Staring at an uncertain future, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly named three senior clerics as potential successors marking an unprecedented move since the Iran-Israel war began, suggesting that he is preparing for the end of his more than three-decade rule.

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According to a New York Times report, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, who is also a cleric, has not been named in the list of successors. Iran’s former hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, was once seen as a leading contender to succeed Ayatollah Khamenei, but his prospects ended with his death in a helicopter crash in 2024.

Moreover, the report, citing Iranian officials, said that Khamenei has retreated to a secure underground bunker, suspending all electronic communications and relying solely on a trusted aide to relay messages to military commanders.

These emergency protocols reflect a deep concern over assassination threats, particularly following the deaths of several high-ranking IRGC officials in recent Israeli attacks.

Iran Vows Revenge After ‘Foiling’ Huge Israeli Attack On Isfahan Nuclear Site | ‘Unforgivable Crime’

Move to end dynastic succession?

Long viewed as a shadowy figure with considerable influence behind the scenes, and often speculated to be groomed for leadership, Mojtaba’s omission signals a deliberate move to reject dynastic succession.

This may be an attempt to preserve the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy by upholding its religious and institutional foundations rather than allowing power to pass within a family line.

By naming successors and reshuffling key positions within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Khamenei appears to be laying the groundwork for continuity in case of further instability or even his own sudden demise.

It is a rare acknowledgment of the fragility now surrounding Iran’s top leadership, as the country grapples with both external military threats and internal questions about its political future.

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US, Israel signal Khamenei not untouchable

Khamenei’s apprehensions aren’t delusional. US and Israel have, at several moments in the past week, made it clear that the two would consider targeting the Supreme Leader.

Even though the United States has not officially entered the Iran-Israel crisis, Donald Trump has made his contempt towards Khamenei crystal clear after he issued a stark warning to the Supreme Leader saying that the States wouldn’t “kill” him, “at least not for now”.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” he had said earlier this week. Trump has also demanded an unconditional surrender.

This was followed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that the nation wasn’t ruling out targeting Khamenei. Speaking to ABC news, when asked if Israel would target the Supreme Leader, Netanyahu said “doing what we need to do.”

Meanwhile, Khamenei has not directly responded to these threats, but has made it clear that Iran would not “submit to anyone’s attacks”.

Israeli officials signaled Sunday that the country is prepared to halt its military campaign against Iran if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ceases hostilities and seeks a resolution to the conflict.

The comments came hours after the U.S. struck Iran’s primary nuclear facilities , following more than a week of sustained Israeli attacks on targets across the Islamic Republic. According to Israeli assessments, the American strike caused extensive damage. The Natanz facility is believed to have been destroyed, while those in Fordow and Isfahan suffered serious hits.

3 View gallery Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Security sources in Israel estimate that hundreds of kilograms of enriched nuclear material were destroyed in the attacks. “If tomorrow Khamenei stops the fire and says he wants to end this — we will accept that,” an Israeli official said.

Despite the initial assessments, Israeli officials stressed that the full impact of the American strike has yet to be independently verified . “The defense establishment believes the Iranians were unable to remove significant quantities of enriched material ahead of the strike,” one official said. “At most, they managed to extract a small amount. The bulk — several hundred kilograms — was destroyed.”

What to expect next: Ynet breaks it down

How far back was Iran’s nuclear program set? “The estimate is that the program was pushed back more than a decade,” Israeli officials said.

US President Donald Trump delivers statement after Iran strike ( Video: The White House )

How long should the public brace for this conflict? What does a “prolonged campaign” mean? “We’ve prepared the public for a prolonged campaign. This doesn’t depend on us — it depends on the Iranians,” officials said. “If Iran drags us into a war of attrition, it will take time. That’s not what we want. We hope to wrap this up soon — ideally this week. But if Khamenei keeps firing, we’ll respond. We can’t absorb without reacting. Our interest is not to prolong this.”

Does Israel have enough interceptors? “We’re continuing to produce interceptors, and the defense budget has been reinforced,” said officials. “Everything has a shelf life. But the main objective — hitting the nuclear program — has been achieved. The missile platforms and launchers are still being targeted and will continue to be in the coming days.”

