Sir Keir Starmer insisted that Trump was not planning an attack on Iran

Trump faces a growing backlash among his Maga base about the prospect of US involvement in another Middle East conflict

The US is bolstering its fighter jets and forces in the Middle East , and a task force has been set up to help Americans attempting to leave the region

President Trump has told Iran to surrender, adding “we know exactly where” the Ayatollah is hiding — “he is an easy target”

Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, has called Iran the “principal source of regional instability and terror”.

Carney, who hosted this week’s G7 summit, said the group has “been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon”.

“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” Carney said.

Iran prepares strikes on US bases in case Trump joins war

Iran is preparing retaliatory strikes on US bases in the Middle East should President Trump join the war on behalf of Israel, according to The New York Times.

As Trump weighs up one of the most consequential decisions of his presidency, Tehran is said have begun organising missiles and other equipment for a response.

Advertisement

The New York Times cited American officials who had reviewed intelligence reports.

American troops in the region are on high alert in case of an attack.

Khamenei: We will show the Zionists no mercy

Iran’s supreme leader has warned that the country will show Israel “no mercy” in comments made after President Trump claimed to know where he was in hiding.

“We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote on X.

“We will show the Zionists no mercy.”

Advertisement

Israel launches fresh attacks on Tehran

The Israeli air force has launched a fresh wave of attacks on Tehran, according to the IDF, having previously warned residents in the Iranian capital to evacuate the area.

The IDF issued an evacuation warning for Tehran’s District 18, near the city’s international airport.

Israel said the military operation there would begin within hours.

Trump and Netanyahu had a call

President Trump and Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, spoke over the phone on Tuesday afternoon, according to a White House official cited by the Associated Press.

However, it was unclear what was discussed and the official did not provide any details about the call.

Advertisement

US embassy in Jerusalem to remain closed

The US embassy in Jerusalem announced that it would remain closed from Wednesday until Friday “given the security situation and in compliance with Israel Home Front Command guidance”.

The closure also includes the consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The embassy added in a statement: “We have no announcement about assisting private US citizens to depart at this time. We will alert the US citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding departure options.”

Second round of explosions in Tel Aviv

A second round of explosions was heard over Tel Aviv about 20 minutes after an initial barrage of Iranian missiles targeted the city just before 1am local time.

Booms from outside could be heard in the stairwell of a hotel on the beachfront as Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system sought to intercept the missiles. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties or damage.

Advertisement

In a shelter lined with mattresses, European holiday-makers who were stranded by the outbreak of hostilities between Iran and Israel monitored events on their phones until the all-clear sounded.

Israelis take shelter during wave of attacks

The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system attempted to intercept Iranian missiles LEO CORREA/AP

Blasts sounded over Tel Aviv just before 1am local time on Wednesday, as Israeli interceptor missiles streaked across the night sky.

Bright flashes were visible over the city’s skyline from the upper floor of a multi-storey hotel, seconds before a loud boom.

It was not immediately clear if any Iranian missiles had impacted or if they were destroyed by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system. Inside the hotel, guests took refuge in a shelter and in stairwells before the all-clear was given. The Israeli military warned shortly after, however, that a new missile attack was expected imminently.

US homeland security secretary taken to hospital

Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, was transported to hospital by ambulance in Washington on Tuesday afternoon.

Advertisement

She had suffered an allergic reaction and was taken to hospital out of an abundance of caution, a DHS source told NewsNation.

Israel working to intercept Iranian missiles

Iran has fired more missiles against Israel, which Israel’s military said it was working to intercept.

In a post on X, the IDF warned citizens that they should seek shelter “on receiving an alert, and remain there until further notice”.

“Exiting the protected area will only be possible after receiving explicit instructions. You must continue to act according to the Home Front Command’s instructions,” the message added.

Iran ‘arrests Mossad agents with explosives’ near Tehran

Iranian security forces arrested a “terrorist team” linked to Israel with explosives in a town southwest of the capital Tehran, Iranian state media reported.

Reports said that the suspects were driving a vehicle that was found to be carrying explosives, drones, weapons and communication equipment.

“The Mossad agents intended to use this equipment to carry out widespread suicide operations in densely populated areas and to create fear and panic, thereby undermining internal security,” the Tasnim news agency reported.

Trump considering a ‘range of options’ — including a US strike on Iran

President Trump is considering a range of options regarding Iran, including a possible US strike on the country, American officials are briefing after a meeting of the National Security Council at the White House.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, and other military leaders were spotted leaving the White House after the meeting ended.

The meeting inside the White House Situation Room lasted one hour and 20 minutes but there has been no official statement about what was discussed.

US media reports continue to suggest that as well as direct strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme or senior leadership, another option is for US aircraft to provide mid-air refuelling or other assistance to Israel’s military.

Airlines to bring stranded Israelis back home

Israel is preparing to bring back its citizens stranded abroad since its attack on Iran last week triggered the closure of its airspace, the transport minister said Tuesday.

The transport minister, Miri Regev, said between 100,000 and 150,000 Israelis were stuck abroad for the time being, as Israel and Iran were locked in their most intense confrontation in history.

The ministry said all of Israel’s commercial aircraft had been sent outside of the country to prevent the planes from being damaged during the air war. “That step is now complete,” Regev added.

Aircraft belonging to Israel’s state carrier El Al, among other airlines, at Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus YIANNIS KOURTOGLOU/REUTERS

“The next step is to gradually bring Israelis back,” she said during a visit to the site of an Iranian strike in the centre of the country.

After suspending flights last week, the national airline El Al said in a statement that it was “preparing rescue flights” starting Wednesday. Its planes will depart from Athens, Rome, Milan, Paris and Cyprus’s Larnaca, the statement added.

The low-cost Israeli airline Arkia also announced special flights this week to repatriate Israelis.

Netanyahu is ‘the biggest threat’ to the region, claims Erdogan

President Erdogan of Turkey accused the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, of being “the biggest threat” to the Middle East region, in a phone call with Qatar’s emir on Tuesday, his office said.

Erdogan said that he would “continue his efforts to end the spiral of violence, and that Netanyahu has shown once again that he is the biggest threat to the security of the region”, according to the presidency.

Russia calls for diplomatic solution to conflict

Russia’s foreign ministry on Tuesday denounced continued Israeli attacks on Iran as “illegal” and said a solution to the conflict over Tehran’s nuclear programme could only be found through diplomacy.

A ministry statement posted on Telegram noted Iran’s “clear statements” on its commitment to adhere to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its willingness to meet with US representatives.

The statement also said Moscow was waiting for the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide “unvarnished” assessments of the damage caused to Iranian nuclear facilities by Israeli attacks.

Macron: We need Trump to bring everyone back around the table

President Macron of France warned on Tuesday that any attempt to change the regime in Iran would result in “chaos”.

Macron made his comments shortly after President Trump declared the US would not kill Iran’s supreme leader “for now”.

Previously warm relations between Presidents Trump and Macron appear to have cooled AURELIEN MORISSARD/AP

Macron added that Trump had a critical role in restarting diplomacy with Tehran. “I believe we need the United States of America to bring everyone back around the table,” Macron told reporters at the G7 summit in Canada.

Trump had earlier accused Macron of “publicity seeking”.

• Read the full report here

US sets up task force to help Americans trying to leave the Middle East

The State Department has created a special task force to assist Americans seeking to leave Israel and other Middle East countries amid the conflict with Iran, though no government evacuations are planned at present.

The task force run by the Bureau of Consular Affairs is operating 24 hours to provide information to US citizens and lawful permanent residents wanting to return to the US.

Tammy Bruce, spokeswoman for the State Department, told reporters that “we continue to monitor the complex and rapidly evolving situation on the ground as we continue to assess and address the needs of US citizens.”

The battle for the president’s ear

By Katy Balls, Washington Editor

As senior figures in the Maga movement call on President Trump to pause for thought before intervening in Iran, others in the Republican party want him to go further. Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, has given an interview to Fox News in which he spoke of his hopes of regime change in Iran — saying Trump could soon perform “another level of history making” and praising the president’s decision-making.

Asked about Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s suggestion that “anyone slobbering for the US to become fully involved in the Israel-Iran war is not America First/Maga”, Graham replied: “I like Marjorie but she doesn’t understand the threat in my view”.

With no decision made yet by Trump — who is being briefed this afternoon in the Situation Room — both sides of the debate in the party are trying to win the ear of the president.

Trump convenes National Security Council meeting on conflict

President Trump is convening a meeting of his National Security Council to discuss the Iran-Israel war, White House sources have said.

The meeting comes after Trump stepped up his rhetoric against Iran’s supreme leader, sparking questions about possible US military intervention.

As well as demanding an “unconditional surrender”, Trump signalled earlier today his patience for diplomacy was wearing thin. “I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate with Iran,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One returning early from the G7 summit in Canada. He added that his objective in Iran was “an end, a real end, not a ceasefire,” or “giving up entirely”.

Inside the Iranian opposition, from a rapper to the Shah’s son

Protests have become more common in Iran in recent years, including 2022 unrest, pictured, over women’s rights UGC/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

By Samer Al-Atrush

The banner was unfurled over a Tehran bridge by night, with a message scrawled in spray paint. “Those who experienced the Iran-Iraq war,” it read, “demand no war again.”

The dissidents behind this modest protest a few months ago sought to cover their tracks, wary of the unforgiving punishment that befalls critics of the Islamic regime.

But they had decided to take the risk, one organiser in Iran said, because they “believe Iran is very close to opening a new regional war, which will cost Iran and all Iranians … Enough is enough. If you don’t take risks, you can’t expect rewards.”

That moment feared by dissidents, who are mostly students — just like the ones that helped Ayatollah Khomeini overthrow the Shah in 1979 — has now come. Across the region, and above all in Israel and the US, the question is being asked as to how many such dissidents there are and what risk they pose to the Islamic Republic’s clerical leaders.

• Read the article in full here

US ‘could help refuel Israeli jets’

The US Air Force could be used to help refuel Israeli fighter jets as they carry out strikes over Iran, according to a US media report.’

That scenario is one reason why more than 30 US aerial refueling tankers have been sent to the Middle East over the last several days, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The refueling of Israeli jets would be on the lesser end of US military involvement, the sources said.

More broadly, however, the tankers have been moved in order to give Trump and US Central Command “options” should things escalate further and the US wants to get more involved, one of the sources said. There is also the option of joint US-Israel strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the source added.

Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, ordered additional assets to the region over the weekend, including the USS Nimitz carrier strike group.

Analysis: Trump faces Maga backlash over prospect of US intervention

By Katy Balls, Washington Editor

As Donald Trump considers what steps to take against Iran, the president is facing a growing backlash from parts of the Maga movement about the prospect of the US becoming entangled in another Middle East conflict.

The congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and the broadcaster Tucker Carlson are among the Maga figures voicing concern about the US entering into another “forever war”.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has previously been a staunch Trump loyalist ROD LAMKEY JR/AP

This afternoon his deputy, JD Vance, has intervened in an attempt to calm the base. In a message on X, the vice-president said “there’s a lot of crazy stuff on social media”, as he defended Trump’s right to “take further action to end Iranian enrichment”.

Vance is a long-time sceptic when it comes to foreign intervention so his statement is significant. While the vice-president says “people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy”, he says “the president has earned some trust on this issue”.

Four Israelis killed in strike on tower block

An 85-year-old grandmother has been identified as one of four Israelis killed on Monday morning in an Iranian missile strike on a tower block.

Daisy Yitzhaki, who lived on the third floor of the building in Petah Tikva, was killed by a direct hit on her flat, in which her carer was also injured, Israeli media reported.

Earlier, it was confirmed that Yaakov and Hadassah Belo, a couple, had also died in the strike, according to their son, Ofir.

Rami Greenberg, the city’s mayor, said: “With deep sorrow and great pain, we bow our heads together with all city residents over the cruel murder of four Petah Tikva residents in yesterday’s deadly missile barrage.”

Iranian media reports ‘massive’ cyberattack

Israel has launched a “massive cyber war” against Iran’s digital infrastructure, Iranian media quotes the country’s cybersecurity command as saying. Many of the attacks were successfully repelled, the command adds.

Meanwhile, a range of reports indicate that Iran is restricting access for the public to the outside world, as landline telephones appear to be no longer able to receive or dial international phone calls. Iran offered no acknowledgement of the restriction, which has happened during nationwide protests in the past and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.

Air raid sirens sound in Israeli town home to nuclear plant

The Israeli military warned on Tuesday of a fresh barrage of missiles from Iran, with air raid sirens activated in southern parts of the country including in a town home to a nuclear power plant.

The early evening alert was dropped after 16 minutes including in the town of Dimona where residents were advised “that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces”, according to a military statement.

Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear programme, and the Dimona plant officially focuses on research and energy provision.

