Israel-Iran war live: Multiple Revolutionary Guard fighters killed, Isfahan nuclear facility hit
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Iran Israel War Live Updates: MEA says 827 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran
Israel and Iran trade air strikes for the ninth consecutive day on Saturday. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has warned the United States to not get involved in the conflict with Israel. At least 19 Israelis were reported wounded, and Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency estimated 657 deaths and over 2,000 injuries in Iran since the conflict began. European diplomats convened in Geneva in a fresh bid to revive nuclear negotiations and stem further escalation.
Israel Iran war news Live Updates: Iran and Israel continued to trade air strikes on Saturday, with Israel aiming to damage Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure on the ninth consecutive day of hostilities between the countries. The conflict intensified even as European diplomats convened in Geneva in a fresh bid to revive nuclear negotiations and stem further escalation….Read More
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has also warned the United States to not get involved in the conflict with Israel as it would be “dangerous for everyone.”
Amid the ongoing conflict, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said that the military killed a veteran commander in the Quds force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ overseas arm.
Early on Saturday, the navy hit a Hezbollah “infrastructure site” near the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura.
Israeli fighter jets also targeted missile infrastructure in western Iran, the military said, while Tehran launched salvos of missiles at Haifa and Beersheba. At least 19 Israelis were reported wounded, and Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency estimated 657 deaths and over 2,000 injuries in Iran since the conflict began.
In Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with EU foreign policy chief and ministers from the UK, France, and Germany. Araghchi said Iran would not engage with the US until Israel halts its attacks, but signaled willingness to continue talks with Europe.
US President Donald Trump cast doubt on European mediation efforts, asserting that “Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us.” Trump had on Friday warned Tehran that it has only two weeks to de-escalate or face potential American intervention.
Latest developments in the Iran Israel war:
Israel claims killed head of Iran’s Quds Force Saeed Izadi in airstrike on Qom
The war between Israel and Iran has now entered its second week. The latest round of open hostilities began after a series of Israeli air raids on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The initial attacks triggered Iranian retaliation, subsequently leading to a significant escalation on both sides. The United States is yet to officially join the conflict, but has openly backed Israel.
While the United States is yet to officially join the conflict, it has openly backed Israel, while continuing to renegotiate a nuclear treaty with Iran. In 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term, the US had exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal. The agreement, which limited the Iranian nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief and other provisions, was finalised in Vienna on 14 July 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 together with the European Union.
Trump on Friday (Jun 20) warned that Iran had a “maximum” of two weeks to avoid possible American air strikes. He said that he was not inclined to stop Israel attacking Iran because it was “winning,” and said that “I’m giving them (Tehran) a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum.”
What are Israel and Iran fighting about?
The ongoing conflict is the most direct confrontation between Israel and Iran in recent years. The two nations have a history of geopolitical tensions. The ongoing war has at its root Iran’s nuclear programme, which Israel views as an existential threat, claiming it’s a cover for building a bomb—something Tehran denies.
Follow WION’s live coverage of the Israel-Iran war here:
Israel-Iran War Live Updates Day 9: Israel Strikes Iran’s Isfahan Nuclear Facility Again
The conflict between Iran and the West has entered its ninth day. At least 19 people have been killed in the conflict so far. The conflict is expected to continue for at least a few more days. The U.S. has threatened to strike Iran if it does not accept a cease-fire.
Last Updated: June 21, 2025, 19:20 IST
A missile launched from Iran is intercepted as seen from Ashkelon. (Reuters)
Iran-Israel War Day 9 Live Updates: The conflict between Israel and Iran continues to escalate as relentless attacks continued for the ninth consecutive day. An Iranian missile struck a premier research institute known for its work in life sciences and physics, causing heavy damage.
The Israeli Air Force launched a new wave of airstrikes on missile facilities in central Iran as Israeli Army chief warned that his country could be engaged in a “prolonged campaign” against Tehran. Israel’s military said it struck missile launchers in Iran.
At least 19 people were injured in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa after Iran launched two missile barrages.
Meanwhile, Iran ruled out nuclear talks with US President Donald Trump as top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany met with their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Geneva. Several countries have withdrawn their embassy staff from Tehran.
Trump, who has given two weeks’ time before deciding on military action, said it would be “very hard to stop” Israel’s strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a possible ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the Indian government initiated Operation Sindhu and brought back 290 stranded Indian students, primarily from Jammu and Kashmir, from Iran.