What is Israel’s overarching goal — limiting the nuclear program or regime change? “The primary goal has always been the nuclear program. Regime change was never the objective. Undermining the regime may result from the strikes, but it was never the aim.”

3 View gallery US President Donald Trump ( Photo: Carlos Barria/Pool via AP )

Will Israel settle for damaging the nuclear infrastructure, or seek broader strategic gains? “If tomorrow Khamenei stops the fire and says he wants to end this — we will accept that.”

Is Israel now expecting a nuclear agreement? “There’s little to no chance. We don’t see them entering negotiations.”

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Is there an understanding between Israel and the U.S. about the ‘day after’? “For now, we’re watching to see what Khamenei does,” officials said. “If he draws the Americans into the conflict, that’s one scenario. If he only targets Israel, that’s another. Broadly, the U.S. would like to see Iran return to negotiations. But everything hinges on what Khamenei chooses — whether he attacks the U.S., only Israel, agrees to talks or surrenders. We, for our part, don’t want to prolong the campaign.”

Iran targets Israeli civilian centers, while Israel strikes military and governmental targets. Could Israel change that approach? “We’re not Iran — we don’t target civilians,” officials emphasized. “When they deliberately hit civilians and we don’t, it gives us international legitimacy. We’ve managed to turn Iran into a global problem. From Paris to Rome to New York, the world now understands what could happen if this spreads. We are a democracy, not a dictatorship — and we don’t kill civilians.”

3 View gallery Impact site of Iranian missile in Tel Aviv ( Photo: Ido Erez )

Was Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile destroyed in the U.S. strike? “We don’t have final confirmation. Even if not all of it was destroyed, we hope 80–90 percent was. It’s still early. We’ll have better verification in the coming days — even if not to the last millimeter.”

How many launchers and missiles does Iran still have? “ We’ve destroyed more than 50 percent of their launchers . Around 200 remain. They still have about 1,500 missiles.”

Is Iran planning retaliatory terror attacks abroad against Israeli or Jewish targets? “Foreign terror attacks are always a possibility — that’s why we’ve raised our alert level and are making a major effort to prevent them.”

Where are the War Cabinet ministers right now? “They’re in a secure bunker — and sleeping there. Their families are elsewhere, in undisclosed safe locations. Only the ministers are in the bunker. Even Sara Netanyahu is not staying there.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel will not wait for a US green light to continue its military campaign against Iran and is fully committed to hitting all Iranian nuclear sites — including the heavily fortified Fordo facility.

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“We will achieve all our objectives and hit all of their nuclear facilities. We have the capability to do that,” Netanyahu declared in a rare Hebrew-language interview with the Kan public broadcaster, underscoring Israel’s determination to act decisively and independently.

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Netanyahu emphasised that Israel is proceeding with its campaign regardless of whether the United States decides to join the offensive.

“Whether US President Donald Trump wants to join or not — that’s entirely his decision,” he said.

Poll Do you believe that Netanyahu’s approach to Iran will lead to a positive outcome for Israel? Yes, it will strengthen Israel No, it may escalate conflict

“He’ll do what’s good for the United States, and I’ll do what’s good for the State of Israel.” The prime minister stressed that Israel is not asking for permission or a “green light” from any foreign power.

“Either way, we’re going to do this, because we have no choice. We will not allow 3,500 years of Jewish history to come to an end because of this deranged ayatollah,” Netanyahu declared, referencing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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Netanyahu outlined Israel’s comprehensive strategy to neutralise Iran’s nuclear threat by targeting every nuclear facility, including the underground Fordo site, which is widely considered one of the most secure and difficult to strike.

“We have the capability to do that,” he said confidently, signaling Israel’s readiness to deploy advanced military assets to destroy even the most heavily fortified targets.

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The prime minister reported that Israel is “ahead of schedule” in its campaign, having already destroyed at least half of Iran’s missile launchers and eliminated key military leaders. He highlighted ongoing strikes against paramilitary forces such as the Basij militia, which plays a critical role in suppressing dissent within Iran. Netanyahu also noted that Israel has inflicted “heavy damage” on the regime’s internal security apparatus and will continue to target symbols of the Iranian government.