The warning came hours after a previous salvo from Iran targeting the coastal hub of Tel Aviv and the north. The Israeli military said it had intercepted “most” of those projectiles. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

US moving fighter jets to Middle East

The US military is bolstering its fighter jets and forces in the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes.

According to a Reuters report, one official said the deployments include F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft. Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, described the deployments as defensive in nature, as officials said that the fighter aircraft deployed had been used to shoot down drones and projectiles.

Analysis: Trump’s posts act as a final warning to the Iranian regime

By David Charter

President Trump is involving the US ever more deeply in Israel’s attacks on Iran, referring to the establishment of clear skies as a joint effort and posting that “we” know where the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is hiding.

In the same post that he says Khamenei will not be killed “for now”, Trump also talks of “our patience … running thin”.

JD Vance, the vice-president, has posted a long explanation of Trump’s consistency over the years in insisting that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon under any circumstances, “the easy way or the ‘other’ way”, meaning either through negotiations or US bunkerbusting bombs to destroy Iran’s underground laboratories.

There are parallel tracks being taken by the Trump here, as he keeps his options open until the latest possible moment. On one hand he is in the process of preparing his core voters, who believe deeply in an insular America First policy and hate foreign wars, for US bombers to be deployed over Iran. On the other hand he is conveying a final chance to the Iranian regime to close down non-civilian nuclear enrichment and cease attacks on Israel.

Trump’s preferred course has always been a negotiated settlement but his post today that the skies are safe shows that, given Khamenei’s continued intransigence, he is prepared to send in US bombers soon in the name of peace.

Iran planning activities that are ‘directly threatening’ to UK security

The former director-general of MI5, Lord Evans of Weardale, has commented on the Iranian threats towards the UK. He told Times Radio that Iran would be “planning activities … directly threatening to our security”, saying there could be more of it “if their back is to the wall”.

Speaking to John Pienaar, he said: “The Iranian state is a dangerous organisation. It is trying to extend its reach into the UK. It is planning activities here, which are threatening, directly threatening to our security and I think if their back is to the wall, it’s quite possible that we would see more of that.

“Fortunately, we have a very, very good security service, very good co-operation with the police, [and] relatively recently new laws, which help us to cope, but they came only just in time.”

Trump: We’re not going to kill Ayatollah — at least for now

Trump has now posted that he knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran is hiding and that he is an “easy target” — however, he adds: “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”

He adds on Truth Social: “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.”

In a follow up message apparently directed at Iran, Trump simply posted: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

Trump’s post aligns US closely with Israel’s aims

Trump’s latest Truth Social post states that “we”, presumably meaning the US and Israel, have achieved total air supremacy over Iran.

This is notable in aligning the US closely with Israel’s aims and suggests he is growing in confidence that US aircraft could be sent over Iranian airspace without fear of being shot down.

It could also be read as another warning to Iran to give up or face unstoppable Israeli air bombardment, using American-made weapon systems such as F-35 and F-16 war planes, that have already been used in Israel’s attacks.

Merz: US hasn’t made decision yet over involvement in conflict

On the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, raised the possibility of the US joining Israel’s strikes on Iran. He suggested that the White House had not made a decision on whether to take part, however.

Asked if he expected the Americans to join in the military action, Merz told Die Welt: “We’ve spoken about it but the American government clearly hasn’t made a decision yet. It now very much depends on the extent to which the mullahs’ regime is ready to return to the negotiating table.

He added: “If not, there could be such a development, but we will have to wait and see. I suppose the decisions will be made in the near future.”

American’s don’t want another ‘foreign war’, says Marjorie Taylor Greene

Marjorie Taylor Greene has said that Americans don’t want “another foreign war”.

In the latest indication that US military involvement in Iran would significantly split the Maga base, the Trump supporter and congresswoman posted on X: “Americans want cheap gas, groceries, bills, and housing. They want affordable insurance, safe communities, and good education for their children. They want a government that works on these issues.

“Considering Americans pay for the entire government and government salaries with their hard earned tax dollars, this is where our focus should be. Not going into another foreign war.”

Taylor Greene had earlier come to the defence of Tucker Carlson, who had urged Trump to resist intervention in Iran and who Trump had dismissed as “kooky”.

We’re not seeking regime change in Iran, says Israeli foreign minister

Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, has denied Israel is seeking regime change in Iran, although that may end up being a result of it, he has told reporters.

Visiting a bomb hit site in central Israel, Sa’ar said that there were three objectives, which included “severely” damaging Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic missile programme and the “plan to eliminate the state of Israel”.

Trump: ‘We have total control of skies above Iran’

President Trump has claimed “we now have complete and total control of the skies above Iran” in his latest message on Truth Social. “Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff’.”

He added: “Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”

Hundreds flee into Azerbaijan and Armenia from Iran

More than 600 people of 17 nationalities have fled into Azerbaijan from Iran in the five days since the start of the air war between Israel and Iran, Reuters has reported.

The Armenian news agency Armenpress reported separately that India had evacuated 110 of its nationals from Iran via Armenia.

The flight from Iran has been prompted by surprise attacks that Israel began overnight on Thursday, to which Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks. President Trump warned residents of Tehran on Monday to evacuate immediately.

From Tehran to the crossing into Azerbaijan is a road journey of about eight hours, while reaching the Armenian border takes more than ten hours.

Aykhan Hajizadeh, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesperson, said more than 1,200 citizens from 51 countries had requested permission to cross from Iran into Azerbaijan.

Bipartisan effort to rein in Trump’s war powers

Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, are spearheading a bipartisan effort to curb the executive’s ability to bypass Congress.

In a post on X on Monday, Massie said: “This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our constitution”.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, introduced a similar measure in the senate on Monday. Both war powers resolutions reflect an unease among some on Capitol Hill regarding the growing power of the executive branch to wage war unilaterally.

Qatar Energy tells tankers to only enter Gulf the day before loading

Qatar Energy has warned tanker ships to remain outside the Gulf until the day before they load with gas or oil because of the deteriorating situation regarding Iran. The state-owned firm also told ships to wait outside the Straits of Hormuz.

Qatar shares the world’s largest natural gas field with Iran and there are fears that shipping could become victim to the spiralling conflict with Israel. Earlier today there was a collision between two tankers in the Straits of Hormuz but it was said not to be a security incident.

Vital energy supplies are transported from the Gulf and straits, including to the UK.

Satellite images show damage to Tabriz missile base

Use our scrolling tool to see the base in northern Iran before (left) and after (right) Israeli strikes.

Vance: Trump will resolve this — the ‘easy way or the other way’

JD Vance, the US vice-president, has said that President Trump may take “further action” against Iran to “end Iranian enrichment”.

In a lengthy post on X, Vance said that Trump “been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon “and said he would resolve the issue the “easy way or the ‘other’ way”.

“I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue. And having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people’s goals,” said Vance.

His comments come amid reports of a split among Trump’s Republican base about whether or not the US should be involved in any military action in Iran.

Merz: Israel is doing our ‘dirty work’

Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, has expressed strong support for Israel in its attacks on Iran, claiming it is doing the “dirty work” for other countries.

“This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us. We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world,” Merz said in an interview with the ZDF broadcaster.

Starmer: Trump not planning US attack on Iran

President Trump is not planning to attack Iran, Sir Keir Starmer has insisted.

Asked if he was concerned that Trump was about to attack Iran, Starmer said: “There’s nothing the president said that suggests that he’s about to get involved in this conflict — on the contrary.”

He pointed to a G7 statement before Trump’s departure, which talked of “de-escalation of hostilities” in the Middle East, issued after a dinner for world leaders last night.

“Throughout the dinner yesterday I was sitting right next to President Trump, so I’ve no doubt in my mind, the level of agreement there was in relation to the words that were then issued immediately after,” he said.

Starmer is at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA

Starmer argued that Trump “wanted to go beyond a ceasefire effectively and end the conflict”. And I think he’s right about that”. He said “a ceasefire is always a means to an end. The end we want to see is the de-escalation and back to negotiations — a deal to deal with the Iranian nuclear program, and, of course, the wider question of conflict across the Middle East, including Gaza.”

He insisted that “the thrust of the statement” about the conflict was about the need to “de-escalate it across the region, rather than escalate it.

Starmer said there was “complete agreement” about the need to prevent Iran getting the bomb, saying: “We are deeply concerned about the programme. I certainly do not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

Ben-Gvir backs officer who told protesters ‘stop the war’ shirts were ‘illegal’

Israel’s national security minister has offered support to a police officer who ordered protesters to take off “stop the war” t-shirts.

The policewoman was recorded threatening to arrest protesters in the northern Israeli city of Haifa because she said the slogan was “illegal”.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the security minister, said he backed the officer, and called people criticising her actions “a few extremists from the left”. Five protesters were later detained in the city.

Although there is widespread support in Israel for its strikes on Iran, critics allege that Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, is acting to ensure his own political survival, rather than in the interests of the country.

‘This moment sought YOU’, US ambassador to Israel tells Trump

President Trump shared a letter from his ambassador to Israel telling his boss that he had been spared an assassination attempt by God in order to become the most consequential American president.

Mike Huckabee also claimed that God would speak directly to Trump.

“I believe you will hear from heaven and that voice is far more important than mine or ANYONE else’s,” Mike Huckabee, who is a devout Evangelist, said.

The ambassador goes on to pledge that he will not abandon the American embassy in Israel. “You did not seek this moment. This moment sought YOU,” he told Trump.

Trump shared the letter in a post on Truth Social, and commented: “From Mike Huckabee, a Pastor, Politician, Ambassador, and Great Person!”

IDF hits ‘dozens’ of missile launchers in western Iran

The Israeli military says it has struck several locations in western Iran, hitting “dozens” of missile launchers as the arch-foes traded fire for a fifth straight day.

“A short while ago, the Israeli air force completed a series of strikes in western Iran,” a military statement said. “As part of the strikes, a number of sites and dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers were struck.”

Meanwhile, Iranian media says explosions have been heard in the central city of Isfahan.

Trump ‘going to war’, claims former Swedish PM

A former Swedish prime minister has said it “looks like Trump is going to war”.

Carl Bildt, who was also the country’s longstanding foreign minister made his comment on X, and posted flight tracking images that showed large US tanker aircraft being moved from the US to Europe.

X (Twitter) content blocked Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Enable cookies Allow cookies once

The Maga divide over US intervention in conflict

Some of President Trump’s key supporters remain significantly divided on what action he should take on the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Before the Israeli strike on Iran, Charlie Kirk, an influential figure on the Maga right, posted on X: “I’m very concerned based on [everything] I’ve seen in the grassroots the last few months that this will cause a massive schism in Maga and potentially disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful presidency”.

On Monday evening Kirk posted on X that, “Trump was elected for moments like this”.

Trump has subsequently slapped down Tucker Carlson, after the right-wing pundit urged the US to stay out of a conflict between Israel and Iran.

Meanwhile, others have been pushing Trump to support strikes on Iran. On Thursday Mark Levin, a conservative radio host, wrote: “The demand that [Trump] abandon [Israel] is not Maga. It’s isolationist, which he has never been. For crying out loud, don’t accuse him of abandoning Maga by projecting your own isolationism onto him. He’s upholding a crucially important campaign promise.”

WHO chiefs warns of consequences of Israeli strikes

The head of the World Health Organisation has warned that the targeting of nuclear sites “may have immediate and long-term impacts on the environment and health of people in Iran and across the region”.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made his remarks in a post on X.

‘Direct impacts’ on Natanz nuclear site

The Natanz uranium enrichment facility 155 miles south of Tehran RAHEB HOMAVANDI/REUTERS

There appear to have been “direct impacts” on the underground part of Iran’s Natanz nuclear site during Israel’s attacks, the UN’s atomic watchdog has said.

“Based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday’s attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said on X.

The facility, south of Tehran, was built for uranium enrichment.

Iran has previously said that the centrifuge devices in Natanz were built underground, at a depth of up to 50 metres (165ft) in part to protect it from air attack.

Oil production set to outstrip demand despite conflict

Oil production is forecast to outstrip demand this year despite conflict in the Middle East, the International Energy Agency has forecast.

The IEA, the intergovernmental energy advisory body, said that oil production will rise by 1.8 million barrels a day in 2025.

However the IEA warned that the conflict between Iran and Israel did pose significant “geopolitical risks to oil supply security”. So far the conflict has had only a minimal impact on global oil prices but Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said “many uncertainties” remained.

On Tuesday the price of oil continued to rise, with Brent crude up 2.1 per cent.

Iran accuses G7 of ‘one-sided rhetoric’

Iran has accused G7 nations of siding with Israel in its call for “de-escalation”, with Tehran saying it had “no choice” but to defend itself.

“The G7 must give up its one-sided rhetoric and tackle the real source of the escalation — Israel’s aggression,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

“Israel has launched an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran … in violation of… the UN Charter,” he added.

“Hundreds of innocent people have been killed, our public and state facilities and people’s homes are brutally demolished.