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Live updates: Israel-Iran conflict enters second week as two sides exchange fresh strikes
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, The New York Times reports. Khamenei wants to ensure a quick, orderly transition in the event of his death, the Times reported, citing the officials. US President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei, calling him an “easy target.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, The New York Times reports, citing three Iranian officials familiar with the matter.
In the event a supreme leader dies, Iran’s constitution requires the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, to pick a successor. The process has only been used once since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Khamenei himself was elected in 1989.
Khamenei wants to ensure a quick, orderly transition in the event of his death, the Times reported, citing the officials.
After reportedly rejecting an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei, US President Donald Trump stated this week that Iran’s supreme leader is an “easy target.”
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. “He is an easy target but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out targeting Khamenei either, saying the death of the supreme leader would not “escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict.”
On Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz went further, declaring that Khamenei cannot be allowed to “continue to exist” after an Iranian missile struck a hospital in Israel.
Citing the officials, the Times reported that top officials in Iran are making preparations for a wide range of outcomes if the war intensifies while Trump considers whether to intervene, adding that the regime’s chain of command has been hit hard in Israeli strikes but appears to be functioning.
Israel-Iran Conflict Day 9 LIVE: Khamenei reportedly names successor candidates amid regional tensions
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has identified three senior clerics as potential successors in the event of his death. A plane carrying 250 Indian students landed in New Delhi late at night as part of rescue efforts under Operation Sindhu. India will now carry out the evacuations of Nepali and Sri Lankan citizens from Iran after the governments of these two nations requested to repatriate them from the conflict zone. US Ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, accidentally named Israel as the country that is spreading “chaos” in West Asia before she corrected herself during a Security Council meeting. Israel Defense Forces have said that the army intercepted an Iranian drone that triggered sirens in the Golan Heights earlier today. Israeli attacks in the city of Qom have killed two IRGC commanders, one of whom was responsible for the October 7 attacks, according to Fars News Agency. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said the commander of the Palestinian Corps, Saeed Izadi, was assassinated in Qom.
Israeli air strikes hit several parts of Iran, including Isfahan, which houses a key nuclear facility. While authorities in Iran have said that the nuclear site was targeted, no major leaks have been reported from the area. Additionally, Israeli attacks in the city of Qom have killed two IRGC commanders, one of whom was responsible for the October 7 attacks.
“22 people were identified and arrested on charges of being linked to the Zionist regime’s spy services, disturbing public opinion, and supporting the criminal regime,” the agency stated, citing the head of police intelligence in Iran’s Qom province.
Police in Iran’s Qom province has said that 22 people “linked to Israeli spy services” had been arrested since June 13, Fars news agency reported.
According to Fars News Agency, Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site was targeted by Israel’s early morning attacks, although there are no reports of leakage of hazardous materials.
Meanwhile, a plane carrying 250 Indian students landed in New Delhi late at night as part of rescue efforts under Operation Sindhu.
⚠️ On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy’s evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover Citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka. https://t.co/eHIOhmNN7M
“On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy’s evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover Citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka,” the Indian Embassy in Iran said.
India will now carry out the evacuations of Nepali and Sri Lankan citizens from Iran after the governments of these two nations requested to repatriate them from the conflict zone.
Israel targeted the Isfahan nuclear site but authorities have not reported any leak or casualties from the area.
The Israel Defense Forces have said that the army intercepted an Iranian drone that triggered sirens in the Golan Heights earlier today.
“[Izadi’s assassination is] a huge achievement for Israeli intelligence and air force, justice for the murdered and kidnapped. Israel’s long arm will reach all its enemies,” Katz said.
Israeli strikes targeted an apartment in the city of Qom early morning, killing at least two people, including a teenager.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that the commander of the Palestinian Corps, Saeed Izadi, was assassinated in Iran’s Qom earlier today.
US representative to the UN Dorothy Shea: “Israel’s government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region…” Awkward pause. “Iran’s government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region…” It’s always foreign policy that brings… pic.twitter.com/W5UMV52rVn
“Israel’s government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region,” she said.
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, accidentally named Israel as the country that is spreading “chaos” in West Asia before she corrected herself as she gave a statement in the Security Council meeting.
“What truly matters now is that the world must first acknowledge that a genuinely aggressive regime attacked Iran, targeting our military commanders, children, women, scientists, and ordinary citizens in the middle of the night,” Moha’Jerani added.
