Photos of the escalating Israel-Iran conflict
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
IAEA warns Israel-Iran conflict threatens nuclear facilities, diplomacy
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint. Nuclear sites damaged but no evidence of contamination spreading beyond the site. Concerns growing that conflict could permanently damage efforts to revive nuclear talks with Tehran. Iran facing pressure at home to take a harder line on nuclear issues after U.S. President Donald Trump’s torpedoing of the 2015 nuclear accord brokered by world powers with Iran. The bill reportedly being prepared in parliament could pave the way for Iran to exit the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Speaking at an emergency session of the United Nations nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors on Monday in Vienna, Director General Grossi stressed that the region is at a critical juncture.
“Military escalation threatens lives, increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment, and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon,” Grossi said.
The IAEA chief’s remarks came amid growing concern that the conflict could permanently damage efforts to revive nuclear talks with Tehran, already strained by years of mistrust and United States President Donald Trump’s torpedoing of the 2015 nuclear accord brokered by world powers with Iran.
Nuclear sites damaged
Grossi also delivered a technical update on the status of Iranian nuclear facilities after Israeli bombardments.
Natanz, Iran’s main uranium enrichment plant, was among the sites hit on Friday. While its underground section was spared a direct strike, Grossi warned that vital equipment may have been damaged due to a power outage triggered by the attack.
He noted that radiation levels outside the facility remained normal and, critically, there was no evidence of contamination spreading beyond the site.
Advertisement
“The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event,” he said.
In addition to Natanz, four nuclear installations in Isfahan province were also damaged. However, the Fordow enrichment site, the Bushehr nuclear power plant and a reactor still under construction appeared unaffected.
IAEA personnel remain on the ground in Iran and are ready to resume full monitoring once the security situation allows, Grossi said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s government is facing pressure at home to take a harder line. A bill reportedly being prepared in parliament could pave the way for Iran to exit the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a move that would deal a severe blow to global nonproliferation efforts.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the draft legislation was still in its early stages and would require coordination with lawmakers. He reiterated Tehran’s longstanding official opposition to developing nuclear weapons.
Borders closing and airspaces shut as Israel-Iran conflict rages
Pakistan has closed all its border crossings with Iran for an indefinite period. Airspace in the region has also been impacted with missiles flying through neighbouring countries in both directions. Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport remained closed “until further notice’ Jordan announced the closure of its airspace for a second time since Israel launched its surprise assault on Iran on Friday. Several countries were preparing to evacuate their nationals from the conflict zone. India said its diplomats were helping some Indian students relocate out of harm’s way in Iran. The Israeli National Security Council advised its citizens to avoid travelling through Jordan and Egypt because of security risks.
Pakistan has closed all its border crossings with Iran for an indefinite period as travel continues to be heavily disrupted by the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, and airspace in the region has also been impacted with missiles flying through neighbouring countries in both directions.
Crossing into Iran “has been suspended until further notice”, Atta ul Munim, an official at one of the crossings in Pakistan’s Chaghi district, said on Monday. Qadir Bakhsh Pirkani, a senior official in Balochistan province, told the AFP news agency that border facilities along the more than 900km (560-mile) border have been shut.
Iranian airspace has been closed as it counters Israel’s attacks. The Civil Aviation Authority said Iran’s airspace would remain closed “until further notice” to “protect the safety of passengers”.
Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport remained closed “until further notice”. The Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines said it has suspended all flights until at least Thursday with additional cancellations to many European cities extending to June 23.
However, three land border crossings between Israel and Jordan – the Jordan River, the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge and the Yitzhak Rabin crossings – remained functional.
The Israeli National Security Council advised its citizens to avoid travelling through Jordan and Egypt because of security risks. The Israel Airports Authority also said there was “no recommendation” for Israelis to travel to Greece or Cyprus because “passengers can expect to wait for days until a return flight is actually possible.”
Advertisement
Jordan on Sunday announced the closure of its airspace for a second time since Israel launched its surprise assault on Iran on Friday. Amman said the Jordanian military had intercepted some ballistic missiles that had entered Jordanian airspace.
Several countries were preparing to evacuate their nationals from the conflict zone. Poland’s deputy foreign minister said it planned to route about 200 of its citizens visiting Israel through Jordan’s capital.
