In a move called Operation Midnight Hammer, the US has attacked several key nuclear facilities in Iran.

The strikes mark a significant escalation in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, with President Donald Trump saying “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier”. He’s also calling for Iran to “MIGA - MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN”. 

In response, Iran’s foreign minister said Washington crossed a “very big red line” - AND its Parliament has reportedly voted to shut the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil consumption flows through.

The advancement saw our Foreign Minister Winston Peters quickly call for “diplomacy and dialogue” while also announcing government personnel and a Hercules aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East to help get stranded Kiwis home.

Today on The Front Page, to help us make sense of this crisis and what this heightening of tensions mean for the rest of the world, we’re joined by University of Otago international relations professor, Robert Patman.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

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