Iran’s government spokeswoman, Fatemeh Moha’Jerani, has said that while Tehran remains open to dialogue, the country would give a “proportional response” if Israeli attacks escalate. “We believe in listening to the other side. That’s why our diplomats are present in Geneva, to hear the other side out,” she told Al Jazeera.
A resident prepares to spend the night in an old reopened nuclear shelter under Tel Aviv’s central bus station in the southern area of the city, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS
A Filipino migrant family gathers between rows of tents in an old nuclear shelter under Tel Aviv’s central bus station in the southern area of the city, recommissioned by Israeli volunteers Brothers and Sisters in Arms, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS
A migrant family from the Philippines arrives to spend the night in an old nuclear shelter under Tel Aviv’s central bus station recommissioned by Israeli volunteers Brothers and Sisters in Arms, in the southern area of the city, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 20, 2025. REUTERS
Israelis in Tel Aviv have been taking shelter in old nuclear bunkers under a dilapidated bus station as Iran continued to launch air attacks in full force.
It’s not uncommon for Iran to arrest alleged spies tied to the Israeli intelligence agencies. Iranian authorities have intensified the crackdown on ‘spy network’ in the country over the past few weeks.
Iranian media reported that authorities have arrested a European national for ‘spying for Israel’, without revealing the nationality of the person.
The site was used by Hezbollah “to promote terrorist plots against the citizens of the State of Israel”, it said.
“A naval vessel attacked overnight a military structure belonging to the ‘Radwan Force’ of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Naqoura area in southern Lebanon,” Israel’s military said.
As the Israel-Iran conflict continues, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced Saturday they had carried out attacks at a military structure belonging to the ‘Radwan Force’ of Hezbollah.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed in an interview he repeatedly assured Israel that Iran was not seeking to build a nuclear bomb. Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that Putin made this remark while talking to Sky News Arabia.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed that five of its members were killed in Israeli strikes on a missile site in Khorramabad in Lorestan Province, Reuters reported, citing Iranian media.
His response on Pakistan came when asked at a media briefing about Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday.
Mohammad Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy, also hoped that Pakistan would not do anything that will harm Iran’s interests.
Iran expects India and other like-minded nations to condemn Israeli “military aggression” against it as such actions are a “breach” of international law, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Friday.
The Israel-Iran conflict has entered its ninth day. Here’s what has happened so far:
All the three injured people are being treated in the hospital.
Israeli news outlet Haaretz has said that the Iranian missile attack in the Israeli city of Haifa on Friday has wounded three people, one of whom remains in critical condition.
🔴ELIMINATED: Saeed Izadi, a founder of the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy Israel, was eliminated in a precise IDF strike in the area of Qom. Izadi was also the commander of the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, a key coordinator between the Iranian regime and Hamas, and… pic.twitter.com/ICPna4O4no
“Izadi was also the commander of the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, a key coordinator between the Iranian regime and Hamas, and one of the main orchestrators of the October 7 massacre. He was responsible for military coordination between the senior commanders of the IRGC and the Iranian regime with key figures in Hamas,” IDF said on X.
The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed that Saeed Izadi, the chief of the IRGC’s Palestinian wing, has been “eliminated” in Israeli attacks earlier today.
“Israel should not be happy about the decrease in the number of missiles fired and better keep silent and merely become an observer in the face of the new balance of Iranian superior power,” the official added.
A senior official told CNN that Iran has rejected claims made by Israel about its missile stockpile. Iran has revised its missile strategy, shifting focus from quantity to quality. Rather than launching large volleys, Iran is now deploying more advanced precision missiles aimed at sensitive military and security targets, the official said.
Meanwhile, sirens have been triggered in the Arava and Beit She’an Valley following a new suspected drone infiltration.
The IDF reports that two additional drones launched from Iran toward Israel were intercepted and shot down over the Arava region in southern Israel a short time ago.
People, mostly Iranians, who left the country due to Israeli strikes on Iran, walk at the border crossing point on Armenia-Iran border near Agarak village in the Meghri Municipality of the Syunik Province in southern Armenia, Thursday, June 19, 2025. AP
People, mostly Iranians, who left the country due to Israeli strikes on Iran, walk at the border crossing point on Armenia-Iran border near Agarak village in the Meghri Municipality of the Syunik Province in southern Armenia, Thursday, June 19, 2025. AP
People, mostly Iranians, who left the country due to Israeli strikes on Iran, gather at the border crossing point on Armenia-Iran border near Agarak village in the Meghri Municipality of the Syunik Province in southern Armenia, Thursday, June 19, 2025. AP
Iranians have started leaving the country as Israeli attacks intensify. Many countries around the world are taking measures to evacuate their citizens from Israel and Iran.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey, Araghchi said, “It is obvious, I cannot go to negotiations with the United States when our people are under bombardment, under the support of the United States. They deny, they keep saying they are not involv[ed], but we have many indications they have been involved from day one. And now the interviews by the US president is quite clear, that he’s talking about a US leadership on this.” question.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that US involvement in the conflict would be “unfortunate” and “dangerous for everybody.”