India said its diplomats were helping some Indian students relocate out of harm’s way in Iran. “The Indian Embassy in Tehran is continuously monitoring the security situation and engaging Indian students in Iran to ensure their safety,” a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.
“In some cases, students are being relocated with [the] Embassy’s facilitation to safer places within Iran,” it added.
Several airlines have announced flight suspensions. Russia’s Aeroflot cancelled flights between Moscow and Tehran and made changes to other routes in the Middle East. Qatar Airways said it had temporarily cancelled flights to and from Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Greece’s Aegean Airlines cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv up to July 12 as well as all flights to and from Beirut, Amman and Erbil through June 28.
Caitlyn Jenner Escapes Israel Amid Escalating Conflict With Iran
transgender influencer and Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner has managed to escape the country on Sunday. Jenner, 75, had been in Tel Aviv as guest of honor of the city’s gay pride festivities, which were called of after Israel began a series of strikes on Tehran on Friday. She was able to leave the country by land and cross into neighboring Jordan, whose air space has been intermittently open and closed throughout the conflict. Jenner plans to fly back home to Los Angeles. CNN political analyst Scott Jennings remains in Israel while the conflict rages on, and has since relocated to Jerusalem. He shared video of incoming missiles amid heavy smoke and wailing air ride sirens.
Jenner, 75, had been in Tel Aviv as guest of honor of the city’s gay pride festivities, which were called of after Israel began a series of strikes on Tehran on Friday, killing top military officials and nuclear scientists, as well as eradicating several nuclear facilities.
All airspace was closed as Iran responded with a barrage of ballistic missiles aimed at highly populated areas in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa. Jenner was able to leave the country by land and cross into neighboring Jordan, whose air space has been intermittently open and closed throughout the conflict, according to a report from The Times of Israel.
From there, Jenner plans to fly back home to Los Angeles. The Hollywood Reporter could not immediately confirm the details of Jenner’s movements with her L.A.-based representatives.
Jenner arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday, part of a much-publicized good will trip that saw her embraced by the Israeli government amid its three-year conflict with Hamas. During the missile assaults, she posted several updates conveying her support for Israel and its people.
“What an incredible way it has been to celebrate Shabbat. I am here in Israel, in Tel Aviv with you all. I am a friend, advocate, ally,” Jenner posted to X.
On Instagram, Jenner posted a striking photo of Tel Aviv’s skies lit up by the country’s Iron Dome defense system intercepting Iranian missiles.
“A ‘quiet’ night in Tel Aviv. There is not a place I’d rather be, than with the brave people of Israel. God, please continue to shield and protect us,” read the caption.
In a photo by Israeli influencer Regev Gur, Jenner can be seen drinking a glass of red wine in a bomb shelter. “What did you do during the alerts, because I’m drinking wine with Caitlyn,” Gur wrote. He later deleted the post.
Another high-profile American caught in the conflict, CNN political analyst Scott Jennings, spoke to THR from his hotel room in Tiberias on Friday as IDF fighter jets roared overhead.
Jennings remains in Israel while the conflict rages on. Since the interview, he has since relocated to Jerusalem. His last post to X shared video of incoming missiles amid heavy smoke and wailing air ride sirens.
“4am footage from Jerusalem last night,” Jennings writes. “When these intercepts hit you can hear the boom and sometimes feel the vibration. Pray for the people in Israel killed & injured by Iranian missile strikes.”
According to Reuters, at least 24 Israelis have been killed by Iran’s response so far, with 500 injured. The Iranian government reports at least 224 confirmed deaths, saying 90 percent of them were civilians.
Multiple loud explosions have been reported across Tehran through the night and into Monday morning. The IDF has issues evacuation warnings to several districts, citing imminent action.
Iranians struggle amid escalating Israeli airstrikes – DW – 06
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “It certainly could be the result, because the country is very weak” “I don’t think there are any more confident that the IDF is not going to attack the Iranian government itself,” he added. “Last night in Narmak, in one of the neighborhoods in east of Tehran, not an Israeli one,” Bazoobandi said on Sunday. “We don’t have to go to the end of the world to find out what’s going on in the world,” he said. “It’s like a game of whack-a-mole, but it’s a lot more fun than that,” he told CNN. “I can’t wait to see what happens next.” “I feel like I’m in the middle of a war, but I don’t want to know what’s happening,” he says. “What’s going to happen next?” “I’m not sure,” he adds. “There’s a war going on, but there’s no sign of it.”