“Iran is defending itself against a cruel aggression. Does Iran really have any other choice?” he asked.

At a G7 summit in Canada on Monday, leaders including President Trump had called for “de-escalation” of the conflict while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself.

Katz: Israel planning significant new strikes

Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, has warned that the Israeli air force will strike “very significant targets” in Tehran on Tuesday.

They will include “strategic targets, targets of the regime and infrastructure”, said Katz. The minister also boasted that “there are more than ten nuclear targets” that Israel is “on the verge of destroying”.

Israel boasts it has the Iranian regime ‘on the run’

The interior of the underground Fordow nuclear facility AFP/GETTY

Israel has got Iran’s military leadership “on the run”, an Israeli military official has claimed.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Israeli air force had not targeted Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility, despite reports that it was struck at the end of last week, but said that still might happen.

He added that Israel was taking precautions to avoid triggering a nuclear disaster.

Qatar maintains gas production amid strikes

Qatar, which shares the world’s largest natural gas field with Iran, has said its gas production is steady, after the North Dome/South Pars field was struck by Israel at the weekend.

The attack sparked a fire and prompted Iran to partially suspend its production.

Rights group says 452 Iranians killed in Israeli strikes

Human Rights Activists, a Washington-based group that monitors Iran, said it had counted at least 452 deaths with 646 people being injured in Iran since the Israeli campaign started last Friday.

The group cross-checks local reports in Iran against a network of sources it has developed in the country.

On Sunday, officials in Tehran said 224 people had been killed in Israeli attacks.

‘Resilient’ Israelis clear up after Iranian strikes

Shia Elias remained defiant follow the Iranian airstrike as he and his staff clear up the debris MARC BENNETTS FOR THE TIMES

MARC BENNETTS FOR THE TIMES

MARC BENNETTS FOR THE TIMES

A day after his off-licence was hit by the blast wave from an Iranian missile that struck Tel Aviv on Monday morning, Shia Elias and his workers were busy clearing up shattered glass.

“The missile hit at 5am and my friends called me at home because they said they had seen my shop on television,” he said. “We lost lots of bottles, but many are still OK, because we had good shatter-proof glass,” he added, as he held an intact bottle of Israeli-made beer.

“You should have seen the place yesterday. It was crazy.”

Despite the damage, the off-licence, which only opened two weeks ago, remains open.

“We are resilient,” Elias said. Like many Israelis, he was fully behind his country’s decision to launch an attack on Iran.

“This was meant to be and it’s good that it happened now. In two years, it would have been much worse for everyone,” he said.

Ten Iranian scientists killed by attacks

Israel’s attack on Iran has killed at least ten Iranian scientists essential to the country’s nuclear programme, according to an Israeli military official.

Among the country’s chief nuclear scientists killed in the surprise was Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, who headed Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation from 2011 to 2013.

The strikes also killed the president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist and a theoretical physicist.

Other scientists killed in the strikes have been named as Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, and Amirhossein Feghi.

Pentagon pizza clue to predicting global crisis

Iran was caught off guard when Israel attacked last week, devastating nuclear sites and assassinating military leaders.

However, one group of internet sleuths believes they spotted early warning signs days in advance — by tracking the business of pizzerias near the Pentagon.

The night of the Israeli bombardment on Thursday, which the White House knew about in advance, the “Pentagon Pizza Report” noted online a surge in orders at District Pizza Palace, a takeaway two miles from the Pentagon.

• How to predict a global crisis: Pentagon pizza orders surge

Israel says it has struck dozens of Iranian targets

Iran has come under under sustained Israeli attack MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS

Israel is claiming that overnight it struck “dozens” of targets tied to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme, a military official has claimed.

It also said that Iran has, so far, fired some 400 ballistic missiles at Israel.

‘This is the war to end wars,’ Israeli ambassador claims

Yechiel Leiter has said of his country’s strikes on Iran that “this is the war to end wars”.

“This is the war to engender peace in the Middle East,” the Israeli ambassador to the US told Merit TV.

He added President Trump was not putting pressure on Israel to halt the fighting.

Leiter said Israel was open to negotiations but that they must include the complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

Leiter claims full ramifications of Israel’s opening salvo against Iran were yet to be realised.

“We’ve pulled off a number of surprises — when the dust settles — you’re going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday, that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple,” said Leiter.

Israeli action ‘a threat to everyone’

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has told the European Parliament that Israel’s “attacks” on Iran threatened “a dangerous escalation of tensions in my region and beyond”.

“With Israel’s expansion of its offensive to include Iran, there is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end,” Abdullah said. “And that, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere.”

Israel ‘does not want peace’

Israel does not, for now, want a peaceful solution to the war with Iran, the Kremlin has said.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia saw that Israel did not want mediation efforts amid what it said was a “galloping escalation”.

In a call with reporters, Peskov said that the level of uncertainty around what was happening was absolute.

Peskov said that Russia’s offer to mediate if necessary still stood.

Why did Trump leave the G7 early?

President Trump arrives back in the US on Tuesday AL DRAGO/GETTY

President Trump’s sudden departure from the G7 conference is in line with much of his mercurial behaviour since he returned to the White House. It might be part of a plan but, if so, he is not telling us what it is.

He said he had to leave Canada because he was involved in something big — “nothing to do with a ceasefire. Much bigger than that” — to cite the words he used to scold President Macron.

Something bigger than a ceasefire would have to be, in the Iranian context, one of two things. One is that Iran is offering, effectively, to surrender. Israel has said there will be no ceasefire until it has achieved its objectives, which include a verifiable commitment by Tehran to end its uranium enrichment programme.

• Trump leaves G7 early: what does this mean for Israel and Iran?

Israel counts cost of Iranian missile strikes

Damage in Tel Aviv on Monday MOSHE MIZRAHI/REUTERS

Residents of Tel Aviv remain wary of the destructive power of Iranian long-range missiles.

In a central district of the city, a clean-up was underway amid bombed-out buildings that were hit by an Iranian strike on Monday.

“My windows shattered when the missile hit nearby,” said Francoise. She insisted she would not leave her home, despite the risks. “I have a safe room and I trust in it.”.

As workers surveyed the damage, a middle-aged man began shouting slogans in support of Netanyahu. “Bibi is number one’” he said. “If it wasn’t for him, they would have driven us into the sea.”

Despite reports of over 200 deaths in Iran, mostly civilians, others insisted Israel was only targeting military sites and nuclear facilities.

“We are carrying out precise strikes, but Iran is directly hitting civilians,” said Leah, a young woman. “But I hope the Americans will get involved soon and help us end this “

Major Iranian bank hit by cyberattack

A bank linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp has suffered a nationwide IT failure, sparking suggestions of an Israeli cyberattack.

Reports from Iran suggest that the state-owned Sepah bank, one of the country’s biggest, has experienced problems with its IT systems and that customers are unable to withdraw money from ATMs. The bank has previously been sanctioned by the UK and US for financing proxy forces, as well as Iran’s missile and nuclear programme.

The reports have raised suspicion that Israel has added a cyber front to its escalating offensive against Iran. Israeli officials have declined to comment on the alleged attack.

• Iranian bank linked to revolutionary guard hit by ‘cyber attack’

Israel warns Iranian supreme leader

Saddam was overthrown was later execution following the US-led invasion of Iraq GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS

Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has warned the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, that he could suffer “a fate similar to Saddam Hussein”, Israeli media is reporting.

The minister made his remarks during an assessment with senior IDF generals this morning, according to The Times of Israel.

“I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and launching missiles at Israeli civilians,” said Katz.

“He would do well to remember the fate of the dictator in the country neighbouring Iran who chose this same path against the state of Israel,” he said in a reference to Saddam, who was overthrown in 2003 during the US invasion of Iraq.

Saddam was later discovered hiding in a hole near a farmhouse. He was executed in 2006 after being found guilty of crimes against humanity.

Israel warns Iran’s Supreme Leader could face same fate as Saddam Hussein

Iranian officials banned from public networks

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has banned its officials from connecting devices to public networks.

“The Cybersecurity Command has banned officials and their protection teams from using all equipment connected to public communication and telecommunications networks,” the state Fars News Agency wrote on Telegram.

The order comes after reports a cyberattack crippled Sepah Bank, one of Iran’s main state-owned banks, on Tuesday.

“A cyberattack targeted the infrastructure of Sepah Bank, causing disruptions to the institution’s online services,” said the Fars news agency.

It added the issue was expected to be resolved within the next few hours.

Russia and China ‘don’t want to get involved’

President Trump aboard Air Force One MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/AP

Trump was talking to reporters on Air Force One after leaving the G7 meeting in Canada. When he was asked what he meant by saying he is looking “for better than a ceasefire”, the US president responded: “A real end, not a ceasefire, an end.”

He was also asked if other countries, such as Russia and China, might become involved in the escalating conflict, but Trump said he thought that was unlikely.

“I don’t think anybody wants to get involved. It’s a mess,” he added.

Iran ‘not actively seeking’ nuclear weapon

Tulsi Gabbard has disagreed with President Trump on whether Iran was seeking a nuclear bomb KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/GETTY

Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, according to US intelligence assessments.

Iran was also up to three years away from being able to produce an effective weapon, CNN has reported, citing four people familiar with the assessment.

In March, Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, testified that “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and supreme leader Khamenei has not authorised a nuclear weapons programme that he suspended in 2003”.

US applies further pressure on Iran

In a warning to Tehran, the US president said that the Iranian government should “have taken the deal that was on the table”.

Trump also denies that he has reached out to the Iranians for “peace talks” in any way.

Trump raises demands on Iran

President Trump says he is looking “for better than a ceasefire” in Iran. In a pool report by Politico, the US leader also claimed that he was looking for a “complete give-up” by Tehran.

Trump says he wants Iran to give up entirely on nuclear weapons

Death roll of Palestinians ‘hit by Israeli tanks’ rises

The death toll in southern Gaza has been revised upwards to 51 after Palestinians queuing for food were reportedly targeted by Israeli tank shellfire.

Earlier reports said 47 people had been killed in the incident in Khan Younis.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry are now reporting that as a result of the incident, “51 martyrs and more than 200 injuries have arrived at Nasser Medical Complex, including 20 in critical condition”.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told the AFP news agency: “Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded.”

The Israeli army told AFP it was “looking into” the incident.

Europeans fleeing Israel are flown home

Foreign nationals queue for buses to Egypt to leave Israel RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS

Flights carrying evacuees from Israel have arrived in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, authorities said on Tuesday.

The countries are among the first to get their citizens out of the Middle East amid the rising tensions.

Slovak authorities said the first evacuation flight with 73 people aboard arrived in the capital, Bratislava, late on Monday.

The flight included 25 Slovak tourists and five family members of Slovak diplomats working in Tel Aviv.

The Czech defence minister, Jana Cernochova, said a flight with 66 people evacuated from Israel had landed near Prague.

Poland said on Monday that it was organising the evacuation of about 200 of its citizens from Israel via Jordan.

India and China evacuate citizens from Iran

India, China, and Thailand have begun evacuating their nationals from Iran as Israeli strikes continue.

The first batch of 110 Indian nationals crossed into Armenia and will fly to Delhi on Wednesday.

The Thai government has ordered its military to prepare planes to evacuate citizens from Iran — and Israel — a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Thailand has about 300 nationals living in Iran. The country’s embassy in Tehran announced on its official Facebook page it had set up a temporary shelter for citizens outside the capital.

Meanwhile, China said some of its citizens had been able to leave Iran.

“At present, some Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated to neighbouring countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.

Spain calls for EU arms embargo on Israel

The Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, has called for a European Union weapons embargo on Israel while the war in Gaza lasts and urged the resumption of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

“We are the largest trade partner of Israel in the world, the European Union,” he said on Bloomberg TV. “We must impose, for our European partners, an arms embargo, not to sell weapons to Israel as long as this war continues.”

He said he wanted the EU to act as it did after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to try to achieve peace.

Many Israelis remain upbeat despite strikes

At Tel Aviv’s bustling Carmel Market, shoppers were bullish about their country’s strikes on Iran. “We are going to finish this story with Iran very soon. If America gives us bombers, it will all be over,” said Levi, a middle-aged man.

“This war is even better for us than the Six-Day War,” he said. “This time we have finished Iran in just four days! Our planes are flying over Tehran like it was Tel Aviv. No one could have believed this last week.”

Food stalls and cafes were open as usual. “We are going to cut off the head of the Iranian snake,” said Sarah, who moved to Tel Aviv from London five years ago. Her opinions were echoed by her partner, Ilan.

“We hope that this this operation can be swift with minimal harm to the Iranian people and take out the Iranian nuclear capabilities and all the threats to our people,” he said.

Iran claims ‘more powerful’ missiles launched at Israel

Tel Aviv came under attack overnight

Iran has claimed a “more powerful” new wave of missiles was recently launched toward Israel.

