Penulis: Agus S

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters that the conflict in the Middle East, along with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will be among the key issues at the three-day meeting of the G7 organization.

Here is a roundup of news on theG7meeting and connected events on Sunday, June 15, 2025:

French President Emmanuel Macron said the US president's threats to Greenland are "not what allies do" as he arrived in the autonomous Danish territory for a short visit.

Macron was visiting the Arctic island to convey "France's and the European Union's solidarity" for "the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Greenland, he told reporters in Nuuk.

Greenland is a self-ruling territory of Denmark with the right to declare independence. Both the Greenland and Danish governments say it is not for sale and only Greenlanders can determine their future.

Leaders from Ukraine, Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil are also likely to want to hold bilateral meetings with Trump to put across their interests on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

Of particular interest is the likely meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump, with their last prolonged one-to-one encounter at the end of February turning into a notorious televised dressing-down of the Ukrainian leader by Trump and his deputy, JD Vance.

Canada, for its part, has long been one of Ukraine's most vocal supporters, while the US has become ever more ambivalent in its attitude to Russia's invasion of its neighbor.

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The leaders of the Group of Seven economies are coming together for their annual gathering, which is the first of its kind since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

For this G7 meeting, diplomats say Canada has dispensed with the idea of issuing a comprehensive joint final communique, and will instead release chair summaries.

"This will be a successful meeting if Donald Trump doesn't have an eruption that disrupts the entire gathering. Anything above and beyond that is gravy," said University of Ottawa international affairs professor Roland Paris, who was foreign policy adviser to Trudeau.

The last time Canada was host, during Trump's first term in 2018,the US leader left the summit,held in Quebec, before slamming then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "very dishonest and weak."

He also instructed the US delegation togo back on its approval of the final communique.

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay a visit to the autonomousDanishterritory ofGreenlandon Sunday.

The island, the world's largest, has been the focus of much attention in recent months afterUS President Donald Trump made several remarks indicating his interest of incorporating it into US territory, citing reasons of national security. BothGreenland and Denmark have categorically rejected Trump's approaches.

Macron's visit, which comes just hours ahead of his participation in the G7 summit, is being seen as a show of European support for the territory, whose some 60,000 citizens are Danish nationals and thus also citizens of the EU.

The French president will visit Greenland alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, with the leaders planning to discuss the security situation in the North Atlantic and the Arctic with Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Macron's office said talks, which are planned aboard a Danish frigate, will also touch on economic development, climate change and renewable energy.

He is expected to visit a glacier threatened by global warming and a hydroelectric power plant.

Greenland's ice sheet is currently melting at a rapid rateas the Earth warms, contributing greatly to the rise of sea levels across the world.

The office of CanadianPrime Minister Mark Carneylast Saturdayreleased a list of topics to head the agenda at the meeting.

According to the statement, discussions will center on three main thematic areas: reinforcing peace and security in the face of foreign threats, transnational crime and increased wildfire risk; energy security and digital technology; and promoting private investment to improve infrastructure and activate economies.

Other topics are to include examining possibilities forpeace in Ukraineand other conflicts and the search for non-EU partners to bolster security and prosperity.

The Group of Seven (G7), founded 50 years ago this year, is one of the most important forums for exchange between the leaders of some of the world's major economies.

This year, it will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, from June 15 to 17, with Canada this year's holder of the group's rotating presidency.

DW's coverage will bring you reports and analysis of the topics under discussion and news on the top-level meetings occurring on the sidelines of the summit.

Israel has relied on its Iron Dome system for years, but with escalating tensions with Iran and other parts of the Middle East, it may begin deploying a new system for its defense.

Israel'sair defense system comprises three components. David's Sling, also known as Magic Wand, can intercept medium-range missiles, drones and cruise missiles. The Arrow system targets long-range missiles.

Iron Dome, meanwhile, can intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells. It has garnered praise on social media for being "Israel's life insurance." The system has been in use since March 2011.

An Iron Dome battery consists of a radar unit and a control center that can detect projectiles soon after their launch and calculate their trajectory and target. It takes seconds for an approaching projectile to be detected.

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A battery also has three or four rocket launchers with 20 missiles each should projectiles be headed toward populated areas. The interceptor missiles can be maneuvered in the air.

However, they are not designed to strike an approaching projectile but to explode close by and destroy it in the process. Falling debris can, therefore, still cause considerable damage.