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While Israel is prepared to act independently, Netanyahu acknowledged the importance of US support.

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He revealed that he speaks with President Trump almost daily and described their conversations as “very good.”

However, he declined to disclose details, saying, “Let’s not call on the historical archive to release itself just yet.”

Netanyahu praised Trump’s recognition of Israel’s right to self-defense, contrasting it with former President Joe Biden’s attempts to restrict Israeli operations against Iranian proxies.

On the question of regime change, Netanyahu reiterated that it is ultimately up to the Iranian people.

“The issue of regime change or the downfall of this administration primarily concerns the Iranian populace,” he said.

Nonetheless, he emphasized that Israel is striking government targets and symbols of the regime and that “there’s more to come.” Netanyahu described Iran’s Supreme Leader as a “deranged ayatollah” threatening the future of the Jewish people and stressed that Israel will do “everything necessary” to neutralize the existential threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Asked whether Khamenei is a dead man walking, he replied: “I gave instructions that no one is immune. I prefer not to deal with [making] headlines and to let actions speak for themselves.”

“During a war words have to be chosen with care, and actions with precision,” he said adding that he expects this “from my ministers as well”, an implied criticism of defense minister Israel Katz, who has been publicly threatening Khamenei.

Israel-Iran conflict live updates: The United States struck Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan on Saturday. Trump hailed the strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a ‘spectacular success’ and urged Tehran to ‘make peace.’ read more

The Israeli military has confirmed that its air force has launched a series of airstrikes on western Iran, marking its first direct strikes since the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the Israeli Air Force (IAF) targeted “military sites in western Iran,” including missile launchers poised to fire at Israeli territory and Iranian armed forces personnel.

In what could be interpreted as a subtle and veiled acknowledgement of sorts of the physical damage sustained by its nuclear enrichment facilities, Iran stated that its nuclear know-how cannot be destroyed. The regime has maintained that its nuclear program was peaceful.

Shargh newspaper reported the blast, while the Fars news agency said two locations in the city were attacked by Israel. Iranian news agencies also reported strikes in Yazd province. The UN’s nuclear watchdog warned the day before that striking the Bushehr plant would trigger a “a very high release of radioactivity”.

Iranian media reported that a “massive explosion was heard” Sunday in Bushehr province, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant, hours after the US bombed nuclear sites across the country.

He said that all of these tactics helped the US drop the bombs without tipping off Iran’s fighter jets or its air missile systems.

He added that the US used other methods of deception as well, deploying fighters to protect the B-2 bombers that dropped 14 bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s most powerful nuclear site, AP reported.

Hegseth said that a choice to move a number of B-2 bombers from their base in Missouri earlier Saturday was meant to be a decoy to throw off Iranians.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said Sunday that despite a surprise attack overnight on Iranian nuclear sites, America “does not seek war.” Hegseth said it was important to note that US strikes did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people, a veiled effort to indicate to Iran that they don’t want retaliation on American targets in the region.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that months of preparation and planning were put in for readiness for strikes like those carried out in Iran. The statement must be viewed in the context that in March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, testified to a Congressional Committee that t Iran is “not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme leader Khameinei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003”.

Dan Caine said that fourth and fifth generation fighter aircraft were used in strikes on Iran. Presently, the two primary fifth generation fighter aircraft US operates are the F-35 and F-22 Raptor. His statement suggests either or both of these platforms were used in the strikes on Iran.

What have the Americans accomplished with their nighttime strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran? 1. Critical infrastructure of the nuclear fuel cycle appears to have been unaffected or sustained only minor damage.

The Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev said in a tweet that “A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.”

Of the five permanent members of the UNSC, China and Russia have already condemned the attack. France has expressed concern over the escalation, while UK and the US itself (alongside France) have put the onus on Iran to come to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.

The government of Iran has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over what they call ‘unprovoked’ attacks by the United States on the country’s nuclear enrichment facilities.

“As part of the wave of strikes, fighter jets targeted for the first time the ‘Imam Hussein’ strategic missile headquarters in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored,” the IDF said.