The strikes started late on Monday, with drones and then powerful missiles fired shortly after on Tuesday, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.

The state news agency said “large numbers of Iranian missiles” were hitting targets inside Israel.

The Israeli air force said it shot down some 30 drones, all apparently from Iran, launched at Israel overnight.

X (Twitter) content blocked Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Enable cookies Allow cookies once

Middle East worries push FTSE shares lower

The FTSE 100 opened down 40 points, or 0.45 per cent, at 8,835.33, with concerns about increased tensions in the Middle East. The more UK-focused FTSE 250 dipped 12 points, or 0.06 per cent.

Brent crude, which was higher earlier on concerns over supply from Iran, was down 0.4 per cent at $72.96 a barrel.

BP and Shell were higher because of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, a big Opec oil producer.

• Business live: FTSE 100 opens down after Trump warning to Tehran

Business live: FTSE 100 opens down after Trump warning to Tehran

China: Trump ‘pouring oil’ on Iran-Israel conflict

China accused President Trump of “pouring oil” on the mounting conflict between Iran and Israel by warning Tehran residents to “immediately evacuate”.

“Fanning the flames, pouring oil, making threats and mounting pressure will not help to promote the de-escalation of the situation, but will only intensify and widen the conflict,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said when asked about Trump’s remarks at a regular news conference on Tuesday.

China’s embassy in Israel on Tuesday also urged its citizens to leave the country “as soon as possible”.

“The Chinese mission in Israel reminds Chinese nationals to leave the country as soon as possible via land border crossings, on the precondition that they can guarantee their personal safety,” the embassy said in a statement on WeChat.

‘At least 47’ Palestinians killed by Israeli military in Gaza

Israeli has continued to bombard Gaza in a renewed attempt to destroy Hamas HASSAN JEDI/ANADOLU/GETTY

At least 47 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday while waiting for food aid to enter the territory, according to a local hospital, residents and the Hamas-run health ministry.

Medics said witnesses claimed that Israeli tanks fired shells into crowds of desperate Palestinians awaiting aid trucks in Khan Younis.

They said expected the number of fatalities to rise as many of the wounded were in a critical condition.

A ministry statement added that the Nasser hospital, which was treating victims, had been overwhelmed by the number of deaths and injuries.

There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military on the incident.

Iran ‘very close’ to building nuclear bomb, Trump says

President Trump has dismissed the claims of his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who said in March that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.

“I don’t care what she said — I think they were very close to having them,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Trump: I want end to Iran nuclear problem

President Trump said he wanted a “real end” to the nuclear problem with Iran, with Tehran “giving up entirely” on nuclear weapons.

Trump made the comments during his midnight departure from Canada.

He predicted that Israel would not ease its attacks on Iran.

“You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed up so far,” a CBS journalist quoted Trump as saying on Air Force One.

Trump said “I may”, on the prospect of sending US Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, or the vice- president, JD Vance, to meet senior Iranian officials.

Trump: Macron always gets it wrong

World leaders including Trump and Macron in Canada this week CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY

In his rebuttal of President Macron, the US leader personally chastised his French counterpart, calling him “publicity seeking” and adding: “Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong.”

Israelis ‘intercept 30 Iranian drones overnight’

The skies above Jerusalem on Tuesday ABIR SULTAN/EPA

The Israeli air force said it had intercepted 30 drones overnight. It made no mention of ballistic missiles. Many of the drones were taken out beyond Israel’s borders, said officials.

Israel ‘eliminates Iran’s wartime military commander’

Ali Shadmani EPA

Israel claims to have eliminated Iran’s most senior wartime military commander.

The Israeli military claimed it killed Ali Shadmani, who was appointed to command Iran’s armed forces over the weekend.

His predecessor Alam Ali Rashid was eliminated in the opening strikes of Operation “People of the Dog”.

“Air force fighter jets attacked a manned headquarters in the heart of Tehran and eliminated Ali Shadmani, the chief of staff of the war, the most senior military commander and the man closest to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei,” the IDF said in a statement.

Explosions heard across Tel Aviv

Explosions heard across Tel Aviv

Explosions sounded across Tel Aviv this morning as an Iranian strike damaged a building north of the city.

Beachfront buildings briefly shook as air raid alerts sounded and residents rushed for shelters.

“This is Iran, not Hamas, so it’s serious,” said a waitress, originally from Ukraine.

Israeli media reports said a building had been slightly damaged in Herzliya, a city north of Tel Aviv.

No casualties were reported. The attack came after two air raid alerts overnight in Tel Aviv.

No damage or injuries were reported. The attack followed a warning by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard that it would target Israel with “the largest and most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil”.

Booms and air raid sirens heard over Israeli cities

The Iron Dome Israeli air-defence system intercepts Iranian missiles from over Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Loud booms were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Air raid sirens sounded in several parts of Israel and the military warned of incoming Iranian missiles.

“A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,” the military said in a statement.

The statement added that the air force was “operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat.”

Israel conducts ‘several extensive strikes’ on western Iran overnight

Israel’s military conducted “several extensive strikes” on military targets in western Iran overnight.

“During the strikes, dozens of surface-to-surface missile storage and launch infrastructure were struck,” the military said in a statement.

“In addition, surface-to-air missile launchers and UAV storage sites were struck in western Iran,” it added.

Footage accompanying the statement showed the moments surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile launchers were hit and another clip appeared to show a strike on a surface-to-air launcher holding three missiles.

Trump says Macron ‘mistakenly’ described his G7 exit

President Trump has said his reasons for leaving G7 were “mistakenly” described by President Macron.

The US leader said his early G7 exit had “nothing to do” with an Israel-Iran ceasefire.

Macron “mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to DC to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday as he left the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington.

Macron had earlier put a positive interpretation on Trump’s departure, saying the US president had made a proposal for a ceasefire in the Middle East. “There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions,” Macron told reporters.

G7 leaders express support for Israel

The Group of Seven nations expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Monday and labelled its rival Iran the “principal source of regional instability and terror”.

The group urged a de-escalation of the air war between Iran and Israel, which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran with air strikes.

“We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel,” G7 leaders said in the statement.

“Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror,” the statement added and said the G7 was “clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon”.

US envoy Steve Witkoff ‘to meet Iranian foreign minister’

The US is reportedly discussing the possibility of a meeting this week between envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, to discuss a nuclear deal and an end to the war between Israel and Iran, Axios reported on Monday citing four sources briefed on the issue.

Israel widens bombing offensive against Iran

Smoke billows after Iran’s state media was attacked on Monday AFP/GETTY

Israel widened its bombing offensive against Iran on Monday, striking the state television building in Tehran. Flames leapt from the television building in north Tehran after the strike, which cut programmes just as a newsreader was lambasting Israel live on air.

Iranian channels said a new salvo of missiles and drones had been launched towards Israel on Monday night. The regime’s Revolutionary Guards threatened “the largest and most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil” in retaliation. They urged people in Tel Aviv to flee.

Trump hits back at those urging US to stay out of conflict

Trump has hit back at those who support his own party calling on him not to involve the US any deeper in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

“Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Monday evening.

Tucker Carlson urged that the US stay out of a fast conflict between Israel and Iran.

“I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen,” Trump said during a meeting with the British prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has criticised the handling of the Middle East crisis in a post defending Carlson.

“Foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction,” the Republican representative wrote on X.

“That’s not kooky. That’s what millions of Americans voted for. It’s what we believe is America First.”

X (Twitter) content blocked Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Enable cookies Allow cookies once

Trump leaves G7 early and warns Iranians to evacuate Tehran

There was gridlock on main roads out of the Iranian capital REUTERS

President Trump pulled out of the G7 meeting a day early, on Monday night, saying he wanted to return to Washington to focus on the Middle East shortly after posting a warning for Tehran to evacuate.

Trump’s abrupt departure marks a dramatic rejection of efforts by the world’s richest democracies to come together to push for de-escalation in the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

He leaves behind a group of western leaders who were hoping Trump could have been persuaded to join them in putting diplomatic pressure on Israel.

From 9h ago 17.31 BST Trump demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’ and says US won’t kill supreme leader ‘for now’ Donald Trump has posted on social media that the United States knows the location of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He added that the US would not kill Khamenei but called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. “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. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social. He followed up with a second post a few minutes later, writing: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” In a post published about thirty minutes earlier, Trump said, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.” Share Updated at 17.34 BST

16m ago 02.42 BST As Donald Trump considers direct intervention in Israel’s conflict with Iran, another war has broken out in Washington between conservative hawks, calling for immediate US strikes on uranium enrichment facilities, and Maga isolationists, who are demanding Trump stick to his campaign pledge not to involve the US in new overseas wars, writes the Guardian’s global affairs correspondent, Andrew Roth. Amid that tension, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has interviewed Republican senator Ted Cruz about his views on Iran, a preview of which shows Cruz caught embarrassingly unaware about some basic facts about Iran. Watch the excoriating clip below: Ted Cruz on Iran. Full interview tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/hJNwAHAnxZ — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 18, 2025 Republicans are not the only politicians weighing in on the debate, with Democratic senator Tim Kaine earlier delivering an urgent speech imploring Congress to exercise its “Constitutional responsibility” and debate military engagement with Iran before it is too late. Share

31m ago 02.26 BST The United States said it will close its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday amid the growing military conflict between Israel and Iran, as speculation mounts about possible American intervention. “Given the security situation and in compliance with Israel Home Front Command guidance, the US Embassy in Jerusalem will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday, June 18) through Friday (June 20),” the embassy said in a statement posted Tuesday to its website. On the fifth day of conflict between the Middle Eastern foes, officials also “directed that all US government employees and their family members continue to shelter in place in and near their residences until further notice.” Share

51m ago 02.07 BST As the conflict between Israel and Iran threatened to draw the US into war, Senator Tim Kaine delivered an urgent speech imploring Congress to exercise its “Constitutional responsibility” and debate military engagement with Iran before it is too late. We should not allow a war of the magnitude of this to begin with Congress hiding from the responsibility that was put on Congress’s shoulders in 1787,” the Virginia Democrat said in lengthy remarks on Tuesday evening. On Monday Kaine introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit US armed forces from taking direct action against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress or a declaration of war. View image in fullscreen US Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia attends a rally supporting the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), near the US Capitol, Washington, DC, USA, 05 February 2025. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA The resolution would not prevent the US from defending itself against imminent threats but would require congressional approval for offensive action. The bill likely faces an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled chamber, with the majority loath to challenge Trump’s powers. But it will get a vote, a week from Thursday, by Kaine’s count. Under Senate rules, war powers resolutions are considered “privileged”, guaranteeing a floor debate and vote. As the conflict intensified, Kaine told his colleagues they would hear from him frequently over the next 10 days,. “I will be asking my colleagues to support it and uphold the oath we’ve all taken to support the Constitution that established that most unusual principle, most unique principle that is part of what makes this nation special,” he said. Share Updated at 02.43 BST

1h ago 01.52 BST Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that hypersonic missiles were used during the latest attack on Israel, reports Agence France Presse. “The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles” was carried out, the Guards said in a statement carried by state television, claiming that Iranian forces “have gained complete control over the skies of the occupied territories”. There was no indication this was true at the time of posting. View image in fullscreen Missiles fired from Iran are seen streaking across the skies over the city of Hebron in the West Bank. Photograph: Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu/via Getty Images Share Updated at 02.09 BST

1h ago 01.47 BST As questions abound about whether the US may intervene in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, president Trump has posted this update on his Truth Social platform. It is my Great Honor to announce that I will be putting up two beautiful Flag Poles on both sides of the White House, North and South Lawns. It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place. The digging and placement of the poles will begin at 7:30 A.M. EST, tomorrow morning. Flags will be raised at approximately 11 A.M. EST. These are the most magnificent poles made – They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!” View image in fullscreen US President Donald Trump cut his G7 trip short and returned to the White House, as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a sixth day

Photograph: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters Share Updated at 02.44 BST

1h ago 01.42 BST US national intelligence officer, Tulsi Gabbard, left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year, telling lawmakers that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, and its supreme leader had not reauthorised the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels. View image in fullscreen National intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard (C) arrives for a closed door hearing with senators in Washington, DC, USA, 17 June 2025. Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA But, as the Associated Press reports, President Trump dismissed the assessment of US spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the G7 summit in Canada to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.

Trump’s statement aligned him more closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, than with his own top intelligence adviser.

Administration officials have downplayed the apparent inconsistency, saying that enriching uranium can put Iran on track to having a nuclear weapon. Share

1h ago 01.36 BST Residents of Iran’s capital were seen leaving the city as shops and the historic Grand Bazaar in Tehran were closed on Tuesday, the fifth day of the intensifying conflict started by Israel, reports the Associated Press.

Witnesses said strong explosions rocked buildings in western and eastern parts of Tehran on Tuesday evening. An Associated Press reporter could hear sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft batteries firing from all directions. On the roads out of Tehran to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper, and long lines also could be seen at gas stations.

