Mazzaltov World News provides you with the latest live coverage of Current Affairs, Sports, Health, Weather, Entertainment, Business and Travel News from around the world.
Here’s where things stand on Sunday 15 June 2025:
- Iran launches missiles at targets across Israel, including the cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, killing at least eight people, according to medics and media reports.
- The attacks came after Israeli forces bombed civilian and energy infrastructure across Iran, igniting a fire at the Shahran oil facility in Tehran. The Israeli military says it targeted sites “related to the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons project”.
- Iranian media say Israeli attacks have killed at least 80 people and wounded 800 others over the past two days. Those killed include 20 children.
- US President Donald Trump says he and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agree that the hostilities between Israel and Iran must end.
- Iran cancels a sixth round of nuclear talks with the United States, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying there is no justification for continuing negotiations in light of Israel’s continued attacks.
Israel says rescue efforts in Bat Yam could take at least a day
The Home Front Command of the army estimates that it will take at least a day to finish scans at the scene of the Iranian ballistic missile attack in Bat Yam, according to the Israeli media.
At least six people were killed, nearly 200 were injured and seven are missing after the attack that hit a building overnight.
Israel not willing to see US reach nuclear deal with Iran: Araghchi
We have been reporting on the comments from Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi before diplomats in Tehran.
Araghchi has reaffirmed the country’s stance on nuclear weapons, saying that it is “our firm conviction not to possess a nuclear weapon”.
“Yet those who are willing to deprive Iran of our right to possess the nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, they have no right to do so,” he added.
Araghchi also said that in the now-cancelled sixth round of negotiations with the US that was scheduled for today, Iran was “prepared to provide the necessary assurances to the Americans”.
“The previous round of talks, the Americans presented a number of proposals, which were not totally acceptable to us. We presented our response and our viewpoints, and we were supposed to present a counterproposal. Our proposal could have opened doors for an all-out agreement with the Americans,” he said.
According to Araghchi, Israel opposes diplomatic progress between Iran and the US.
“This is a crystal-clear matter. The Zionist entity is not willing to see us reaching an agreement or a diplomatic solution with the United States,” he added.
Israel not willing to see US reach nuclear deal with Iran: Araghchi
We have been reporting on the comments from Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi before diplomats in Tehran.
Araghchi has reaffirmed the country’s stance on nuclear weapons, saying that it is “our firm conviction not to possess a nuclear weapon”.
“Yet those who are willing to deprive Iran of our right to possess the nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, they have no right to do so,” he added.
Araghchi also said that in the now-cancelled sixth round of negotiations with the US that was scheduled for today, Iran was “prepared to provide the necessary assurances to the Americans”.
“The previous round of talks, the Americans presented a number of proposals, which were not totally acceptable to us. We presented our response and our viewpoints, and we were supposed to present a counterproposal. Our proposal could have opened doors for an all-out agreement with the Americans,” he said.
According to Araghchi, Israel opposes diplomatic progress between Iran and the US.
“This is a crystal-clear matter. The Zionist entity is not willing to see us reaching an agreement or a diplomatic solution with the United States,” he added.
Number killed while waiting for aid in Gaza rises to 5
The number of Palestinians reported killed after being fired on by Israeli forces while waiting for food in Gaza has risen from three to five.
Medical sources told the Wafa news agency two people were killed and dozens wounded after being shot by Israeli soldiers close to an aid distribution point near Rafah, southern Gaza.
That’s in addition to three people killed earlier by Israeli troops while waiting for aid near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
Israel issues evacuation warning for Iranians
The Israeli military has said in a social media post that people in Iran should stay away from what it called weapons manufacturing facilities and “support institutions”.
“Urgent warning to all Iranian citizens: All persons who are currently or in the near future present in or around military weapons production factories and their support institutions should immediately leave these areas and not return until further notice,” the military’s Farsi language social media account said.
Iran’s attacks on Israel based on ‘self defence’
Iran does not want its conflict with Israel to expand to neighbouring countries unless the situation is forced, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says.