“A drone strike hit a two-storey residential building in northern Israel”, the Magen David Adom said in a statement, adding that its rescue teams found no visible casualties as they arrived.
Israel’s first responders have said that a residential building in north Israel had been hit by a drone after the army reported an intrusion in the Beit She’an valley.
“The longer a war takes, the more dangerous it becomes,” he told journalists in a briefing on Friday. “I think any extended confrontation or war between Israel and Iran will only bring a very difficult aftermath.”
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said that the war between the two nations was a setback for the region.
A senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official has warned that a prolonged conflict between Israel and Iran might lead to “difficult aftermath”, reports AFP.
“We don’t know how we can trust them [the US] anymore.”
He signalled that their trust in Washington had eroded following the developments of the past two weeks.
“We have come to the conclusion that negotiations by the US was in fact a cover for what the Israelis did,” he said.
He said Tehran had reached the conclusion that the talks with the US were a “cover” for Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused Washington of “a betrayal to diplomacy,” saying American officials “must show their determination for negotiating a solution,” in an interview with NBC News.
“I call on countries with influence over Israel not to listen to its poison. A solution must be found via dialogue,” said Erdogan, referring to attacks on Iran and Gaza.
Addressing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the Israeli government, under Prime Minister Netanyahu, represents the primary barrier to achieving regional peace.
According to Iran’s state-run Nour News, citing the health ministry, at least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since the Israeli-Iranian conflict began on June 13.
“Netanyahu’s Zionist ambitions have no other purpose than to drag our region and … the whole world into a big disaster.”
“This incident also shows that Netanyahu [and his government] …. do not want any issues or any matters to be solved diplomatically,” he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that Israeli attacks on Iran were intended to undermine ongoing nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran.
“The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee there’s no quick way back, and all too often the consequences last for generations.”
“This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss, and displacement – we cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.
The United Nations has urged for peace efforts to prevail in West Asia after years of war have led to a massive displacement of people.
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported that Israel has carried out strikes on a military installation in the city of Shiraz in the Fars province. The agency said that while heavy smoke could be seen billowing out from the impact site, no casualties were reported so far.
“Four people have died as martyrs and three others were wounded in an Israeli attack against a training camp of the Revolutionary Guards in Tabriz,” ISNA reported. The city has been repeatedly targeted since Israel began striking Iran more than a week ago.
Four fighters from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in an Israeli attack on a training centre in northwest Iran, the ISNA news agency reported.
He called for an end to the “unlimited aggression” against Iran.
“There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem,” Fidan said.
“Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbour,” he told a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of leading the Middle East towards “total disaster” by attacking Iran on June 13.
He added that 14 members of the emergency services were injured in the incidents, with two currently hospitalised due to severe trauma.
According to Jafar Miadfar, speaking to state news agency IRNA, “three relief bases and eight emergency centre ambulances in different parts of the country have been seriously damaged and destroyed.”
The head of Iran’s national emergency organisation has stated that recent Israeli airstrikes affected medical and relief infrastructure, as well as residential areas in various parts of the country.
Iran has not provided a complete update on the overall casualties in recent days. On Sunday, the Iranian Health Ministry reported 224 total fatalities. In comparison, Israeli authorities have placed their death toll at 24.
The state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency cited Mohajerani saying that an additional 94 women and children have been injured since Israel launched its military operations against Iran on June 13.
Israeli airstrikes in Iran have resulted in the deaths of 54 women and children, according to Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, as reported by state media.
Italy’s foreign ministry also said it chartered a flight to help evacuate its citizens from Israel via Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday.
The first group that arrived in Italy via Baku in recent days had 34 Italian nationals.
Another convoy from Iran could depart from Tehran as early as Monday.
The group included an Italian doctor and his partner, an Iranian woman, and their 18-month-old child, the ministry said.
“After about nine hours of travel and a very long wait at the border, the group was welcomed by representatives of the Italian Embassy in Baku, and then moved to the airport of the Azerbaijani capital to wait to return to Italy with the first available flights,” the ministry said.