“It looks like no one is living in this city,” one resident told the AP by phone. View image in fullscreen A view of banner of Iranian State TV presenter Sahar Emami, who was targeted live on air during the Israeli attack, in Veliasr Square in Tehran, Iran on 17 June, 2025. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Share

2h ago 01.16 BST The Israel-Iran conflict, in pictures. Smoke rises from a fire in Tehran, Iran, on 17 June. View image in fullscreen Smoke rises from a fire, as the Israel-Iran air war continues, in Tehran, Iran, in this still image obtained from social media video released 17 June, 2025. Photograph: Social Media/Reuters People take shelter in an underground metro station near Tel Aviv, Israel, on 17 June. View image in fullscreen People take shelter in an underground metro station as a precaution against possible Iran missile attacks, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, 17 June, 2025. Photograph: Oded Balilty/AP People run along a street amid smoke following the Israeli strikes in Tehran on 15 June. View image in fullscreen People run along a street amid smoke following the Israeli strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, 15 June, 2025. Photograph: Hamid Amlashi/Reuters People evacuate after a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv on 16 June. View image in fullscreen People evacuate after a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday 16 June, 2025. Photograph: Baz Ratner/AP Share

2h ago 00.52 BST Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has posted another message on X vowing that Iran will respond in no uncertain terms to Israel. We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy.” Share

3h ago 00.27 BST Israel launches fresh strikes on Tehran The IDF says it has now “begun a wave of strikes in the Tehran area”. View image in fullscreen People stand on a rooftop amidst billowing smoke following an overnight Israeli strike in Tehran Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images Share Updated at 02.39 BST

3h ago 00.25 BST Media outlets such as the New York Times and CNN are reporting that US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have spoken on the phone, as questions remain about whether the US may intervene in the conflict. No readout of the conversation was made available. Share

3h ago 00.19 BST One of the pressing questions regarding the Israel-Iran conflict is whether the US will intervene. As the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, writes: “Only the US is considered to have a bomb large enough – the GBU 57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator – to possibly destroy Fordow, one of Iran’s two main uranium enrichment sites, estimated to be 80-90 metres below a mountain.” Read more on the Fordow underground facility here, and what clues military movements show about possible US involvement. Could US attack Iran’s Fordow nuclear site? Military movements offer a clue Read more Share

3h ago 23.58 BST In the last 30 minutes the IDF has also said that for the 2nd time in less than an hour, “families across Israel are running for shelter as sirens sound due to a missile launch from Iran.” View image in fullscreen An anti-missile system operates as missiles are launched from Iran, as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, 18 June, 2025. Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters Share

3h ago 23.54 BST Israel’s defense forces (IDF) has issued a warning, via a social media post on X, urging residents in Tehran to evacuate before planned military strikes. Urgent warning to employees and all individuals located in Area 18 of Tehran, as indicated on the attached map. In the coming hours, the Israeli army will take action in this area, as it has done in recent days in the Tehran region, to strike the military infrastructure of the Iranian regime. Dear citizens, for your safety and well-being, we urgently request that you immediately evacuate the designated area in Tehran’s Area 18. Your presence in this area puts your life at risk.” Share Updated at 23.56 BST

4h ago 23.25 BST Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has posted a message on X about the ongoing conflict with Israel, a message that comes after US president Trump said he had no intention of killing the Iranian leader “for now”. Citing a verse from the Qur’an, Ali Khamenei wrote: Help from Allah and an imminent conquest” (Holy Quran: 61:13). The Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime by the will of God.” Share

4h ago 23.00 BST Today So Far As the world awaits Donald Trump’s decision on whether the United States will enter the Israel-Iran conflict by lending military support to Israel or push for negotiations between the two countries, here are the headlines we’ve been following today so far. Donald Trump posted on social media that the United States knows the location of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He added that the US would not kill Khamenei “for now” but called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. In an apparent response to the president’s post, senator Bernie Sanders said the president “must not take illegal military action against Iran”. Yesterday, Democratic senator Tim Kaine introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit US armed forces from taking direct action against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress or a declaration of war. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that Iran’s supreme leader could face the same fate as Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and was eventually hanged after a trial.

Following a Situation Room briefing with members of his national security team, Trump is evaluating whether to lend his support to Israel by targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility is located beneath a mountain that will be difficult for Israeli forces to penetrate without the assistance of the United States, which is the only country that possesses bombs that can break through the underground bunker. View image in fullscreen U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters on board Air Force One with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt after leaving early from the G7 Leaders’ Summit on June 16, 2025 in Calgary, Alberta. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images In a lengthy post on social media, JD Vance responded to concerns from longtime members of Donald Trump’s far-right Make America Great Again coalition about US involvement in foreign wars. Later, he met with Republican senators at a private lunch where North Dakota senator Kevin Cramer said the message was: Trump “remains committed to Iran not having a nuclear capability,” and “would rather negotiate than drop bombs”.

The State Department has established a task force to assist US citizens and permanent residents trying to leave the Middle East as hostilities continue between Israel and Iran. A task force operated by the Bureau of Consular Affairs is operating 24 hours a day, however the United States is not planning any evacuation flights.

World leaders, including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French president Emmanuel Macron, reacted to the unfolding conflict. In a phone call with the Emir of Qatar, Erdogan called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “greatest threat to the region’s security”. Later, speaking on the sidelines of the G7, Macron cautioned that “the biggest error would be to use military strikes to change the regime because it would then be chaos”. View image in fullscreen Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a statement to the press members after chairing the cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye on June 16, 2025. Photograph: Utku Ucrak/Anadolu/via Getty Images US intelligence assessments have found Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon and would have been up to three years away from being able to deliver one, CNN is reporting. The assessments, sourced to four people familiar with them, are in stark contrast to the narrative being pushed by Israel that Iran was fast approaching a point of no return in acquiring nuclear weapons. Share Updated at 02.25 BST

4h ago 22.54 BST Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman is a “hell yes” on the United States targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, NBC News reports. The Democrat, who has grown increasingly close with Donald Trump since his election in 2022, told reporters “I’ve been saying, ‘Oh, hell yes,’ for I think it’s almost six weeks”. He added, “bombing and destroying their nuclear facilities, that’s about peace” and noted that he opposes the war powers resolution introduced by his Senate colleague Tim Kaine. Share

4h ago 22.32 BST Following a lengthy social media post that appeared aimed at quelling the fears of conservative detractors of Donald Trump’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, JD Vance met with Republican senators at a private lunch. After the event, North Dakota senator Kevin Cramer told the Associated Press the message had been: Trump “remains committed to Iran not having a nuclear capability,” and “would rather negotiate than drop bombs”. Senate majority leader John Thune added that Trump is acting within his authority “to do what he’s done so far” and that a war powers resolution like that proposed by Democratic senator Tim Kaine is premature. Share

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s capital early Wednesday after it issued a warning about a new area it could target, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran’s residents to evacuate and demanded that the country surrender without conditions. Uncertainty roiled the region and residents of Tehran fled their homes in droves on the fifth day of Israel’s air campaign aimed at Iran’s military and nuclear program.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog for the first time said Israeli strikes on Iran’s main uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz had also damaged its main underground centrifuge facility, not just an above-ground facility, as previously acknowledged.

Israel asserts its sweeping assault is necessary to prevent Iran from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon . The strikes have killed at least 224 people in Iran.

Advertisement

Iran has retaliated by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel.

Israel hammers Tehran

A major explosion could be heard around 5 a.m. in Tehran Wednesday morning, following other explosions that boomed earlier in the predawn darkness.

Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since they began on Friday.

The Israelis earlier warned they could strike a neighborhood south of Mehrabad International Airport, which includes residential neighborhoods, military installations, pharmaceutical companies and industrial firms.

Israel also claimed that it had killed Iran’s Gen. Ali Shadmani, whom Israel described as the country’s most senior remaining military commander, in Tehran.

Advertisement

Shadmani was little known in the country before being appointed last week to a chief-of-staff-like role as head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters following the killing of his predecessor, Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, in an Israeli strike.

Trump demands Iranian surrender

Trump left the Group of Seven summit in Canada a day early to deal with the conflict between Israel and Iran, telling reporters: “I’m not looking at a ceasefire. We’re looking at better than a ceasefire.”

When asked to explain, he said the U.S. wanted to see “a real end” to the conflict that could involve Iran “giving up entirely.” He added: “I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”

Writing on social media later, Trump warned Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the U.S. knows where he is hiding and called for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” without elaborating.

Advertisement

Trump posted that there were no plans to kill Khamenei “at least not for now.” Despite warning that U.S. “patience is wearing thin,” he indicated that diplomatic talks remained an option, and said he could send Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with the Iranians.

Iran vows further attacks

Iran offered no immediate response to the president’s posts, but the country’s military leaders vowed that Israel would soon see more attacks.

“The operations carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence,” Gen. Abdul Rahim Mousavi, the commander in chief of Iran’s army, said in a video. “The punishment operation will be carried out soon.”

Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the evolving situation over the phone on Tuesday, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Advertisement

Israel’s military warned the population to stay close to shelters as Iran fired new salvos of missiles, but officials said most were intercepted. Sirens blared in southern Israel, including in the desert town of Dimona, the heart of Israel’s never-acknowledged nuclear arms program.

Iran launched another barrage early Wednesday. Israeli rescue services had no immediate reports of injuries. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed in a message that the barrage included the use of Fatah missiles, which Tehran describes as hypersonic. Israel has not acknowledge Iran using hypersonic missiles.

Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds higher than Mach 5, pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability.

The U.S. State Department announced that the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will remain closed through Friday due to “the current security situation and ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.”

Advertisement

Iran has fired fewer missiles in each of its barrages, with a handful launched late Tuesday. It has not explained the drop in missiles fired, but the decline comes after Israel targeted many Iranian launchers.

Shops closed, lines for gas in Iran’s capital

Trump warned on social media that “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran,” echoing an earlier Israeli military call for some 330,000 residents of a downtown neighborhood there to evacuate.

Tehran is one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with around 10 million people, roughly equivalent to Israel’s entire population. People have been fleeing since hostilities began.

Asked why he had urged the evacuation, Trump said: “I just want people to be safe.”

Downtown Tehran emptied out early Tuesday, with many shops shuttered, as well as the ancient Grand Bazaar, which has closed only in times of crisis, such as during the 2022 anti-government protests and the coronavirus pandemic .

Advertisement

On the roads out of Tehran to the west, traffic stood bumper to bumper. Many middle- and upper-class Iranians were headed to the Caspian Sea, a popular getaway spot. Long lines snaked from Tehran’s gas stations.

Satellite images analyzed Wednesday by The Associated Press appear to show no vessels anchored off the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, about 660 miles (1,062 kilometers) south of Tehran. Dispersing ships is a common safety technique employed by navies around the world in times of trouble.

Iran has threatened to target U.S. military installations in the region, though there’s not been any attack so far since the Israeli campaign against Iran began on Friday

Signs that Iran is restricting access to outside world

Iranian authorities appeared to be curbing the public’s access to the outside world. Phone and internet service was disrupted, with landline phones unable to receive or dial international calls. NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, reported that it had detected a significant drop in internet traffic from the country.

Advertisement

Iran’s Cyber Security Command acknowledged the internet restrictions and in a statement carried by Iranian state television said it was “implementing numerous measures for different parts of the country” The move was meant to stop enemies from “continuing to exploit infrastructure to carry out cyber and military operations,” the statement said.

Iran has restricted important communications tools in past nationwide protests and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.

International websites appeared to be blocked, but local websites were functioning, likely signaling that Iran had turned on the so-called “halal net,” its locally controlled version of the internet aimed at limiting what the public can see.

Iran’s state TV on Tuesday urged the public to remove the messaging app WhatsApp from their cellphones, alleging without evidence that the app gathered user information to send to Israel.

Advertisement

In a statement, WhatsApp said it was concerned that “these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most.”

Nuclear agency reports more damage to enrichment site

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it believed that Israel’s first aerial attacks on Iran’s Natanz enrichment site had directly affected the facility’s underground centrifuge facility.

Satellite imagery collected after Friday’s attacks showed “additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls,” the watchdog said.

The IAEA earlier reported that Israeli strikes had destroyed an above-ground enrichment hall at Natanz and knocked out electrical equipment that powered the facility, which is 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran.

Most of Iran’s enrichment takes place underground to protect from airstrikes.

Israel has struck Natanz repeatedly and claims to have hurt its underground facilities, which experts assess contain 10,000 centrifuges that enrich uranium up to 60%.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003. But the IAEA has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so.

While Netanyahu claimed Monday that Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites have set the country’s nuclear program back a “very, very long time,” Israel has not been able to reach Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility , which is built deep into a mountainside.

Hitting Fordo would require the U.S. to get involved militarily and deploy B-2 stealth bombers to drop its bunker-busting bomb. The 30,000-pound (14,000-kilogram) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets.