The Israeli Air Force on Sunday said that it had dropped around 60 munitions with 30 fighter jets in a wave of attacks that simultaneously hit missile and drone sites in Isfahan, Bushehr, Ahvaz, and Yazd.

Pakistan’s condemnation came a day after Pakistan backed US President Donald Trump as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. The US on early Sunday morning attacked Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites with the aim of destroying the country’s nuclear programme. US President Trump warned of additional strikes if Iran retaliates.

Pakistan on Sunday condemned the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling them a violation of international law and warning of the risk of further escalation of violence in the region.

“Revenge, revenge!” protesters shouted with their fists raised, as the president was seen making his way through the crowd gathered in a square in central Tehran, AFP reported.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian took part in a protest in Tehran on Sunday denouncing US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, according to images broadcast on state TV.

“Ukraine is convinced that Iran’s nuclear programme must be stopped so that it never again poses a threat to the countries of the Middle East or any other state,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said, according to an AFP report.

Ukraine said Sunday that US and Israeli strikes on Iran were justified to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, praising the military intervention as a “clear signal”.

Hours after the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites, Iran launched more than 40 missiles toward Israel on Sunday, wounding 23 people and destroying apartment buildings and homes in three cities, AP reported.

READ MORE: Pentagon says US not seeking war with Iran after strikes on nuclear sites

Vance also said that the US is not at war with Iran, but Iran’s nuclear program.

“I don’t want to get into sensitive intelligence here, but we know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it’s years or beyond,” he told ABC.

Rubio accused Iran of entering into “fake negotiations” ahead of the strikes in a bid to “play” US President Donald Trump.

“I think the world today is safer and more stable than it was 24 hours ago,” he told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” program, warning the Middle Eastern nation that it risked further reprisals if it insisted on maintaining a “secret” nuclear program.

The US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities made the world more secure, Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted Sunday, rejecting fears that the action could ignite a wider conflict.

The latest military figures indicate that 24 people have died in Israel since it initiated attacks against Iran on June 13, with another 1,272 injured, including 14 seriously.

However, some projectiles managed to penetrate defenses Sunday morning, striking coastal Tel Aviv, Haifa in the north, and Ness Ziona, south of Tel Aviv.

Israeli air defenses have largely protected the nation’s towns and cities, intercepting hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that might otherwise have caused significant damage.

Israel claims it has destroyed more than half of Iran’s missile launchers in an attempt to halt daily missile barrages from Iran.

Previous statements from the Israeli military said it had struck locations in western Iran and destroyed two aging Iranian F-5 fighter jets dating from the 1960s or 1970s at Dezful airport, located in western Iran.

“We are continuing and are determined to achieve the objectives of the operation: eliminating the existential threat to the state of Israel, damaging Iran’s nuclear programme and destroying its missile systems,” Defrin said.

Earlier Sunday, Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin pledged there would be no pause in Israel’s offensive against Iran despite overnight US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which President Donald Trump described as having been “obliterated.”

Isfahan hosts a uranium conversion facility that was separately targeted overnight by more than two dozen missiles launched from a US submarine in the Middle East.

The Israeli military also confirmed strikes on missile launchers in Iran’s southwestern Bushehr province, where Iranian media reported a “massive explosion” on Sunday. Additional strikes were reported in Ahvaz in the southwest and in central Isfahan.

“Approximately 30 IAF (air force) fighter jets struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran,” the military statement said, including “the ‘Imam Hussein’ Strategic Missile Command Center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored.”

The Israeli military said Sunday its fighter jets struck “dozens” of targets across Iran, including a long-range missile site in Yazd, located in central Iran, marking the first attack in that region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei took to social media platform X to accuse the US “colluding with a war criminal and genocidal warmonger to wage an unjust war of aggression against our beloved nation.”

The decision to close the strait is not yet final and it was not officially reported that parliament had in fact adopted a bill to that effect, AP reported.

Iran has long used the threat of closing the Strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, as a way to ward off Western pressure which is now at its peak after the overnight U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following US bombing raids, Iran’s Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure.

The Iranian president on Sunday said that the US ‘must receive response to their aggression’.