The Israeli army said on Monday that its air force had struck command centers belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as Iranian military centers, in Tehran, as the latest Israel-Iran conflict entered its fourth day.
Since Friday, Israel has carried out widespread airstrikes across Iran, killing senior military officials and nuclear scientists, as well as civilians, and hitting military bases and nuclear sites. It says that its central aim is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
Ordinary Iranians ‘caught in the middle’
Iranian media reported scores of people have been killed across the country — including women and children. Hundreds more have been wounded.
One resident of the Iranian capital Teheran said: “We don’t have access to a shelter. There are no shelters in the whole city. I don’t think there are any places people can go to in an emergency.”
Iranian civilians are “caught in the middle” of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, Iranian-American analyst Holly Dagres told DW.
Ordinary Iranians are “powerless” in this conflict, the senior fellow at The Washington Institute think tank said in an interview with DW TV on Sunday. “Iranians are very shaken and scared right now,” she added.
Israel has targeted key Iranian figures, including the army chief and head of the Revolutionary Guards Image: MEGHDAD MADADI/TASNIM NEWS/AFP/Getty Images
Mehdi Chamran, a spokesperson for Tehran’s city council, suggested that local residents should consider sheltering in underground parking garages. Iranian officials say schools and mosques are being used as makeshift shelters.
However, mosques in Iran are not known for their structural strength, and it remains unclear how they could protect civilians from missile strikes.
Some Iranians pointed out that while the Islamic Republic has spent the past 46 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution declaring its readiness for war and saying that it seeks the destruction of Israel, it has made no meaningful effort to build shelters for its own people.
Sara Bazoobandi, a non-resident research fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at the University of Kiel, suggested that many Iranians may even have more confidence in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) than in their own government.
“They are much more confident that the IDF is not going to attack civilians than the Iranian government itself,” Bazoobandi said on Sunday. “Last night in Narmak, in one of the neighborhoods in east of Tehran, an Iranian projectile just fell into a residential area, not an Israeli one.”
Growing possibility of regime change in Iran
Israel’s military spokesperson Effie Defrin said the current goal of the campaign is not regime change, but the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and removing its capabilities “to annihilate us.”
Iranians protest Israeli strikes To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
However, when asked by the US television channel Fox News whether regime change in Iran was one of Israel’s objectives, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “It certainly could be the result, because the Iran regime is very weak.”
In recent years, Iran has witnessed several waves of anti-government protests, most notably the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which erupted in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
The 22-year-old had been arrested by Iran’s morality police and was accused of violating the country’s strict dress code.
That movement saw widespread participation across Iran and abroad, and was met with a brutal crackdown, leaving at least 600 dead and nearly 20,000 arrested, according to reports.
Public discontent has continued to rise, as demonstrated by historically low turnout in last year’s presidential election. Even before the latest military confrontation with Israel, many observers anticipated a resurgence of large-scale protests.
Following recent Israeli strikes, opposition parties claim that the Islamic Republic is at its weakest point, calling on citizens for renewed mass mobilization.
Israel pounds Iran from west to east To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Netanyahu echoed this sentiment in a video address to the Iranian people on Friday, highlighting their opportunity to “stand up and let your voices be heard,” repeating the phrase “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Economic toll
As the likelihood of further Israeli strikes on Iran’s infrastructure increases, economic experts are warning of an unprecedented currency crisis.
The US dollar could reportedly surpass 200,000 Iranian tomans in the open market — a development that could trigger a new wave of inflation and impose severe economic hardship on ordinary Iranians.
For a regime already grappling with deep legitimacy issues, such a scenario could spark mass unrest on a scale even larger than previous uprisings.
Amid the turmoil, many political analysts and social media users are framing the war not only as a geopolitical conflict but also as a historic opportunity for the Iranian people to bring about fundamental political change and move beyond the Islamic Republic.
Middle East analyst Simon Mabon suggested that Netanyahu has perhaps concluded “that the only way for Israel to ensure its own security in the longer term is to destroy the very notion of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
“That’s not to say to kill the Iranian population, let’s say, but rather to eradicate the system of government,” he told DW.
However, regime supporters and hardline groups are also echoing nationalistic sentiment to shore up their support.
Edited by: Keith Walker