What are Iran’s military capabilities – and how much of a threat is it?
Israel’s attack on Iran targeted the “heart” of the country’s nuclear programme – including its facilities, ballistic missile factories, and top military chiefs.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have said that Operation Rising Lion was “pre-emptive”. It was undertaken to stop Iran producing a nuclear weapon “in a very short time”, according to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Latest: Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear sites – and Iran responds
The attack came despite warnings from US President Donald Trump – who said intervention could “blow” US nuclear deal talks with Iran, which is believed to be rapidly advancing its nuclear programme.
Iran’s leader vowed to deliver “heavy blows” in response to the attack, and overnight on Friday launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, injuring dozens of people.
But what are Iran’s military capabilities – and to what extent do they pose a significant threat?
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IDF destroys Iranian ballistic missiles
The IRGC
The IRGC – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – was set up to provide extra protection to the Islamic regime in 1979, and is the dominant branch of the Iranian Armed Forces.
The Revolutionary Guard – which had several senior leaders killed in Israel’s strikes – oversees Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
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Senior Iranian commanders ‘killed’
The IRGC, which answers to Iran’s supreme leader, has an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units. Some analysts believe the figure is far higher.
It also commands the Basij religious militia, a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to the establishment and which is often used to crack down on anti-government protests.
Analysts say Basij volunteers may number in the millions.
The Quds Force is the IRGC’s foreign espionage and paramilitary arm that heavily influences its allied militia across the Middle East.
The IRGC, which is classified as a terrorist group by the US, wants to shape the Middle East in favour of Tehran.
In 1982, it founded Lebanon’s Hezbollah to export Iran’s Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces which invaded Lebanon that same year.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been in operation for more than four decades. File pic: AP
What are the IRGC’s military capabilities?
The IRGC has ground, air and naval capabilities – and oversees Iran’s ballistic missile programme, regarded by experts as the largest in the Middle East.
It has used the missiles to hit militants in Syria and northern Iraq.
The US, European nations and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for a 2019 missile and drone attack which crippled the world’s biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia.
Iran denied any involvement in the assault.
The IRGC has its own intelligence wing and has extensive conventional combat hardware, which it showcased with its involvement in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
Experts believe its stock of cruise and ballistic missiles has the ability and range to hit any target within the Middle East region.
According to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the region.
The IRGC’s naval forces carry out a missile launch as part of a military drill in 2023. File pic: Reuters
What do we know about the Iranian missile range?
The semi-official Iranian news outlet ISNA in April last year published details of missiles it said could reach Israel.
These included the Sejil, which is capable of flying at more than 10,500mph and has a range of 1,550 miles.
Another one, the Kheibar, has a range of 1,240 miles – while the Haj Qasem can reach targets 870 miles away.
Iran says its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US, Israel and other potential regional targets. It denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Iran had previously said it had built an advanced homemade drone named Mohajer-10 with an operational range of 1,240 miles.
It can fly for up to 24 hours with a payload of up to 300kg (660lbs), the Iranians claimed.
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IDF destroys Iranian ballistic missiles
In the summer of 2023, Iran presented what officials described as its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Hypersonic missiles can fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound and can take a complex trajectory, making them difficult to intercept.
The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based non-governmental organisation, says Iran’s missile programme is largely based on North Korean and Russian designs and has also received Chinese assistance.
It says Iran’s short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles include Shahab-1, with an estimated range of 190 miles.
Iran has cruise missiles such as Kh-55, an air-launched nuclear-capable weapon with a range of up to 1,860 miles.
An advanced anti-ship missile, the Khalid Farzh, with an approximate range of 186 miles, is capable of carrying a 1.1-tonne warhead.
An IRGC ground forces military drill in East Azerbaijan province, Iran, in October 2022. Pic: Reuters
How does Iran use other military groups?
Iran has been backing groups which have been attacking Israel, US interests, and Red Sea shipping.
This is in addition to its own rounds of retaliation with Israel, following post-October 7 2023 tensions in the region.
Built up over decades of Iranian support, the groups describe themselves as the “Axis of Resistance” to Israel and US influence in the Middle East.
The axis includes the Palestinian group, Hamas – but also the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and the Houthi movement in Yemen, alongside various armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah was set up by the IRGC in 1982 with the aim of fighting Israeli forces which had invaded Lebanon that year.
The heavily armed group, also an influential political player, is widely regarded as more powerful than the Lebanese state.
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The Houthi movement established control over large parts of Yemen during a civil war, which began in 2014 when it overthrew the government, which was backed by Saudi Arabia – Iran’s main rival for regional influence.
The Houthis have long had friendly ties to Iran.
The movement announced at the end of October 2023 that it had entered the Gaza conflict by firing drones and missiles towards Israel – and later attacked shipping in the southern Red Sea.
The US believes the IRGC was helping to plan and carry out the Houthi missile and drone attacks, but Iran denies any involvement.
The Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is shown an Iranian drone in Tehran in 2023. Pic: Reuters
What are Iran’s nuclear capabilities?
The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors has found that Iran has not been complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years – after it vowed to open a new uranium enrichment facility “in a secure location”.
The country’s supreme leader made clear in June 2023 how Western nations cannot prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons.
At the time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said a deal with the West was possible, but only if its nuclear infrastructure remained intact.