“The Americans must receive a response to their aggression,” Pezeshkian told the French leader, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that the United States must “receive a response” to attacks on nuclear sites in the Islamic republic during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Just a day before the U.S. struck, top diplomats from the three countries and the European Union met Iran’s foreign minister in an attempt to find a diplomatic way to end the conflict with Israel and ease tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The three leaders stressed that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security,” and affirmed support for Israel’s security, but stopped short of endorsing the American strikes.

In a joint statement after holding talks Sunday, they said: “We will continue our joint diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions and ensure the conflict does not intensify and spread further.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Iran’s leaders to enter negotiations and “not to take any further action that could destabilize the region.”

Kaine said he would force a floor vote in the Senate this week on a resolution that would require a vote ahead of military action against Iran. “This is the U.S. jumping into a war of choice at Donald Trump’s urging, without any compelling national security interests for the United States to act in this way, particularly without a debate and vote in Congress,” he added.

“The United States should not be in an offensive war against Iran without a vote of Congress,” Kaine said. “The Constitution is completely clear on it. And I am so disappointed that the president has acted so prematurely.“

It was not immediately clear whether the blasts were the result of incoming Israeli strikes or Iranian air defence fire.

Blasts were heard Sunday in the Iranian capital of Tehran, an AFP journalist said, as fighting between the two foes continued for the tenth day.

Others were injured in the attack, it added. The Fars news agency had earlier said Israeli strikes targeted two military sites in Yazd.

“Following the aggression of the barbaric Zionist regime and its mercenaries against two military centres in Yazd city, seven Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps personnel and two conscripts were martyred,” the Tasnim news agency reported, quoting an IRGC statement.

At least nine members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed Sunday in Israeli attacks on central Iran, local media reported, as fighting between the two foes continued.

“We call upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program,” the leaders added in a joint statement.

The leaders of France, Germany and Britain on Sunday called on Iran “not to take any further action that could destabilise the region” in response to US strikes on its nuclear sites.

He added that the “political and operational initiative is now with the side that plays smart, avoids blind strikes. Surprises will continue!”

“Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn’t over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain,” said Ali Shamkhani in a post on X.

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that the country still had its stockpile of enriched uranium despite attacks by the United States on key nuclear sites.

It said only negotiations could resolve the nuclear dispute between Tehran and Washington.

“The developments happening can take the regional conflict to a global level. We do not want this catastrophic scenario to be realised,” the ministry said in a statement.

Turkey, which shares a 560 km (348 miles) border with Iran, has condemned Israel’s attacks as “state terrorism” and a violation of international law. It has urged parties to halt hostilities and offered to facilitate nuclear talks.

U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have raised the risk of the regional conflict spreading globally, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

It called for “Arab and Islamic countries and the free peoples of the world” to stand with Iran.

“The blatant deceit and deception practiced by US President Donald Trump, driven by illusions of control and arrogance … confirms that the United States of America, along with the tyrants of arrogance, is a threat to the security and stability of the Islamic Republic,” the statement said. ”… This proves to the entire world that America is the official sponsor of terrorism and does not recognize international conventions, humanitarian laws, pledges, or obligations.”

The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah condemned the U.S. strikes on Iran in a statement Sunday but did not threaten to join in Tehran’s retaliation.

Tehran has so far not followed through on its threats of retaliation against the United States – either by targeting U.S. bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies – but that may not hold.

An advisory from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned of a “heightened threat environment in the United States.” Law enforcement in major U.S. cities stepped up patrols and deployed additional resources to religious, cultural and diplomatic sites.

It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. The U.S. State Department ordered employees’ family members to leave Lebanon and advised citizens elsewhere in the region to keep a low profile or restrict travel.

With the damage visible from space after 30,000-pound U.S. bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs.

The world braced on Sunday for Iran’s response after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

“Those who are shot are often out of reach of ambulances,” said Jonathan Whittall, OCHA’s Head of Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, adding that some are still missing and presumed dead in militarized zones near U.S.-Israeli distribution points.

