US President Donald Trump quickly heralded the US strikes on Iran as a “spectacular military success,” saying the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities were “totally obliterated.”

Bombed by the US in a dramatic escalation, this mountainside enrichment plant south of Tehran is vital to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and central to Israel’s efforts to dismantle them.

Western hawks have long hoped military action would spark regime change in Iran, while opponents fear it could trigger chaos and bloodshed that could spill well beyond its borders.