Before leaving the G7 summit, Trump joined the other leaders in a joint statement saying that Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza .”

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that discussions were underway on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but Trump shot that down in his comments on social media, saying, “Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that.”

___

Continuous updates; facts and sources are still being cross-checked.

Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.

Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone Tuesday, shortly after the president’s Situation Room briefing on Iran, a White House official told Associated Press. The official did not offer details about their call. Netanyahu told media on Monday that he had spoken with Trump on the phone almost every day since the Israel-Iran conflict broke out last week. What to Know: During his security briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Trump discussed a range of options for dealing with Iran, including a U.S. strike on the country, several administration officials told NBC News.

Several military leaders were spotted leaving the White House after the briefing, along with Special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.

Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric, calling for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and suggesting U.S. military involvement in the conflict.

Israeli officials are pushing for U.S. strikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, but Trump has yet to confirm direct intervention.

Iran launched a new series of strikes of Israel on Tuesday evening, hours after accusing the nation of launching cyberattacks on its digital infrastructure, disrupting banking and online services.

The G7 leaders issued a statement backing Israel but urging de-escalation, while Trump signals he seeks a decisive end to hostilities. Newsweek’s live blog is closed.

07:48 PM EDT Lindsey Graham says Trump will be the US president to finally rid Iran of its nuclear ambitions Sen. Lindsey Graham has said that President Donald Trump will keep his promise to rid Iran of its nuclear program forever. Speaking at the Capitol on Tuesday, the Republican senator, who has been pushing for the U.S. to take a more active role in the Israel-Iran conflict, warned that Iran having a nuclear weapon was not just a threat to Israel, but also to the United States. “Four presidents have promised to make sure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. I think it will be Donald Trump that delivers on that promise,” he told CNN.

07:35 PM EDT Israeli ambassador warns of a ‘war to end wars’ with Iran Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter has warned that Israel’s conflict with Iran will be a “war to end wars.” “This is a war to end wars not to start endless wars,” said Leiter, Tuesday. “We are going to prosecute this war whether the ayatollah survives or not.” The ambassador’s comments came during a discussion about President Donald Trump’s claim earlier Tuesday, that he knows where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is hiding, but that he doesn’t plan to kill him, “at least not for now.”

07:29 PM EDT Israeli Air Force responds with series of strikes on Tehran The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has responded to Iran’s multiple rounds of missile attacks on Tuesday, with its own series of strikes on Tehran, CNN reports.

07:26 PM EDT Defiant Iran leader Khamenei says he will show Israel ‘no mercy’ Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei has announced he will show Israel “no mercy” as Iran launches its second round of missiles within an hour. “We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime,” he said in a Tuesday evening post on X, formerly Twitter. “We will show the Zionists no mercy.” We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime.

We will show the Zionists no mercy. — Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 17, 2025

07:19 PM EDT Iran launches ten ballistic missiles towards Israel, military says Irani military says it launched approximately 10 ballistic missiles toward Israel on Tuesday evening. Most of them were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system. Fire and rescue teams in Israel teams are responding to reports of a direct hit on a residential building in Tel Aviv and multiple fires.

07:17 PM EDT US embassy in Jerusalem closed as Donald Trump weighs attacks on Iran The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will be closed from Wednesday through Friday as President Donald Trump weighs military attacks on Iran.

07:07 PM EDT Israeli military tells residents to brace for second round of missiles Israel’s IDF Home Front Command has warned residents to seek shelter after it detected a second round of Iranian missiles launched towards Tel Aviv within an hour.

06:43 PM EDT Trump spoke with Netanyahu by phone today President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via phone today, a White House official told Politico. Netanyahu told media on Monday that he’d had a call with Trump almost every day since the Israel-Iran conflict broke out last week. The call took place shortly after Trump met with his national security team to discuss potential options on Iran.

06:31 PM EDT IN PICTURES: Israeli Iron Dome air defense system intercepts missiles during Iranian attack over Tel Aviv The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Leo Correa/AP The Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) The Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) Leo Correa/AP

06:15 PM EDT Son of Iran’s last shah and prominent critic says regime is near collapse Reza Pahlavi, the American-based son of Iran’s last shah, has warned that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime and the Islamic Republic is at the point of collapse. Pahlavi, whose father was overthrown in 1979, called for Iranians to rise up and seize their country in several posts on X. “The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is collapsing. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together we will turn the page of history. “Now is the time to stand up; the time to reclaim Iran. May I be with you soon,” he added. The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is collapsing. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together we will turn the page of history. Now is the time to stand up; the time to reclaim Iran. May I be with you soon. pic.twitter.com/qrbnDmf8SX — Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) June 17, 2025

06:00 PM EDT Donald Trump’s pledge of no new wars runs into reality of Middle East President Donald Trump entered office vowing to bring a swift end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Five months in, foreign conflicts are now threatening to overshadow Trump’s second term as a new war escalates between Israel and Iran and concerns grow that the United States could soon take an active role in fighting Tehran. Trump referred to himself as an anti-war president upon his return to the White House and even argued that his efforts to broker peace around the world deserved a Nobel Peace prize. But the Israel-Iran conflict has highlighted Trump’s challenge in shaping foreign affairs while maintaining political support at home with the isolationist and ascendent MAGA wing of the Republican Party. “Trump has found that making peace is hard,” said Richard Gowan, the UN director of the International Crisis Group. Read in full from Daniel Bush on Newsweek.

05:52 PM EDT Israelis urged to seek shelter as new round of Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, say military Israel’s home front command is urging residents to seek immediate shelter. The IDF home front command said that is has detected a new round of Iranian missile launches aimed at Israel. Meanwhile, air raid sirens rang out across Tel Aviv as explosions were seen overhead.

05:37 PM EDT Trump considering potential strike on Iran, say officials after Situation Room briefing Donald Trump is considering a range of options to dealing with Iran, including a U.S. strike on the country, several administration officials told NBC News after the president’s Situation Room briefing with his national security team. The meeting wrapped earlier this afternoon and several military leaders were spotted leaving the White House a short time later, along with Special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.

05:21 PM EDT WATCH: Trump looking for a ‘real end’ to Iran-Israel conflict

05:14 PM EDT All the signs Trump is preparing for a US attack on Iran As an unprecedented conflict between Israel and Iran dragged on into a fifth day, President Donald Trump has increasingly indicated that he was seriously considering a direct intervention in the fight. And while the Pentagon has thus far maintained that U.S. forces were operating in a purely “defensive posture,” while also assisting Israeli interceptions of Iranian missiles, evidence is mounting that the White House is marching toward military action against the Islamic Republic. Just prior to Israel launching its large-scale campaign on Thursday, Trump had signaled a willingness to continue nuclear negotiations with Iran, the sixth round of which had been scheduled to be held in Oman last Sunday. Even after the initial Israeli strikes began, Trump called on Tehran to double down on efforts to reach an agreement. As of Monday, however, Trump has adopted a notably more ominous tone. Shortly before his abrupt exit from the G7 meeting being held in Canada, he called on residents of Tehran, home to nearly 10 million people, to immediately evacuate, and later met with top national security officials at the White House Situation Room. Read in full from Tom O’Connor on Newsweek.

05:07 PM EDT Iranian state TV warns of ‘a surprise tonight that the world will remember’ Iranian state TV has warned of “a surprise tonight that the world will remember for centuries.” The warning comes as President Donald Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as tensions rapidly escalate in the Israel-Iran conflict. JUST IN – Iranian TV: There is a surprise tonight that the world will remember for centuries pic.twitter.com/rO4sv7MKoV — Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) June 17, 2025

04:50 PM EDT Democrat senator says ‘hell yes’ to US involvement on Iran Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says he support the U.S. getting involved in the Israel-Iran war. “I’ve been saying, ‘Oh, hell yes,’ for I think it’s almost six weeks,” Fetterman said when asked about America launching a pre-emptive strike on Iran. “Bombing and destroying their nuclear facilities, that’s about peace,” he added. Fetterman also rejected the resolution put forward by Sen. Tim Kaine to limit Trump’s war powers.

04:35 PM EDT WATCH: Trump says Canada can be under ‘Golden Dome’ for $71 billion

04:29 PM EDT Lindsey Graham takes a swipe at Marjorie Taylor Greene over Iran Sen. Lindsey Graham has taken aim at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after she accused Republicans of “slobbering” over the idea of the U.S. entering Israel’s war with Iran. “Yeah, I mean, I like Marjorie, but I’d be honest with it, she doesn’t understand the threat in my view,” Graham said on Fox News Tuesday. “If you don’t understand that Iran, a religious theocracy, religious Nazis would use a nuclear weapon to kill all the Jews, you don’t listen to what they say, they’re a threat to us.” Graham praised Trump’s apparent willingness to go to war, and urged the president to join the conflict early and not “overthink” it. “Somebody’s got to deal with it,” the senator added.

04:12 PM EDT Trump’s Situation Room meeting with national security aides has ended President Donald Trump’s Situation Room meeting with national security aides has ended, according to the White House.

04:00 PM EDT MAGA split deepens over Trump’s stance on Israel-Iran conflict A growing divide has emerged among Trump’s MAGA supporters, as some of his most vocal allies push back against his consideration of greater U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war. Figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson, and Charlie Kirk have publicly criticized Trump’s departure from his America First stance, reminding audiences of his 2024 campaign promises to avoid foreign entanglements. Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham and other conservatives argue that Trump should fully back Israel, including providing bunker-busting bombs to target Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump’s abrupt exit from the G7 Summit and his ominous social media warnings have fueled speculation that the U.S. may be deepening its involvement. His recent call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” has further intensified the debate within his base.

03:51 PM EDT Oil prices surge as U.S. weighs deeper involvement in Israel-Iran war Oil prices climbed nearly 5%, surpassing $75 per barrel, as traders reacted to the possibility of U.S. military involvement in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. The surge marks a $10 increase since early June, reflecting heightened concerns over regional stability and potential disruptions to Middle East oil supplies. Market analysts warn that further escalation could increase prices, particularly if tensions threaten key shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil exports.

03:38 PM EDT Israel’s covert operation cripples Iran’s defenses, nuclear sites Israel executed a highly coordinated intelligence and military operation, striking key Iranian targets with precision. The attack, guided by spies and artificial intelligence, involved warplanes and armed drones smuggled into Iran, effectively disabling air defenses and missile systems. With greater aerial freedom, Israel bombarded nuclear sites and eliminated top Iranian generals and scientists. By the time Iran responded, its retaliatory capabilities were significantly weakened, following previous Israeli strikes. The operation, reportedly years in the making, was based on intelligence gathered by Israeli officials, some of whom spoke anonymously about the clandestine mission.

03:25 PM EDT Macron warns against military-driven regime change in Iran French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned against using military force to change Iran’s government, calling it a strategic mistake that could lead to chaos. Speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, Macron referenced past interventions in Iraq and Libya, questioning their effectiveness. While Macron reaffirmed France’s stance that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons and that Israel has the right to defend itself, he criticized Israeli strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure, warning they could further destabilize the region. His remarks come as concerns grow over potential U.S. involvement in the conflict, with Trump signaling a hardline approach toward Iran.

03:07 PM EDT Israel targets ballistic missile sites in Isfahan amid ongoing strikes The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Tuesday evening that its air force is striking 12 ballistic missile launch sites in Isfahan, continuing its broader campaign against Iranian military infrastructure. Since launching airstrikes on Iran, Israel has targeted three key nuclear facilities, including Isfahan, aiming to weaken Iran’s missile capabilities. Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that Tehran’s air defenses were responding to a fresh wave of Israeli attacks in densely populated areas. The IDF released footage claiming to show three missile storage and launch sites struck in Isfahan, though independent verification remains pending. IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin stated that Iranian forces have retreated toward central Iran, shifting their missile launch operations to Isfahan. In a separate statement, the IDF announced that it had destroyed over 70 Iranian aerial defense missile batteries, along with missile launchers and detection radars designed to counter Israeli airstrikes.

03:00 PM EDT ‘President is perfectly within his authority,’ says Thune on Iran Majority Leader of the United States Senate, John Thune, has backed President Trump’s actions on Iran so far, as lawmakers introduced a bipartisan resolution seeking to restrain his war powers. “I think the President is perfectly within his authority in the steps that he has taken,” Thune said Tuesday. “You know, clearly, if this thing were to extend for some period of time, there could be a more fulsome discussion about what the role of Congress should be.”

02:56 PM EDT DHS establishes Middle East Task Force to help Americans fleeing Israel, Iran The State Department has established a special task force to help Americans trying to flee Israel, Iran and neighboring countries amid the escalating conflict. Run by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the task force is operating 24 hours to provide information to U.S citizens and lawful permanent residents trying to return to America. So far, no government evacuations have been planned. A State Department spokeswoman told reporters on Tuesday that the department is continuing to monitor the “complex and rapidly evolving situation on the ground as we continue to assess and address the needs of US citizens.”

