Israel struck more of Iran’s nuclear sites and warned its attacks could bring down Tehran’s leadership as both sides await US President Donald Trump’s decision on whether to join the offensive on the Islamic Republic.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that while the military’s objective remains the destruction of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, “we may create the conditions” to help change the government.

In answer to whether that meant targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu said “no one is immune.” Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier mentioned Khamenei by name, saying he would “be held accountable” after Iran’s missiles struck an Israeli hospital with the two countries continuing to exchange fire.

Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in coming days, people familiar with the matter said, with some pointing to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have begun getting ready for an attack, one person said.

Trump has for days publicly mused about joining Israel’s strikes on Iran, a move that would escalate the conflict in the oil-rich Middle East.

With no indication of a pause in hostilities, other international governments stepped up efforts to rein in the conflict. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Trump to keep the door open to resuming talks over Iran’s nuclear program, a sign of his concern about possible American military action

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and the UK plan to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in person for talks in Geneva on Friday. The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, will be present. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with his Italian counterpart and is scheduled to meet UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Washington on Thursday.

Australia has officially shut down its embassy in Tehran and ordered all diplomatic staff and their dependents to leave Iran, citing a “deteriorating security situation” in the region.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong made the announcement during a news conference in Adelaide, stressing that the decision was made in response to growing instability following Israel’s military strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure last week.

“This is not a decision taken lightly,” Wong said. “It is a decision based on the deteriorating security environment in Iran.”

Australia has also issued a strong travel advisory, urging all Australian nationals in Iran to leave the country if they can do so safely.

According to Wong, about 2,000 Australians and their family members are currently registered in Iran and have expressed the intention to depart. An additional 1,200 Australians are in Israel amid ongoing conflict.

Australia joins a growing list of countries suspending embassy operations in Tehran, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is said to be working closely with partner nations to assist Australians seeking to exit Iran and the broader region.

The situation at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, where hundreds of Russian specialists work, is normal and under control, according to Russian nuclear energy chief Alexei Likhachev.

The Israeli military yesterday said it had struck the Russian-built Bushehr facility, but later withdrew the comment, saying it was made by mistake. Likhachev, the head of the state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, yesterday said any attack on the plant could cause a Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to Alexei Likhachev during a meeting in October last year. Credit: AP

Bushehr is Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant and uses Russian fuel, which Russia then takes back when it is spent to reduce proliferation risk.

Asked today about the situation at Bushehr, Likhachev told reporters: “So far the situation is completely under control, everything is normal. The night passed in the usual anxious but manageable atmosphere.

“We continue to work in pre-mobilisation mode and very much hope that all our signals from yesterday reached the Israeli leadership.”

The “pre-mobilisation” comment appeared to refer to the possibility of evacuating staff in the event of an emergency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earier this week that Russia had up to 600 staff at Bushehr, including 250 permanent workers and others on temporary assignment. He said Israel had issued a promise to Russia over their safety – a message reiterated by the Krelim this evening.

Likhachev said yesterday that some of those on assignment had been evacuated, but the core staff remained for now.

Reuters

Australia has temporarily shut down its embassy operations in Tehran, citing a worsening security situation as hostilities between Israel and Iran escalate. The closure comes after another round of Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and amid growing concerns about regional stability.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the embassy suspension on Friday, stating that Australian defence personnel and aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East as part of contingency plans to evacuate Australian citizens and diplomats when the airspace reopens. She emphasised that the forces would not engage in combat operations.

“We have a very volatile security situation in Iran,” Wong said during a press conference. “We do not have to cast our minds back too far in history to understand the risk to foreign officials in Iran in times of unrest.”

Israel launched its aerial campaign against Iran last week, describing it as a preemptive move to prevent the development of nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently denied such intentions and responded with retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory. The conflict, now in its second week, has shown no signs of de-escalation.

To assist Australians seeking to leave Iran, consular staff are being deployed to neighbouring Azerbaijan, including at key border crossings. “We are in the process of getting a crisis response team into Azerbaijan,” Wong said. “The purpose is to assist any Australians who get to that border — and that is the border crossing that is the most likely for exit from Tehran.”

Official figures indicate that around 2,000 Australians and their family members in Iran have sought help to leave the country. While the Australian ambassador to Iran, Ian McConville, has left Tehran, he will remain in the region to coordinate evacuation and crisis efforts.

Wong also disclosed that she had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the unfolding conflict. When asked whether the United States had requested Australian military support in the event of direct US involvement, she replied: “No such request was made.”

The White House confirmed on Thursday that President Donald Trump is expected to make a decision within the next two weeks on whether the United States will intervene in the conflict.

Melissa Enoch

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Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war on Friday (June 20, 2025) as new diplomatic efforts appeared to be underway. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is headed to Geneva for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

The Israeli military said on Thursday (June 19, 2025) that Iran used a missile with multiple warheads, posing a new challenge to its defences. Instead of having to track one warhead, missiles with multiple warheads can pose a more difficult challenge for air defence systems, like Israel’s Iron Dome.

A week of Israeli strikes on Iran has killed at least 657 people and wounded 2,037 others, the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said Friday.

(Inputs from AP)