There are currently 10 mobile Iron Dome systems in use in Israel. According to their manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which developsmilitary and defense technologies for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), a single battery can protect a medium-sized city and intercept rockets fired from a maximum of 70 kilometers (43 miles) away. Experts calculate that 13 systems would be needed in order to defend the entire country.

According to Rafael, Iron Dome has a 90% success rate. Its website says the system has intercepted over 5,000 rockets so far.

According to the Israeli army, more than 3,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory during the attack led by the radical Islamist militant groupHamas on October 7, 2023.

The cost of a single Iron Dome interceptor missile ranges between $40,000 and $50,000 (€36,650 and €45,800), according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

Given the costs, the Israeli army wants to replace its Iron Dome system with a new laser defense weapon called the Iron Beam.

The high-energy laser beam will be used todestroy small missiles, drones and mortar shells. The idea is also that it should be capable of neutralizing drone swarms.

Iron Beam's deployment was originally intended for October 2025, though Israel's military confirmed in late May that it haddeployed a laser defense system in combatfor the first time.

Rafael first unveiled the high-energy weapon in February 2014. US defense contractor Lockheed Martin has also been involved in the project since 2022.

The advantages of the Iron Beam system over Iron Dome include far lower costs per shot, theoretically unlimited ammunition supplies and lower operating costs.

Cost estimates, however, vary considerably. Firing the laser reportedly only costs a few dollars, or up to $2,000 (€1,800) when everything is factored in.

This article was originally written in German and first published on May 12, 2021, before it was updated on August 25, 2024, and again on June 15, 2025.

Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei has his sights set on an estimated $271 billion in cash stashed away by his fellow citizens to survive economic hardships.

Thanks to sweeping spending cuts,ArgentinePresidentJavier Mileihas managed to bringinflationin his country down from a monthly 25% in December 2023 to below 3% now, according to official data published by the country's INDEC statistics agency.

And yet, thecost of livingin Argentina isstill rising, forcing the libertarian leader to make another controversial proposal to the public.

He's called on his fellow citizens to spend their cash dollars squirreled away in mattresses and foreign bank accounts, long held by Argentines as a hedge against decades of economic turmoil.

Last week (June 5), Milei's government sent a bill called Fiscal Presumption of Innocence to Congress, declaring that the law ensures that there will be no more persecution of those Argentines holding undeclared dollars.

The measure widens a tax amnesty scheme rolled out last year which already lured tens of billions of dollars back into circulation.

During Milei's 2023 presidential election campaign, his supporters marched through the streets of Buenos Aires waving oversized dollar bills featuring their candidate's face. Milei himself called the Argentine peso "worth as much as shit," initially pledging to replace it with the US dollar as legal tender once he's elected.

Today,Milei's dollarization driveis back on the agenda, but in a different form. This time, it's not about switching the national currency, but about integrating the US dollars Argentines have been stockpiling at home into the formal economy.

The INDEC agency has estimated that Argentinians have about $271 billion (€234 billion) hidden away, money that is colloquially referred to as "dolares del colchon," or mattress dollars. The exact amount is unknown, because the money is essentially undeclared.

People began stockpiling these dollars during Argentina's prolonged periods of hyperinflation, which gripped the country until the end of 2023. Having access to US dollars in cash — or being able to receive and withdraw dollar funds — allowed people to sidestep skyrocketing peso prices by taking advantage of favorable exchange rates.

In Argentina, dollar cash reserves became a kind of financial life insurance.

Eugenio Mari, chief economist at the Buenos Aires-based libertarian think tank Fundacion Libertad y Progreso, finds this behavior perfectly rational.

Speaking to DW, he said that for decades Argentines have tried to "protect themselves from inflation and from government overreach," meaning many used part of their income to buy dollars and kept them out of circulation.

But saving in dollars also meant making consumption sacrifices and spending less overall.

Now, President Milei wants to change that engrained behavior by convincing Argentines to bring the hidden dollars back into the monetary system for the benefit of the broader economy.

The government argues that inflation has been tamed — at least for the time being — creating the right moment to release the hoarded cash.

But trust in a currency can be destroyed quickly, while rebuilding it takes much longer. So it's still unclear whether Argentines are willing to monetize their "mattress dollars" in sizeable amounts.

In his effort, Milei is counting on deregulation and the removal of tax burdens to encourage them. Some even say the president is banking his political future on the scheme, which may come to be seen as a test of people's trust in his economic policy.