02:38 PM EDT Republican lawmaker introduces resolution to block US involvement in Israel-Iran conflict Republican Congressman, Rep. Thomas Massie, has introduced a bipartisan resolution to block America’s involvement in the rapidly escalating Israel-Iran conflict. The ‘Iran War Powers Resolution’ seeks to limit the powers of President Donald Trump to unilaterally decide to carry out strikes on Iran. “This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,” Massie said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday ahead of the resolution, which is co-sponsored by Democrat Ro Khanna. “I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution,” said Massie, one of the few Republicans to regularly break ranks to oppose Trump. Just IN 🚨: Rep. Thomas Massie officially introduces bipartisan ‘Iran War Powers Resolution’ to prohibit U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.

The resolution would seek to limit ‘War Powers’ President Trump takes, to include strikes to nuclear facilities deep in Iran. pic.twitter.com/ecY6XbtkqJ — Anthony (@AnthonyCabassa_) June 17, 2025

02:30 PM EDT Iran military warns Israelis in Haifa, Tel Aviv to evacuate before ‘punitive operation’ The chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces has warned residents of Israeli cities Haifa and Tel Aviv in Israel to evacuate ahead ahead of what he dubbed Iran’s “punitive operation.” “The operations carried out so far have been a warning for deterrence and a punitive operation will be carried out soon,” Abdolrahim Mousavi said in a clip shared by Iranian state media.

02:14 PM EDT Trump reveals new price tag for Canada to join ‘Golden Dome’ defense system President Donald Trump increased the proposed price for Canada’s participation in the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense system. “They want to be in,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. “Seventy-one billion they’re going to pay.” The new price tag is $10 billion higher than Trump’s earlier public demand for Canadian entry into the program. Newsweek has contacted the White House and Canada’s prime ministerial office via email for comment. Canada’s defense ministry directed questions to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office. Read in full from Ellie Cook on Newsweek.

01:52 PM EDT Russia warns Israel-Iran conflict could spark global crisis Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia cautioned Tuesday that the military exchanges between Israel and Iran pose a risk of wider geopolitical escalation beyond the region. Nebenzia revealed that President Vladimir Putin spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump after Israeli strikes began, offering Moscow’s assistance in facilitating de-escalation. The Russian envoy also expressed concerns about potential radiation leaks from Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, which Israeli attacks have targeted. He warned that threats to strike Iran’s underground Fordo site and other nuclear locations could have severe consequences.

01:23 PM EDT HRANA reports over 450 killed in Iran amid Israel conflict The Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) has reported that 452 people have been killed since Israeli strikes began on Friday, with 646 others injured. According to HRANA, 224 of the dead were civilians, while 109 were military personnel. The remaining casualties have not yet been identified. Iranian authorities have not released official figures on losses since the conflict began. The escalating violence has led to widespread destruction, with Tehran residents fleeing as airstrikes continue.

12:58 PM EDT Iranian state TV urges public to delete WhatsApp over spying claims Iranian state television on Tuesday called on citizens to remove WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging—without evidence—that the app collects user data for Israel. WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, swiftly denied the accusations, stating that its end-to-end encryption prevents any third party from accessing private messages. The company expressed concern that false claims could be used as a pretext to block its services at a critical time. Iran has previously restricted access to foreign apps during periods of unrest, raising concerns that the government may be tightening control over digital communication

12:46 PM EDT Gabbard insists no divide with Trump on Iran nuclear assessment Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard defended her stance on Iran’s nuclear program, insisting there is no contradiction between her earlier testimony and Trump’s recent remarks. Speaking on Capitol Hill, Gabbard said Trump’s claim that Iran is “very close” to obtaining a nuclear weapon aligns with her March threat assessment, despite media reports suggesting a discrepancy. In her March testimony, Gabbard said that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon and that Supreme Leader Khamenei had not reauthorized a nuclear weapons program since suspending it in 2003. However, Trump dismissed concerns over the distinction, asserting that Iran was on the verge of acquiring nuclear capabilities. Pressed on whether she and Trump were in agreement, Gabbard told CNN, “We are on the same page.”

12:36 PM EDT Trump posts ‘unconditional surrender’ amid conflict Trump posted “unconditional surrender!” on Truth Social, likely referring to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.

12:31 PM EDT Cyberattack disrupts Iran’s Sepah Bank, threatens gas station services Iran’s Sepah Bank, a significant financial institution linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has suffered a cyberattack, causing widespread disruptions to its online and remote services. The Fars News Agency reported that the attack could impact fuel stations, potentially leading to service interruptions in the coming hours. Reports from Iranian media and local sources indicate that customers are experiencing difficulties accessing accounts online and withdrawing cash from ATMs. The hacktivist group Predatory Sparrow, known for previous cyberattacks on Iranian infrastructure, has claimed responsibility, stating that it destroyed key banking data. Iranian authorities have yet to officially comment on the extent of the damage, but concerns are growing over the broader impact on financial and fuel services

12:17 PM EDT Trump declares U.S. air superiority over Iran Trump said on Truth Social that the United States has complete control over Iran’s airspace. Trump’s statement follows reports that Israeli forces have crippled Iran’s air defenses, allowing unrestricted aerial operations over Tehran. Military analysts suggest that U.S. technology has played a key role in securing air dominance, though Iran has attempted to counter Israeli and U.S. air operations. The declaration comes amid ongoing missile exchanges between Israel and Iran, raising concerns about further escalation in the region.

12:05 PM EDT JD Vance defends Trump’s stance on Iran’s nuclear program Vice President JD Vance took to social media Tuesday to defend Trump’s long-standing position that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. In a detailed post, Vance emphasized that Trump has been consistent for over a decade in opposing Iranian uranium enrichment, arguing that Tehran has violated non-proliferation obligations. Vance distinguished between civilian nuclear power and uranium enrichment, stating that Iran rejected alternatives that would allow nuclear energy without enrichment. He also noted that Trump has exercised restraint, keeping the U.S. military focused on protecting American troops and citizens. While acknowledging concerns about U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts, Vance asserted that American interests drive Trump’s decisions. He hinted that further action against Iran’s enrichment program remains on the table. Look, I’m seeing this from the inside, and am admittedly biased towards our president (and my friend), but there’s a lot of crazy stuff on social media, so I wanted to address some things directly on the Iran issue:

First, POTUS has been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that… — JD Vance (@JDVance) June 17, 2025

11:52 AM EDT Iran bans officials from using communication devices amid conflict According to a Tuesday announcement by the semiofficial Fars news agency, Iran has prohibited government officials and their bodyguards from using mobile phones, smart watches, and laptops. While Iranian authorities did not provide a reason for the ban, reports suggest it may be linked to concerns that Israel used digital signatures from electronic devices to target Iranian military leaders in recent airstrikes. The restriction comes as Iran continues to face Israeli attacks

11:33 AM EDT Iran restricts international calls, internet access amid conflict Iran has begun limiting access to international communication, with landline phones unable to receive or dial overseas calls as of Tuesday night. The government has not officially acknowledged the restriction, but similar measures have been imposed during past protests and the Iran-Iraq war. Internet users also report blocked access to international websites, while local sites remain functional. This suggests Iran has activated its “halal net”, a state-controlled version of the internet designed to restrict public access to foreign information. The move comes amid escalating tensions with Israel, raising concerns about government control over information flow

11:08 AM EDT Germany’s Merz: Iran’s regime weakened, future uncertain German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated Tuesday that recent Israeli attacks have significantly weakened Iran’s leadership and may not regain its former strength. Speaking at the G7 summit in Canada, Merz described Iran’s future as “uncertain” amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. Merz also suggested that Iran’s nuclear program could be targeted if Tehran refuses to negotiate on abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons. “We will have to wait and see,” he told German broadcaster Welt. Despite the escalating tensions, Merz reaffirmed that Germany, France, and the United Kingdom remain open to diplomatic assistance if talks resume. “If a new situation were to arise, we would again be prepared to provide diplomatic assistance, as we were until last Thursday,” he said.

10:52 AM EDT ‘Iran is attacking again’ – IDF The Israel Defense Forces X account has shared, “Iran is attacking again, so we’re posting again.” Iran is attacking again, so we’re posting again. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 17, 2025

10:50 AM EDT Lawmakers push to limit Trump’s war powers on Iran Members of Congress are moving to restrict President Donald Trump’s authority to engage U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran, as concerns grow over potential American involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, The New York Times reported this morning. In the House of Representatives, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) plan to introduce a bipartisan resolution on Tuesday requiring congressional approval before U.S. troops could launch offensive attacks against Iran. The measure reflects growing sentiment among lawmakers that military action should not be left solely to the president. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced a similar effort in the Senate on Monday, though it faces significant hurdles in the Republican-controlled chamber. Kaine has long advocated for Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority over war decisions, arguing that any military engagement with Iran must be explicitly authorized. The push comes as Israel continues its military campaign against Iran, raising fears of broader regional conflict and potential U.S. entanglement.

10:35 AM EDT Narges Mohammadi signals departure from Tehran amid Israeli strikes Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, who has been on extended leave from Evin Prison, indicated on X that she has left Tehran as Israeli airstrikes continue to target the city. “I left home,” Mohammadi wrote, hoping she would return one day. She acknowledged the millions of Iranians fleeing war and urged solidarity: “Let’s be each other’s refuge.” Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has long been a vocal critic of Iran’s government, despite multiple arrests and years behind bars. She had been serving a 13-year sentence on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda. Her departure comes as Tehran empties, with residents seeking safety amid escalating conflict.

10:21 AM EDT US tanker aircraft head to Middle East as threat of Iran war rises U.S. Air Force aerial refueling aircraft are heading for the Middle East amid an escalating war between Israel and Iran and the possibility that U.S. forces could also become involved, according to flight data tracking sources. Newsweek has reached out to the Pentagon for comment. The U.S. is redeploying military forces as the conflict between Israel and Iran stretched over the week, raising tensions between Washington and Tehran. The American repositioning could be a sign of an increased possibility that it gets involved in an attack on Iran although Washington has so far said that it is not joining Israel in striking Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump had previously not ruled out military action if Iran did not agree to curbs on its nuclear program. Iran has also blamed the United States for Israel’s attacks though has not repeated earlier threats of attacking U.S. bases in the region. Read the full story by Amira El-Fekki on Newsweek.

10:05 AM EDT Timelapse shows US tankers flying to the Middle East

09:51 AM EDT Xi Jinping calls for de-escalation in Middle East conflict Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed deep concern over the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, calling for diplomatic efforts to restore stability. Speaking at the China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Xi emphasized that military conflict is not a solution and urged all parties to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity. China, a key diplomatic and economic partner of Iran, has positioned itself as a potential mediator. Xi states that Beijing is ready to play a constructive role in achieving peace. His remarks mark his first public statement on the conflict since it began on Friday

09:38 AM EDT EU warns U.S. involvement in Israel-Iran war could escalate conflict European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas cautioned Tuesday that U.S. military involvement in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could drag the region into a broader war. Following a video conference with the foreign ministers of the 27-nation bloc, Kallas emphasized the need for diplomatic solutions and urged all sides to exercise restraint. She reiterated that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, stressing that diplomacy is the only viable path to prevent further escalation. Kallas also noted that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had acknowledged concerns about American involvement, stating that it was not in Washington’s interest to be drawn into the conflict.

09:16 AM EDT Alon Pinkas warns U.S. regime change in Iran could backfire Former Israeli Consul General Alon Pinkas cautioned against U.S.-led regime change in Iran, arguing that such an effort could create instability rather than a smooth transition. Speaking on CNN’s Early Start, Pinkas noted that “it’s not like Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson are waiting on the sidelines” to take over from Iran’s leadership. Pinkas outlined three options for the U.S.: staying out of the conflict, offering Iran a diplomatic off-ramp, or direct military involvement. He warned that deeper U.S. engagement could repeat past mistakes, referencing the failed regime change in Iraq.

08:59 AM EDT Russia’s drone production unlikely to be affected by Middle East conflict Russia manufactures its drones for the war in Ukraine, making it unlikely to face immediate disruptions from the escalating conflict in the Middle East, according to David Albright, an expert on Russian and Iranian drones, the Associated Press reported. Most of Russia’s drones are produced at the Alabuga plant in Tatarstan, though Moscow initially purchased a limited number from Tehran before establishing its production facilities. Albright noted that Iran has decades of experience in drone manufacturing. Still, with rising tensions, Russia may struggle to obtain more advanced models from Iran, which will likely prioritize its own military needs.

