen over the previous few years that there isn’t any united opposition who might work collectively to exchange the federal government.

Proper now there are completely different choices, together with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the previous Shah of Iran, who’s now residing overseas.

He has supporters inside and out of doors Iran, however what number of we will not actually say.

He has opponents as nicely, together with reformists inside. They might not need to return to Iran’s monarchy that was overthrown practically 40 years in the past.

So it isn’t clear if there may be one alternative.

– Nafiseh Kohnavard, Center East correspondent

Fordo is about 200km (124 miles) south of Tehran and is one in every of two essential enrichment amenities Iran has.

It has been constructed right into a mountain for its safety. And it’s principally one of many key enrichment amenities that Iran has been utilizing to spice up its enriched uranium stockpile.

Fordo has been struck by the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) already. Nevertheless, it’s believed the assaults had been going after Iran’s surface-to-air missiles and air defence capabilities round it, with the intention to make it extra weak.

– Mikey Kay, Safety Temporary host

The one individuals who know for sure whether or not or not Iran was working in the direction of constructing a nuclear bomb are Iran’s most trusted nuclear scientists, the inside core of safety officers and the supreme chief himself. The remaining is conjecture.

However the alarm was raised earlier this month when the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, discovered Iran to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, for the primary time in practically 20 years. Iran has amassed round 400kg of uranium enriched to 60%, nicely past the extent wanted for civil nuclear functions.

The UN company stated Iran had didn’t cooperate totally and that it was unable to confirm there had been no diversion of nuclear materials to nuclear weapons. That’s not the identical although, as stating Iran was racing in the direction of constructing a bomb.

The Israeli army stated final week that “over the previous few months intelligence has proven that Iran is nearer than ever to acquiring a nuclear weapon”.

However whose intelligence? Not apparently, its closest ally’s. In March, the US director of nationwide intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, informed Congress that “whereas Iran had an unprecedented stockpile of weapons-grade uranium, it didn’t look like constructing a nuclear weapon”.

Iran, in the meantime, has all the time maintained that its nuclear programme is solely peaceable.

– Frank Gardner, safety correspondent

There are estimates that it has about 90 nuclear warheads. However the actual reply is we have no idea.

It has neither confirmed nor denied a nuclear functionality,

Israel just isn’t a part of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which was a worldwide settlement to forestall extra nations buying the bomb.

It takes three elements to have a nuclear weapon: first, uranium enriched to 90%, second, the flexibility to construct a warhead, and third, a strategy to ship that warhead to a goal.

Because it stands, there isn’t any overt declaration by Israel on any of the above.

– Mikey Kay, Safety Temporary host