Iran’s military response against Israel has been based on self-defence, he added.
Israel unleashed air strikes across Iran for a third day on Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defences to destroy buildings in the heart of the country.
More from Araghchi
We now have more lines from the Iranian foreign minister from his press conference in Tehran.
Araghchi said that if Israeli attacks on his country stop, “our responses will also stop”.
Moreover, he said the United States needed to condemn the Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Israeli university damaged in Iranian attacks: Report
The Weizmann Institute of Science, a research university in Rehovot in central Israel, says a number of its facilities have been damaged in Iranian strikes.
No casualties were sustained, according to Ynet news outlet. “There were a number of hits to buildings on the campus,” the institute said.
If Israeli attacks stop, ‘our responses will also stop’: Iran
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says if Israeli attacks on his country stop, “our responses will also stop”.
Araghchi made the comment before diplomats in Tehran, his first public appearance since the Israeli strikes began on Friday.
“If the aggression stops, our responses will also stop,” Araghchi said.
There was no immediate reaction from Israel, which had been continuing strikes Sunday across Iran.
Trump’s MAGA base ‘up in arms’ after Israel attacks Iran
During US President Trump’s conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he agreed that the conflict between Israel and Iran needs to end as quickly as possible.
But there are two major issues being discussed now in Washington. One is about this Israeli request for the US to get fully involved in offensive operations against Iran, specifically with long-range bombers and bunker-buster bombs to attack the Fordow nuclear complex deep underground.
The White House has let it be known that it is not being considered. But clearly, now there’s a debate about how much it’s saying in public is actually chiming with what’s being said in private.
The second major issue now is the pressure Trump faces. Clearly, the neo-cons in Washington are thrilled by the green light – at the very least – being given to Israel for these attacks.
But the Make America Great Again (MAGA) base is up in arms and letting it be known they are very concerned that Trump is acting no differently than his predecessors, and potentially being strung along by Netanyahu into a Middle East regime-change war.
Germany, France, UK offer to negotiate on Iran’s nuclear programme
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, currently visiting the Middle East, says he’s working to help reduce tensions in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
“I hope that’s still possible,” Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD. “Germany together with France and Britain are ready. We’re offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear programme, I hope [the offer] is accepted.”
“This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict, that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the state of Israel or to Europe.”
Operations at Tehran Oil Refinery continues without disruption: Report
Iran’s Student News Network has dismissed reports of an attack on the oil refinery at Shahr Rey in southern Tehran, saying operations there continue without interruption.
The network, however, said that a fire had broken out at a fuel tank outside the refinery and had no connection to it.
Iran’s oil ministry earlier said that an Israeli attack targeted the Shahran oil depot, which is also located in Tehran, igniting a fire there. The ministry said the situation there was under control.
Number of people missing after Bat Yam strike drops to 7
Israeli media have reported the number of people missing following the Iranian missile attack on Bat Yam, where dozens were previously unaccounted for, now stands at seven people, a police official says.
“There is great destruction here, lots of rubble and debris that has to be lifted to find the missing,” said regional police commander Daniel Hadad. “This could take days.”
Israeli media earlier reported at least 35 people are missing after the strike hit Bat Yam, a city south of Tel Aviv.
Three killed in Gaza collecting aid: Report
Three Palestinians have been killed and others injured after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting to receive food assistance in Gaza, a news report says.
Medical sources told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that the lethal incident occurred near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
Several people waiting for aid in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and at-Twam in northern Gaza were also wounded when Israeli forces opened fire.
Israeli military censors reporting on four sites
Well, the damage is quite extensive, and it’s in Haifa, it’s in Bat Yam. There are sightings of drones as well in the north near Beisan, and there are at least four sites where the military sensor has not allowed the media to disclose information about direct impact incidents.
But what we do know is that dozens of buildings have been damaged in Bat Yam. The mayor is talking about people still stuck under the rubble.
