Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran.
The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.
Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn’t want — though officials there have repeatedly warned it could.
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Here’s the latest:
Trump on White House lawn as explosions begin
As the explosions in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.
Earlier in the day, Trump said an Israeli attack over Iran’s nuclear program was not imminent “but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen.”
The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, pulling some diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.
The White House did not have an immediate comment Thursday night.