So far, the plan is progressing slowly, daily newspaperClarinwrote last week.

Technically, Argentinians are required to report any foreign currency holdings. But the law has never been fully enforced.

Milei's bill guaranteeing fiscal innocence to offenders was a clever move, says economist Mari.

"The removal of reporting requirements to the tax authority makes transactions easier and reduces the risk of citizens being pursued by the state, especially by tax authorities," said Mari.

Since Javier Milei took office in December 2023, many economic indicators have improved. Inflation has dropped significantly, poverty is declining, the government has posted budget surpluses, and the economy is growing.

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According to recent World Bank forecasts, Argentina's economy is expected to grow by 5.5% this year, with another 4.5% projected for next year.

However,prices for food and essential goodshave soared, due largely to the rollback of state subsidies and the strengthening of the Argentine peso.

Thousands of Argentines, meanwhile, are crossing borders into Chile, Paraguay, or Brazil to shop more cheaply, as the stronger peso is giving them a more favorable exchange rate.

Hernan Letcher, director of the Centro de Economia Politica Argentina (CEPA) in Buenos Aires, believes Milei's aim with his dollar monetization plan is to "inject more dollars into the government's currency exchange system," which for him is "essentially a foreign exchange policy measure."

Nau Bernues, a financial expert and the CEO of Quaestus Asteriscos — a firm specializing in the financial system and investments — believes the government wants to "go even further." The plan is to make the dollar a "more transactional currency" that would allow people to "buy not only an apartment or a car, but also an appliance or even a cookie at a kiosk."

"It's doing everything possible to ensure that there are more and more dollars. If that happens with constant pesos or no issuance, the exchange rate should appreciate," Bernues told the news agency Noticias Argentinas last week.

He noted that Milei's economic team was "constantly proclaiming" that the dollar could fall from currently about 1,180 pesos per greenback to 1,000 pesos.

But he personally is skeptical about Milei's "ambitious" plan, arguing that the dollars under the mattress are people's "insurance, perhaps their life savings," which they won't touch for anything, "except if they make it much easier to purchase land, real estate and assets that the average Argentine assigns a certain amount of protection."

This article was originally written in German.

Short-term rentals are worsening Spain's housing crisis, while investor demand continues to drive up prices. For many locals, the situation is devastating.

The real estate agent Juan Sanchez, who didn't want his real name published in this article, pushes open the frosted glass door of an apartment that used to be a shop. Visitors step directly into the kitchen from the streets of Spain's capital. The ceilings are very high.

"You could easily add a mezzanine here," Sanchez says, and explains that the two bedrooms advertised are in the basement, and rather tiny. One of them doesn't even have a window.

However, the space could be "easily rented out to students" for €1,300 ($1,484) if the prospective buyer is willing to ignore what he calls "a small catch."

"Downstairs is officially listed as a storage space in the property registry, because we couldn't get a residential permit. But that's not a problem for renters," he tells DW.

The 55-square-meter (592 square-feet) space, advertised as an apartment, located in a middle-class neighborhood in central Madrid, is listed to sell for over €300,000.

Unlike a decade ago, when cheap credit boosted thehousingprices in Spain, today, the sky-high prices even for mid-range apartments are driven by foreign investors with deep pockets. They've invested huge sums in Spain's lucrative housing sector and boomingtourism industry, driving up prices in the entire housing market in the process. According to areportby the Spanish institute BBVA Research, demand is outstripping supply significantly.

Those living in Spain, meanwhile, are struggling to afford skyrocketing rents, a situation compounded by the growing share of homes being rented out to international tourists visiting Spain, and students seeking accommodation.

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Spain's worsening housing crisis has already sparkedrepeated protestson the Canary Islands, in Barcelona and in Madrid.

These days, internet platforms like habitacion.com sell even small living spaces to investors. The Spanish property startup allows users to purchase — rather than rent — individual rooms in a shared property as an alternative investment and living option.

For the Madrid tenants' union Sindicato de Inquilinas de Madrid, the practice amounts to "rampant speculation" fueled by tourism and investment funds. The group has estimated that this has resulted in more than 4 million homes and 400,000 vacation rentals currently standing empty — in a country of 47 million people.