08:46 AM EDT China touts weapons capabilities as Iran’s defenses collapse Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and… Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and forcing an anchor to run off camera. More Kyodo via Associated Press The collapse of Iran’s air defenses in the face of Israeli attacks has prompted influential Chinese commentators to say it could have fared better if it had been supplied with Chinese weaponry. Chinese fighter aircraft proved themselves in combat for Pakistan during its recent confrontation with India, with Pakistani forces claiming to have shot down Indian jets. “Iran’s biggest mistake was not purchasing weapons from China,” wrote “Former HR himself,” a Weibo account with two million followers. Newsweek reached out to the Iranian and Chinese foreign ministeries by email with requests for comment. The Chinese comments on the failure of Iran’s air defenses, which were largely dependent on Russian systems, highlight the increasing prominence of the latest Chinese weapons technology and China’s desire to secure new markets for it. The apparent success of Chinese air power in the confrontation between India and Pakistan had already elevated its profile, with stocks in Chinese defense company AVIC Shenyang soaring by 10 percent on last week’s news that Pakistan planned to acquire 40 of its J-35 fighters. Countries unable to acquire advanced fighter jets from the U.S. are increasingly turning to China as an alternative supplier, as Beijing positions itself as a viable competitor by ramping up exports and strategic partnerships, as well as showcasing its aircraft in military drills. Read the full story by Micah McCartney and Amira El-Fekki on Newsweek.

08:33 AM EDT WHO chief warns of health risks from strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Tuesday that military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities could have serious environmental and health consequences across the region. Since Friday, Israel has targeted multiple sites in Iran, including nuclear infrastructure, raising concerns about radiation exposure and long-term health risks. In a statement on social media, Dr. Tedros called the escalation “extremely concerning” and urged all parties to work toward peace. The warning comes as global leaders debate diplomatic solutions to prevent further destabilization in the Middle East. The escalation of violence between Israel and Iran is extremely concerning — and is costing the lives of civilians, including children. The growing number of injured civilians are also distressing.

@WHO’s particular concern is the targeting of nuclear sites, which may have… pic.twitter.com/ECCXlxoBRy — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 17, 2025

08:20 AM EDT European ministers urge Iran, Israel to de-escalate tensions France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot delivers a speech during a conference dubbed “Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, Peace and Regional Security” at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE)… France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot delivers a speech during a conference dubbed “Paris Call for the Two-State Solution, Peace and Regional Security” at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) in Paris on June 13, 2025. More Thibaud Moritz/Getty Images French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and later with Iranian, British, and German foreign ministers on Monday, discussing the escalating conflict in the Middle East. According to a French diplomatic official, the ministers urged Iran to return to negotiations without conditions and avoid actions that could further destabilize the region. They also warned against nuclear escalation, including withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty or halting cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additionally, the ministers conveyed messages to Israel, emphasizing the need to avoid targeting Iranian authorities, infrastructure, and civilians. The discussions reflect growing international concerns over the conflict’s impact on regional stability and global security.

08:07 AM EDT 45 Palestinians killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza At least 45 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip while waiting for U.N. and commercial trucks carrying desperately needed food, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and a local hospital. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, but Palestinian officials claim that Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds attempting to reach food distribution points run by a U.S. and Israeli-backed aid group, per AP. Local health officials report that scores have been killed and hundreds wounded in similar incidents. The Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots at individuals it deemed suspicious. The killings come amid growing concerns over famine in Gaza, as humanitarian aid deliveries face major obstacles due to military restrictions and lawlessness.

07:53 AM EDT 20 nations condemn Israel’s strikes on Iran, call for de-escalation Foreign ministers from 20 countries issued a joint statement Tuesday denouncing Israel’s military actions against Iran and urging diplomacy to restore stability in the Middle East. The statement emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire and warned that continued hostilities could further destabilize the region. The signatories, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE, rejected military solutions and called for peaceful negotiations. They also stressed the importance of eliminating nuclear and mass destruction weapons and protecting maritime security in international waters. The statement follows Israel’s recent airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, escalating tensions between the two nations. The foreign ministers urged all parties to respect international law and pursue diplomatic resolutions.

07:40 AM EDT India evacuates students from Tehran amid rising regional tensions India has begun evacuating students from Tehran, citing safety concerns as tensions escalate between Iran and Israel. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed Tuesday that some Indian nationals have also been assisted in leaving Iran through the Armenian border. The Indian government has advised those who can arrange their transport to evacuate immediately. The Indian Embassy in Tehran maintains contact with the community, providing logistical support and emergency assistance. The evacuation follows five days of missile strikes between Iran and Israel, prompting concerns for civilians in affected areas. The MEA has set up a 24/7 control room to coordinate evacuation efforts and provide updates.

07:25 AM EDT Israel claims killing of top Iranian general Ali Shadmani Israel announced Tuesday that its military had killed Gen. Ali Shadmani, a high-ranking Iranian commander, in an airstrike targeting Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters. Shadmani was recently appointed to lead the command center, which oversees Iran’s military emergency operations. Iran has not yet officially acknowledged Shadmani’s death, but reports indicate that the strike is part of Israel’s broader campaign against Iran’s military leadership. Shadmani was a senior figure in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, playing a key role in strategic operations. The attack follows a series of Israeli strikes aimed at weakening Iran’s military infrastructure, escalating tensions between the two nations.

07:12 AM EDT Iran warns U.S. of ‘painful responses’ over Israel’s attacks Iranian army cadets march during a parade commemorating National Army Day in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 18, 2025. Iranian army cadets march during a parade commemorating National Army Day in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 18, 2025. Vahid Salemi/AP Photo Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that the Islamic Republic “will have to show more painful responses,” if the United States fails to curb Israel’s attacks and accused Washington of being complicit in the strikes. Iran’s armed forces had previously threatened a massive regional response if Israel attacked its nuclear sites, including against U.S. targets in the region. Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli prime minister’s office and the U.S. State Department for comment. Pezeshkian’s comments come after Iran blamed Washington for the five-day-old Israeli offensive, accusing it of complicity and support. The escalating rhetoric signals the deepening rift between Tehran and Washington, raising fears of a broader regional confrontation that could draw in U.S. forces and further destabilize the Middle East. It raises further doubts over whether Iran will do a deal with the United States on its nuclear program as U.S. President Donald Trump has said it should.

06:54 AM EDT At least 51 Palestinians killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza, health officials say At least 51 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 others wounded Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis as they waited near aid trucks carrying food, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and local hospital sources. Eyewitnesses told The Associated Press that Israeli forces launched an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire on the crowd gathered near United Nations and commercial relief convoys attempting to enter the besieged enclave. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the incident, stating troops had observed a large group of people near an aid truck that had become stuck in Khan Younis—an area where Israeli military operations were underway. “There are reports of several casualties from IDF gunfire as the crowd approached. The details are being investigated,” the IDF said in a statement.

06:25 AM EDT Khamenei warned he faces ‘a fate similar to Saddam Hussein’ Israel’s defence minister has warned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei he could face “a fate similar to Saddam Hussein”, The Times of Israel reports. “I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and launching missiles at Israeli civilians,” Israel Katz said. “He would do well to remember the fate of the dictator in the country neighbouring Iran who chose this same path against the state of Israel.” Saddam was executed by hanging in 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity. In this television screen grab taken from Iraqi national television station Al-iraqia, a video shows the moments leading up to the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as he is led into the gallows… In this television screen grab taken from Iraqi national television station Al-iraqia, a video shows the moments leading up to the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as he is led into the gallows room to be prepared for hanging, on December 30, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq. The former Iraqi president was executed by hanging at 0600 (0300 GMT) in a secure facility in the Northern Baghdad suburb of Khadimeya. More Photo by Al-iraqia via Getty Images

06:10 AM EDT Iran claims strike on Mossad center in Tel Aviv Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed to have struck a Mossad center in Tel Aviv, Agence France-Presse reports. In a statement on state television, the Guards said they “struck the military intelligence centre of the Zionist regime’s army, Aman, and the Zionist regime’s terrorist operations planning centre, the Mossad, in Tel Aviv”. The Guards claimed the building was “currently on fire”. There was no immediate response from Israel.

06:01 AM EDT Iran cancels leave for doctors, nurses and emergency staff Iranian authorities have cancelled all leave for medical personnel nationwide. The directive affects doctors, nurses and emergency staff, reflecting heightened concerns over potential retaliation or regional fallout. Across the capital, banners calling for a “severe” response to Israel were prominently displayed, underscoring the government’s mobilization efforts. Long queues formed at gas stations throughout Tehran, as residents braced for possible disruptions. The government has yet to announce any formal measures affecting fuel distribution, but the panic buying is widespread, The Associated Press reported. Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and… Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. The attack occurred during a live broadcast, filling the studio with dust and debris and forcing an anchor to run off camera. More Kyodo via AP Images

05:35 AM EDT Trump seeking ‘a real end’ Trump has been speaking to reporters on board Air Force One and said he was “not too much in the mood to negotiate”. “We’re looking at better than a ceasefire,” he said. He was asked what is better than a ceasefire, and responded: “A real end. Not a ceasefire. An end.” “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, it’s very simple,” he said. “They should have done the deal. I told them, do the deal. So I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.” When asked why he called for the nine million residents of Tehran to evacuate immediately, Trump said: “I just want people to be safe.” President Trump said on Air Force One that he wants “a real end,” with #Iran “giving up entirely” on its nuclear program. He predicted that Israeli won’t be slowing up its barrage on Iran. “You’re going to find out over the next two days. You’re going to find out. Nobody’s slowed… pic.twitter.com/z9PLFNdjhj — Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) June 17, 2025

05:30 AM EDT Tom O’Connor: Iran’s Opposition Is Divisive and Divided As Israel continues an unprecedented military operation against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly called on Iranians to overthrow their government, going so far as to indicate that his forces’ operations “could certainly” lead to a regime change effort, Tom O’Connor writes. Now, a number of opposition groups based in the country and abroad are calling for a mass uprising against the Islamic Republic. Yet the Iranian government’s domestic foes are composed of a diverse and largely fractured array of factions, including secular dissidents, militias organized along ethnic lines, Islamist militants and those seeking to restore a monarchy with ancient roots. READ IN FULL: As Israel Eyes Regime Change, Iran’s Opposition Is Divisive and Divided People raise flags of Iran and allied factions in Enghelab Square during a rally in Tehran amid Israeli strikes against Iran on June 14, 2025. People raise flags of Iran and allied factions in Enghelab Square during a rally in Tehran amid Israeli strikes against Iran on June 14, 2025. HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

05:20 AM EDT Meloni urges Trump to negotiate with Iran Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni stressed “the opportunity to reopen the road of negotiations” with Iran during a bilateral meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G-7 meeting in Canada, her office said in a statement Tuesday. She also underlined “the necessity in this moment” of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

By Steven Scheer, Steve Holland and Parisa Hafezi, Reuters

Photo: AFP / Menahem Kahana

Iran and Israel have launched new missile strikes at each other on Wednesday as the air war between the two longtime enemies entered a sixth day despite a call from US President Donald Trump for Iran’s unconditional surrender.

The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv.

Israel told residents in the area of Tehran to evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Iranian news websites said explosions were heard in Tehran and the city of Karaj west of the capital.

Trump warned on social media on Tuesday that US patience was wearing thin. While he said there was no intention to kill Iran’s leader “for now,” his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he wrote on Truth Social, referring to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now … Our patience is wearing thin.”

Three minutes later Trump posted, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

A White House official said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday.

Photo: AFP / Brendan Smialowski

Trump’s sometimes contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close US ally Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic overtures, not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to foreign policy.

Britain’s leader Keir Starmer, speaking at the Group of Seven nations summit in Canada that Trump left early, said there was no indication the US was about to enter the conflict.

Trump met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said. Details were not immediately available.

The US is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three US officials told Reuters. The US has so far only taken defensive actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel.

Regional influence weakens

Khamenei’s main military and security advisers have been killed by Israeli strikes, hollowing out his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process.

With Iranian leaders suffering their most dangerous security breach since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country’s cybersecurity command banned officials from using communications devices and mobile phones, Fars news agency reported.

Israel launched a “massive cyber war” against Iran’s digital infrastructure, Iranian media reported.

Ever since Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, and triggered the Gaza war, Khamenei’s regional influence has waned as Israel has pounded Iran’s proxies – from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. Iran’s close ally, Syria’s autocratic president Bashar al-Assad, has been ousted.

Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on Friday after saying it had concluded the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

Photo: AFP / Jack Guez

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.

Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran’s nuclear development is disabled, while Trump says the Israeli assault could end if Iran agrees to strict curbs on enrichment.

Before Israel’s attack began, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.

The IAEA said on Tuesday an Israeli strike directly hit the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility.

Israel says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in coming days.

But Israel will struggle to deal a knock-out blow to deeply buried nuclear sites like Fordow, which is dug beneath a mountain, without the US joining the attack.

Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Residents of both countries have been evacuated or fled.

Global oil markets are on high alert following strikes on sites including the world’s biggest gas field, South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar.

Look back at all the events of today as they happened with RNZ’s blog: