Your questions answered on the Israel-Iran battle

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

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

Why is Israel bombing Iran now?

Israel's place on that is that it has no alternative, that it believes in the previous couple of months Iran was accelerating in the direction of constructing a nuclear weapon, and that talks aimed toward curbing Iran's nuclear programme have been going nowhere, and that subsequently this was the final resort.

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

That Iran was near constructing a nuclear weapon will not be 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 got seen from US intelligence which didn't say that Iran was about to provide a nuclear weapon.

- Frank Gardner, safety correspondent

The place can civilians in Iran go?

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 big 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 think about protected.

However there have been strikes on these areas as properly. As a result of the targets have been so widespread by Israel, no space might be thought-about protected.

In Tehran, the federal government introduced they have 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 will not be actually attainable.

- Nafiseh Kohnavard, Center East correspondent

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/6ce6/live/8ec89600-4c6a-11f0-86d5-3b52b53af158.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Reuters A crowd of Iranians in Tehran" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Reuters Ten million individuals stay in Tehran

If US enters the battle, would Iran strike US targets?

There may be actually threat, and the implications for the US are pretty vital.

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

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

- Mikey Kay, Safety Temporary host

May Iran's proxies assist it in battle with Israel?

I do not assume so - not any longer.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, 2023, Israel has systematically taken down a whole lot 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 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 properly coordinated.

- Frank Gardner, safety correspondent

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Who's Iran's chief and the way a lot assist does he have?

Iran's supreme chief is Ali Khamenei. He's a non secular determine, however he has way 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 assist of all of Iran - his persons are divided, and that division is deepening.

Iran witnessed big 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't 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

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What occurs if the regime is overthrown in Iran?

There is not any clear reply.

We have seen over the previous couple of years that there isn't any united opposition who may work collectively to switch 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 dwelling overseas.

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

He has opponents as properly, together with reformists inside. They could not need to return to Iran's monarchy that was overthrown almost 40 years in the past.

So it isn't clear if there's one substitute.

- Nafiseh Kohnavard, Center East correspondent

The place is Fordo and what's it?

Fordo is about 200km (124 miles) south of Tehran and is one in all two important enrichment services Iran has.

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

Fordo has been struck by the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) already. Nonetheless, it's believed the assaults have been going after Iran's surface-to-air missiles and air defence capabilities round it, so as to make it extra weak.

- Mikey Kay, Safety Temporary host

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How shut is Iran to getting a nuclear bomb?

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 internal 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 almost 20 years. Iran has amassed round 400kg of uranium enriched to 60%, properly past the extent wanted for civil nuclear functions.

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

The Israeli navy 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, instructed 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 totally peaceable.

- Frank Gardner, safety correspondent

Does Israel have nuclear weapons?

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

It has neither confirmed nor denied a nuclear functionality,

Israel will not be a part of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which was a worldwide settlement to stop extra nations buying the bomb.

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