But the housing shortage isn't just due to external demand. Locals are contributing to it, too. According to the Spanish national statistics office INE, over 2.5 million homes in Spain are only used occasionally, with many of them presumed to be second or third residences — often reserved for holidays, and rarely rented to others.

Private investors and hedge funds are less reluctant to rent. In the first quarter of 2025, short-term leases, not counting tourist rentals, accounted for 14% of the rental market, or a 25% increase from the previous year, according to data compiled by the real estate platform Idealista.

The platform reported the largest growth of short-term rental listings in cities like Bilbao (up 36%), Alicante (33%), Barcelona (29%), and Madrid (23%).

In May, the Spanish ministry for consumer rights made headlines when it ordered the short-term rentals platformAirbnbto remove nearly 66,000 unlicensed listings. The Spanish Housing and Urban Planning Minister Isabel Rodriguez is also pushinga bill that would require vacationers to pay 21% VAT on apartment rentals— double the rate applied to hotel stays.

But tenant groups like Sindicatos de Inquilinas say that's not nearly enough.

Similar to the years preceding the 2008 financial crisis, Spain's real estate market is showing signs of overheating again.

A house that cost an average of €138,000 in 2014 was valued at €178,700 in 2024, according to data from the US-based investment firm MD Capital. In places like the Balearic Islands, prices have more than doubled.

Tim Wirth, a real estate lawyer based in Palma, says that the sharp rise in prices "inevitably leads to protests from local residents." He told DW that rentals in Spain must be made more attractive again with "legal and tax security for both sides."

But he also acknowledges theacute social challengein the fact that average wages have grown by a little over 23% in the past decade, while property prices have shot up by at least 29% in the same time period.

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In 2024, the average monthly gross salary in Spain was €2,642, according to the economic and socio-demographic information platform Datosmacro. An ordinary 80-square-meter apartment now costs about €1,100 a month to rent, as data from the real estate portal Fotocasa shows, with rental costs for a similar apartment in major cities like Madrid or Barcelona ranging between €1,400 and €1,500.

Unlike people living in cities such as Paris or London, Spanish residents do not receive a supplement to their salaries to offset higher housing costs.

Each year, some 90 million international tourists visit Spain. Many remote workers have set up residence in the Canary Islands and Barcelona, while students from across the world flock to the country's 90 universities and dozens of business schools.

In the 2024/2025 academic year alone, more than 118,000 students came to Spain under the European Union students' exchange program Erasmus. Spain, however, lacks publicly funded student accommodation, and there is no financial support from the state equivalent to Germany's BAföG aid program for students from low-income households.

That's one reason why Spanish citizens typically leave their parents' home after the age of 30, as official statistics show. In Germany, the average age is 24.

Madrid's tenant lobby, meanwhile, has threatened to escalate public protests if the government doesn't take stronger action: "We'll raise our voices to reclaim what's vacant or being rented to tourists," a spokesperson told DW.

This article was originally written in German.

Concerns about religious freedom in Turkey have been growing since early June, when a new law gave the Diyanet the right to ban translations of the Quran that do not comply with its interpretation of Islam.

Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs, known as the Diyanet, is one of the country's most influential authorities. According to its own figures, it employs over 140,000 people and offers religious services in more than 100 countries. Founded in 1924, the Diyanet has reported directly to Islamic-conservativepresident Recep Tayyip Erdogansince 2018. Its annual budget of around €3 billion ($3.47 billion) also exceeds those of several ministries, including the Ministry of Interior.

The Diyanet manages 90,000 mosques across the country, organizes Quran courses, cultural events and annual pilgrimages, and coordinates slaughters for the Feast of Sacrifice. It also trains imams and deploys them both at home and abroad. Its foundation is active in 150 countries and reaches millions of people through educational programs and scholarships worldwide.

In recent years, the Diyanet's powershave expanded. Most recently, a new law that went into effect on June 4 granted the authority to interpret translations of the Quran. If these "do not correspond to the basic characteristics ofIslam," they may be banned. "Problematic copies" that have already been published can be confiscated and destroyed. This also applies to digital texts, audio, and video recordings online.

Previously, President Erdogan had granted this authority by decree, which allowed the Diyanet to classify some translations as "untruthful." But the decree was struck down by the Constitutional Court. But the new law has ensured that the Diyanet's power would indeed be constitutional.

