U.S. strikes Iran’s nuclear sites, Tehran hits back with missiles on Israel

Welcome to Within The Frame, where we bring the most pressing issues across the globe. I'm Kim Mok-yeon.

The Middle East is facing a dangerous escalation.

On June 21st, the United States launched surprise airstrikes on three key Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — in an operation President Trump said was aimed at crippling Iran's uranium enrichment program.

Just a day later, Iran retaliated by launching missiles toward Israel, triggering air raid sirens and explosions over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Iran also issued a stark warning to the U.S., vowing "eternal consequences" and condemning the strikes as a violation of international law.

With diplomatic talks in Geneva between Iran and European nations ending in failure, the crisis is deepening — and the potential for regional conflict is rising fast.

For a closer look into the current situation, we're joined by Moamen Gouda, professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Welcome.

Also joining us live is Seunghoon Paik, researcher at the Institute of Middle East Studies. Thank you for joining us.

1. (Paik) Let's begin with the latest developments — on the 21st, the U.S. carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.

2. (Gouda) And adding to that — U.S. defense officials revealed that this operation, dubbed "Midnight Hammer," had been months in the making.

3. (Gouda) Now, looking back — President Trump recently gave Iran a two-week deadline for final negotiations.

4. (Paik) Another key issue — there's a lot of debate about the actual impact of the latest strikes on Iran's nuclear program.

5. (Paik) Meanwhile — Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, broke his silence after the strikes, warning on social media that Israel would be "punished."

6. (Gouda) Looking ahead — there are concerns that America's attack could backfire by pushing Iran to speed up its nuclear weapons development.

7. (Gouda) And politically — the U.S. has insisted that regime change isn't the goal.

8. (Paik) Turning to diplomacy — Germany, France and the UK recently held nuclear talks with Iran's foreign minister, but the talks yielded little.

9. (Gouda) Stepping back — many say it's too early to claim this marks the end of the Iran nuclear issue or the Israel-Iran conflict.

10. (Paik) And finally — the U.S. strike on Iran is raising questions about possible military action against North Korea's nuclear facilities.