Iran has always denied having any intention to build a nuclear weapon.
Prince Harry has made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, a spokesperson for the royal has said.
Harry, who served 10 years in the British Army, visited the city at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
The Duke of Sussex travelled to the capital to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year war with Russia.
Pic: Railway of Ukraine Ukrzaliznytsia/AP
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also be travelling to Kyiv on Friday in what will be her first foreign trip since being appointed to the job last week.
Her visit coincides with the UK launching a new package of Russia-related sanctions targeting ships carrying Russian oil as well as companies and individuals supplying electronics, chemicals and explosives used to make Russian weapons.
It comes as Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on on NATO’s doorstep on Friday, just two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.
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Drones shot down in Poland
The Zapad-2025 exercise – a show of force by Russia and its close ally – will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
Meanwhile on the frontline, Russian defence systems intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight,
including nine over the Moscow region, the ministry said on Friday.
The duke told the Guardian while on an overnight train to Kyiv: “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process.
“We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through.
“We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on.”
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Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, previously travelled to Ukraine in April, when he visited war victims as part of his work with wounded veterans.
The prince visited the Superhumans Center, an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians.
Earlier this week, Harry said the King is “great” after he reunited with him at Clarence House for a private tea.
It was their first meeting in 19 months and lasted just 54 minutes.
The last time the father and son saw each other was in February 2024 when the prince flew to the UK after the monarch announced his cancer diagnosis.
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have lived in California since they quit roles as senior working royals in March 2020.
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup to stay in power after his 2022 election defeat.
The far-right politician, who ruled Brazil between 2019 and 2022, is currently under house arrest in the capital, Brasilia.
A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence several hours after they found the 70-year-old guilty on five counts.
The counts were trying to stage a coup, being part of an armed criminal organisation, attempting violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, being implicated in violence, and posing a serious threat to the state’s assets and listed heritage.
Bolsonaro‘s lawyers have said they will appeal the verdict.
Pic: AP
The ruling will deepen political divisions in Brazil and is also likely to prompt a backlash from the United States government – with Donald Trump already sharing his thoughts on the vote.
President Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, has said he was surprised and “very unhappy” with the decision.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said he always found Bolsonaro “outstanding” and said the conviction is “very bad for Brazil”.
Mr Trump previously called the case a “witch hunt”, slapped Brazil with tariff hikes, and revoked US visas for most members of Brazil’s high court.
Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president to be convicted of attempting a coup.
He has not attended the court proceedings, and on Thursday, he was seen at the garage of his property, but did not talk to the media.
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Justice Carmen Lucia. Pic: AP
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has been overseeing the case, said on Tuesday that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organisation, and voted in favour of convicting him. Justices Flavio Dino, Carmen Lucia, and Cristiano Zanin sided with Justice Moraes in the trial.
On Wednesday, another justice, Luiz Fux, disagreed and voted to acquit the ex-president of all charges.
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Justice Lucia said she was convinced by the evidence the attorney general’s office put forward against Bolsonaro, saying: “He is the instigator, the leader of an organisation that orchestrated every possible move to maintain or seize power.”
Bolsonaro had been previously banned from running for office until 2030 in a different case.
He is expected to choose an heir who is likely to challenge President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva next year.
The FBI and officials have released new video and images of a “person of interest” in connection with the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as the manhunt continues.
At a news conference on Friday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox showed video footage showing the suspect walking on the roof of the building from where the fatal shot was fired. He is then seen climbing down and heading toward a wooded area, where police say he abandoned his rifle.
Additional images released by police show the suspect wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a backpack.
Investigators have conducted nearly 200 interviews related to the case as 20 law enforcement partners are working on the investigation, Governor Cox said.
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the attacker, he said.
Follow the latest updates on Charlie Kirk’s killing
Authorities have released additional images of the attacker. Pic: Utah Public Safety
Earlier, authorities said the shooter was thought to have jumped off a roof and fled into a neighbourhood after firing one shot.
They also said the suspect was a male who “appears to be of college age” and blended in on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, where Mr Kirk was killed.
Mr Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing influencer, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday afternoon while speaking to university students at an event. He died in hospital after being shot.
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University where he was later fatally shot. Pic: AP
The rifle suspected of being used in the shooting has been found.
In a briefing on Thursday, FBI agent Robert Bohls said: “I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting… is a high-powered bolt action rifle.
“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. The FBI laboratory will be analysing this weapon.”
Investigators have collected a footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis.
Authorities have released additional images of the attacker. Pic: Utah Public Safety
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The father-of-two was the chief executive and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent organisation that engages conservative youth on school campuses.
He had millions of followers across social media.
Mr Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Mr Trump in last November’s presidential election. His events at college campuses nationwide typically drew large crowds.
Many people listened both in person and online to Mr Kirk, as he advocated for conservatism among younger generations and became a leading voice in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
President Donald Trump paid tribute to Mr Kirk while on stage at a 9/11 memorial event in Virginia, saying he would be awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Authorities have released additional images of the attacker. Pic: Utah Public Safety
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“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt,” Mr Trump said.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children.”
He later added the FBI was making “big progress” in finding the shooter and he has “an indication” of the motive, but declined to expand.
“He’s an animal, total animal, hopefully they’ll have him and they’ll get him.”
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