In Muslim-majority countries, heads of state regularly invoke Islam to justify their actions. For example, in Iraq, the once secular Saddam Hussein used religious tenets to justify his autocratic measures and war with Iran. In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been accused of using the push for more religious openness as an excuse to crack down on his political opponents. And as the Middle East Institute has noted, Erdogan's political party, theJustice and Development Party, or AKP, "maintains the loyalty of its base through a historical narrative of religion and nationalism."

Now theologians critical of the government allege that Turkey's new law amounts to censorship, calling it state-enforced Islam that endangers religious freedom.

For well-known theologian Sonmez Kutlu, it is a declaration of bankruptcy by the state. A country with over 100,000 Diyanet employees and more than 100 theology faculties should be able to protect the Quran from allegedly problematic translations via intellectual and scientific methods rather than bans, he says.

He also warns that publications containing translated verses that allegedly "contradict the fundamental characteristics of Islam" could also lead to investigations and prosecutions.

Theologian Ihsan Eliacik sees the Diyanet's new authority as a fundamental violation of the faith. "In Islam, no institution is allowed to stand between people and Allah. However, the Diyanet's review of the Quran for 'truthfulness' does exactly that," he says.

Eliacik's own translation of the Quran was previously banned by the Diyanet. He appealed to the Constitutional Court and won. But under the new legal provisions, taking action like this is no longer possible.

In recent years, Eliacik, Kutlu and other theologians critical of the government have repeatedly been the target of smear campaigns by pro-government brotherhoods and Islamist orders. Omer Ozsoy, theology professor at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, suspects the growing influence on the government from these religious orders is behind the new law.

"These circles have been openly opposing academic, critical and pluralistic theology at Turkey's Islamic theological faculties for around a decade," Ozsoy says. He has observed how they "have been conducting systematic campaigns against high-profile theologians for some time."

Ozsoy fears that the new law could be broadly applied with repressive and politically motivated interpretations. "Translator colleagues report that the Diyanet has already prepared to impound a total of 12 translations, including those by Mustafa Oztürk and Edip Yuksel," he adds.

The Quran is written in Arabic. Translations of Islam's holy book are essential to making the texts accessible to millions of people. However, they also contain interpretations, especially in the case of ambiguous words or passages, making them a sensitive topic.

The importance of Quran translations in non-Arabic-speaking countries such as Turkey has increased in recent years. In the past, explained Ozsoy, "it was up to religious scholars to deal with the Quran." Today, however, things are different, he said. "Today, lay believers read the Quran directly and interpret it independently," adding that this is due to critical thinking and the emergence of various movements and social currents.

According to Ozsoy, the number of Turkish Quran translations has increased in recent decades. Among the translators there are many without professional qualifications. This problem is widely discussed among experts and there is extensive academic literature on the subject.

Religion has become a focal point of Turkish social discourse. Young people in particular are engaged in reading scripture and questioning many theories — a cause for concern within the government. President Erdogan has emphasized repeatedly that he wants to raise a "pious generation."

However, recent studies by the opinion research institute KONDA show the opposite: The proportion of people who describe themselves as religious has fallen from 55% in 2018 to 46% now, while the proportion of atheists or non-believers has risen from 2% to 8% in the same period.

This article was originally written in German.

Russia returned a total of 4,812 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine this week. Moscow plans to return a further 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers' bodies to Ukraine.

Another transfer of 1,200 bodies fromRussiawas received byUkraineas part of an exchangeagreement that was struck in Istanbul talks earlier this month, Ukrainian officials announced on Sunday.

"Another 1,200 bodies which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel, were returned to Ukraine," the coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war in Kyiv reported, adding that the bodies would have to be forensically identified.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Facebook that a total of 4,812 bodies have been returned this week. "I am grateful to everyone involved in this humanitarian mission," he said.

Ukraine has not commented whether it has sent any bodies to the Russian side.

Russian news outlets also reported on the handover, which was part of a series of agreements reached between the two warring sides in Istanbul on June 2, that included alsoseveral prisoner exchanges.

According to the media reports, Russia did not receive any of its fallen soldiers from Ukraine on Sunday. Russia plans to return the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainians.

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SinceRussia's full-scale invasion of Ukrainebegan in February 2022, neither Moscow nor Kyiv has typically disclosed its military losses.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC, a US news channel, earlier this year that more than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died and some 380,000 were hurt.

Russia has not disclosed the number of its military fatalities since September 2022, when it reported that fewer than 6,000 soldiers had died. This figure is widely considered to be significantly lower than the actual number of casualties.