The Italian foreign ministry said the 24 Italians are the second group to evacuate via Azerbaijan’s Baku, on their way back home.
“Israel’s ongoing aggression and occupation policies clearly show that there is an Israeli problem in our region that needs to be addressed,” Fidan said in an opening speech at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Saturday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the Middle East is faced with an “Israeli problem” and called on Islamic countries to take a collective stand and show solidarity with Iran.
Tasnim News Agency, which is closely affiliated with Iran’s government, quoted the information minister as saying that access to “international” internet should be restored across the country by 8 p.m.
When the missiles landed, lack of internet connection meant not knowing for hours or days if their family or friends are among the victims.
Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. That left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next, despite Israeli forces issuing warnings through their Persian-language online channels.
Those in the diaspora posted on social media about connecting to FaceTime or Whatsapp to call relatives they had been worried about.
Iranians on Saturday began to see some internet access restored, giving people the opportunity to call friends and family for the first time in days.
The air war began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran and has alarmed a region that has been on edge since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
President Donald Trump and the White House said on Thursday he will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran war. Trump has kept the world guessing on his plans, veering from proposing a swift diplomatic solution to suggesting Washington might join the fighting on Israel’s side.
The internal cable dated June 20 underscores the challenge Washington is facing in trying to protect and assist its citizens in a country with which it has no diplomatic relations and in a war in which the United States may soon get involved.
While many left without problem, “numerous” citizens had faced “delays and harassment” while trying to exit, the cable said. It said, without giving further details, that one unidentified family had reported that two U.S. citizens attempting to leave Iran had been detained.
Hundreds of American citizens have departed Iran using land routes over the past week since an aerial war between the Islamic Republic and Israel broke out, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Friday.
Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan province, which is situated on the Iraqi border and is Iran’s main oil-producing region. The Israeli military had previously announced it was striking “military infrastructure” in the southwest.
Several “powerful explosions” were heard Saturday afternoon in southwestern Iran’s Ahvaz, the daily Shargh reported, on the ninth day of hostilities between the Islamic republic and Israel.
At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks on June 13, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the health ministry.
Iranian media said earlier on Saturday that Israel had attacked a building in Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured.
The Revolutionary Guards said five of its members died in attacks on Khorramabad, according to Iranian media. They did not mention Izadi, who was on U.S. and British sanctions lists.
Calling his killing a “major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force”, Katz said in a statement that Izadi had financed and armed the Palestinian militant group Hamas ahead of its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ overseas arm, was killed in a strike on an apartment in the Iranian city of Qom, said Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz.
Israel said on Saturday it had killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides in the more than week-long air war, while Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat.
Macron said he also asked for the release of two French citizens being held in Iran on espionage charges since 2022.
“To achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran.”
“Here again, my position is clear: Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful,” Macron posted on social media, adding that diplomatic efforts should continue to resolve the current crisis.
The French president said Saturday this happened during a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who initiated the call.
The report states that Khamenei’s intention is to help facilitate a smooth and swift transition should the need arise.
Under Iran’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts—an 88-member clerical body—is responsible for selecting the country’s next supreme leader. This process has only occurred once since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Khamenei was appointed in 1989.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has identified three senior clerics as potential successors in the event of his death, according to a report by The New York Times, which cited three Iranian officials familiar with the matter.
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Israel and Iran’s air war entered a second week on Friday and European officials sought to draw Tehran back to the negotiating table after President Donald Trump said any decision on potential US involvement would be made within two weeks.
Iran has launched a fresh wave of attacks against Israel, with missiles targeting the southern city of Beersheba, where a hospital was struck yesterday. The air strikes reportedly hit a tech park in the city and fires were reported near a Microsoft office.
Meanwhile, Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, said the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Those killed include the military’s top echelon and nuclear scientists. Israel has said at least two dozen Israeli civilians have died in Iranian missile attacks. Reuters could not independently verify the death toll from either side.
British, German and French foreign ministers will meet their Iranian counterpart Abbas Argachi in Geneva for nuclear talks, in a first diplomatic sit-down between Europe and Iran as Trump weighs US involvement.
Israel has targeted nuclear sites and missile capabilities, and sought to shatter the government of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Western and regional officials.
“Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it’s up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both condemned Israel and agreed that de-escalation is needed, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
The role of the United States remained uncertain. Lammy also met Trump’s special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, on Thursday in Washington, and said they had discussed a possible deal.
With inputs from Reuters