A trickle of aid goes to the U.N. and humanitarian groups. Israeli troops open fire in the direction of crowds crossing military zones to get to the aid, they say. So far, 450 people have been killed while trying to access aid, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel began allowing food into Gaza this past month after cutting it off completely for 10 weeks. Most of the supplies go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed private contractor, which operates four food distribution points inside Israeli military zones.

The U.N.’s office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said Sunday that it is witnessing “a chilling pattern of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathering to get food” in Gaza.

“As of today, more than 65,000 Israelis have returned home by sea, air, and land,” out of the 100,000 to 150,000 people who were abroad when the Israeli offensive began, said Transport Minister Miri Regev.

More than 65,000 Israelis stranded abroad due to the closure of its airspace triggered by the start of the war with Iran have returned to Israel, the country’s transport minister said Sunday.

“We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation “did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.”

President Donald Trump said he wanted peace and urged Iran to end the conflict after he launched massive overnight strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.

International concern intensified over the surprise attacks deepening conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched its bombing campaign against Iran earlier this month.

Iran’s leaders struck a defiant tone and vowed to respond, while an advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed their stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed.

Unprecedented US strikes have wrecked Iran’s nuclear program, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday, though other officials cautioned the extent of damage at the three sites was unclear.

European nations have been increasingly critical of the massive civilian toll of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas since its October 7, 2023 attack on Israeli communities.

“The Foreign Ministry of the State of Israel rejects the document … and finds it to be a complete moral and methodological failure,” the note said, adding that it should be dismissed entirely.

The note, sent to EU officials ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, said the report by the bloc’s diplomatic service failed to consider Israel’s challenges and was based on inaccurate information.

Israel has rejected a European Union report saying it may be breaching human rights obligations in Gaza and the West Bank as a “moral and methodological failure,” according to a document seen by Reuters on Sunday.

Retailleau did not say what activities had been carried out in France and gave no specific evidence.

“Iran uses proxies that are often linked to drug traffickers. They get a contract and don’t even know that the contract is linked to the Iranian regime,” Retailleau told LCI television. “But that’s the modality used by Iran on (our)national territory.”

France is on heightened alert following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities overnight.

France has evidence that Iran has used intermediaries in the past to hire drug traffickers to carry out activities in France on its behalf and could do so again, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Sunday.

The departures were a continuation of a process that started last week “out of an abundance of caution and due to heightened regional tensions”, the official added.

More diplomatic personnel left Iraq on Saturday and Sunday as part of ongoing efforts to “streamline operations”, a US official told AFP.

The United States has ordered staff from its diplomatic missions in Iraq and Lebanon to leave the countries, with the departures taking place as American strikes on Sunday targeted nuclear facilities in nearby Iran.

This Week in Explainers: What did the US target in Iran? And how?

He spoke of “martyrs” but without specifics on a toll.

Pakpour asserted that with the bombings, “the people’s solidarity increases. This is a divine blessing.”

A new commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says that “today, we are truly going through a sensitive phase.”

“We have achieved a great deal, and thanks to President Trump, we have moved closer to our goals,” Netanyahu said in a televised press conference, adding that “when they have been reached, the operation will finish”.

Israel has “moved closer” to its goals in Iran after US President Donald Trump ordered overnight bombing raids on the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.

“Abbas Araghchi … arrived in Moscow to hold consultations with the (Russian) president and other senior officials of Russia regarding regional and international developments following the military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran,” the official IRNA news agency said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow on Sunday for talks after a US attack on key nuclear facilities, state media reported on the tenth day of the war with Israel.

The Israeli air force “is currently striking military infrastructure sites in Tehran and western Iran,” read the statement.

The Israeli army said it was hitting targets in western Iran and the capital Tehran on Sunday, as it continues to press its military campaign against the Islamic republic.

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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

As tensions in Iran rise, young Iranians are turning to TikTok to voice their anxiety and anger about the escalating conflict.

One widely viewed video — verified by NBC News and viewed 1.5 million times — shows a young woman in a car fleeing the capital. “It’s war in Iran but you’re eating chips and your cousins got 50 cent on full blast while heading north,“ text on the video read. “Leaving tehran I can’t stand this anymore…,” it reads.

The owner of the TikTok account @nusey.bah declined to comment until she crossed the border.

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