Multiple independent investigations have reported significant losses of life among Moscow's army, using open sources such as death announcements that local officials and family members published.

The Russian website Mediazona and the BBC's Russian service claim to have identified the names of approximately 111,000 deceased Russian soldiers.

Edited by:Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

According to Tehran, its nuclear program is purely civilian, though Israel thinks it's aimed at making a nuclear bomb. Iran's high levels of uranium enrichment mean that the step to weapon-grade uranium is very short.

Israelhas justified its recent attacks on Iranian targets by claiming that Tehran is too close to developing a nuclear bomb. Such a development would undoubtedly pose an existential threat to Israel, as the Iranian regime has repeatedly declared itsits intention to destroy Israel.

WhileTehraninsists its nuclear program serves only civilian purposes, many members of the international community see military potential in it.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Sunday said that Tehran's nuclear program is an "existential threat" to both Israel and Europe, while emphasizing diplomacy remained the best solution to reach a resolution.

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Saturday that Berlin, Paris, and the UK were ready for talks with Tehran to deescalate the situation.

There are two types of nuclear programs: Civilian and military. Civilian programs are focused solely on nuclear power plants to generate electricity, while military programs aim to build nuclear warheads — in other words, atomic bombs.

The Iranian regime has consistently claimed its nuclear program is exclusively civilian in nature — and most experts and Western intelligence agencies agree that Iran is currently not building a nuclear weapon.

However, Iran's uranium enrichment levels may be cause for concern. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),Iran has accumulated than 400 kilograms (881 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%. That level of enrichment far exceeds what is needed for civilian energy production — and is close to weapons-gradematerial.

At 90% enrichment, those 400 kilograms would be weapons-grade — enough for approximately 10 nuclear warheads.

"As confirmed by the IAEA, Iran accelerated its enrichment to 60%, plus [there has been] a rise in missile tests," security expert Hans Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project told DW. "You could say this was to further its negotiation position with the United States, but you could also look at it and say [Tehran] is running towards a [nuclear] bomb.”

Talks between Iran and the USwere scheduled to continue in Oman, but have now been shelved due to the latest escalation.

There is currently no confirmed evidence that Iran has enriched uranium to 90%. However, experts warn that, given its stockpile and technical capabilities, the country could reach that threshold relatively quickly. Just days before Israel's attack, Tehran announced plans to bring another uranium enrichment facility online.

Enriched uranium alone does not make a bomb. Iran would also need to build a functioning warhead and a missile capable of delivering it.

In its attacks,Israel targeted not only nuclear facilitiesbut also members of Iran's military leadership and scientists involved in the nuclear program.

Satellite images indicate varying levels of destruction at two key research and enrichment facilities in Natanz and Isfahan. The IAEA has confirmed damage to both facilities. The full extent of the destruction and how difficult it would be for Iran to repair is unclear.

Walter Posch, an Iran expert at the Vienna Institute for Peace Support and Conflict Management, told DW the overall impact was "serious" for Iran.

"[What's] more important than the generals who were killed are certainly the nuclear scientists … [They] have accompanied the [nuclear] program from almost its inception, they have all the institutional knowledge," he explained.

"They play a key role … so on the level of academic experience and practical knowledge … this is a serious blow."

In addition to nuclear facilities and the military and scientific elite, missile bases have also been among the targets of Israeli bombs in Iran.

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Iran's nuclear program dates back to the 1950s, when the then pro-Western government began developing a civilian nuclear program with the help of the US.

After the 1979 Iranian Revolution brought a fundamentalist, anti-Western government to power, international concerns grew that Tehran might use its nuclear program for military purposes.

In 2002, international inspectors discovered highly enriched uranium at the Natanz nuclear facility, which led to international sanctions.

In 2015, Iran reached a landmark deal with the US and Western other countries, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The agreement limited Iran's nuclear program and imposed strict controls in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

However, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during his first term, criticizing it as merely temporary and failing to address Iran's ballistic missile program. The US then imposed new sanctions on Iran.

In response, Iran gradually scaled back from its compliance with the agreement and significantly increased its uranium enrichment beyond the 3.67% limit set under the 2015 deal.

Since Trump's second term, there have been renewed efforts to reach an agreement between Washington and Tehran. A new meeting between delegations from both sides was scheduled to take place in the coming days in the Gulf state of Oman but was canceled due to the current situation.