This is by far more violent than the first night of confrontation, and the first retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel. The attacks on Haifa in particular, where the refineries are, indicates that Iran is making good on its promise to reciprocate if Israel hits civilian infrastructure, sites related to energy, then Iran would try to do the same.
Jordan reopens airspace
The kingdom’s Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority says it has decided to reopen Jordan’s airspace after closing it overnight amid the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.
Death toll in central Israel rises to six
The Times of Israel and the YNet News outlet are reporting that the number of people confirmed killed in Iranian missile strikes on the city of Bat Yam has now risen to six.
The city is located just south of Tel Aviv.
Photos: Destruction in Israel’s Bat Yam after Iranian strikes
What options does Iran have now?
More from Alan Eyre, the former US nuclear negotiator.
He told Al Jazeera that Iran’s options in the face of the Israeli onslaught are “very bleak” and “very limited”.
“They have to respond militarily just to save face domestically. But as we’ve seen, Israel can take the brunt of a lot of that, and it’s very unlikely that Iran can cause enough damage internally in Israel to put any sort of pressure on Israel to stop bombing,” Eyre said.
“Iran can use diplomatic means, but they don’t have that many allies in the international community. But even if they did, Israel has shown that it’s spectacularly unwilling to listen to international opinion when it’s pursuing what it considers legitimate military goals.”
Iran’s best option, according to Eyre, is “to just ride it out” and do as much damage as they can to Israel to save face domestically.
“Then, once Israel stops bombing, try to take stock, come up with a new defence strategy, which possibly could include, in fact, trying to get a nuclear weapon, as opposed to just maintaining the capability for a nuclear weapon. And that’s very worrisome,” he added.
Israel claims more attacks in western Iran
The Israeli military says its forces have “completed another wave of attacks in western Iran”, targeting missile storage and launching infrastructure in the past hour.
There was no immediate comment from Iran.
We’ll bring you more when we have it.
Herzog says Israel grieving ‘terrible loss’
Israeli President Isaac Herzog says the country has experienced a “very sad and difficult mourning” after the Iranian missile strikes killed at least eight people and injured dozens more.
Denouncing what he described as “criminal Iranian attacks”, Herzog said in a post on X that he would pray for the wounded to recover and for the Israelis who are still missing to be found.
As we reported earlier, Israeli media outlets said dozens of people were reported missing after a strike in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv.
Houthis claim missile attack on central Israel
Earlier, the Israeli military reported that some of the missiles that targeted the country’s central areas were fired from Yemen.
The Houthi rebels in Yemen have just confirmed that.
In a statement carried by Al Masirah TV, the Houthis said the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Iranian military and involved a number of “Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missiles”.
It said the targets were “sensitive” sites of the “Israeli enemy in the occupied Jaffa area”.
As we’ve been reporting, at least four people were killed in the attacks on central Israel and dozens more wounded. At least four others were also killed in a previous round of attacks on northern Israel.
G7 leaders gather in Canada in shadow of Israel-Iran conflict
The first of the G7 leaders to arrive in Canada is the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer. He’s announced that he’s going to bolster his country’s military resources in the Middle East.
That’s, I think, to protect the UK’s presence in the region. It’s not a very big presence, but they do have bases in quite a number of countries across the region.
That, I think, shows you the big worry among the G7 countries is that this could spread, that there could be further escalation. That’s a worry about the military and political situation, but also – given that this is a place where the oil and gas reserves of the world are based – a worry about the effects on the global economy.
It’s not just the leaders of the G7 who will be here in the Canadian Rockies in the coming days, but also their invited guests. So there are eight other countries coming. Some of them, unlike the European nations and the US, have strongly condemned Israel’s actions – for example, Brazil and South Africa. So there’ll be a range of voices around the table.
I think the one person everyone will be trying to influence is President Donald Trump, because he’s the only player here at the meeting that could really change things on the ground, because Israel and Iran, of course, are both not here.
But Trump, if he wants, could exercise influence on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He could even either privately or publicly order him to stop the bombardment of Iran. Of course, the big question is, would the Israeli prime minister even listen to the US president?
Trump says US ‘had nothing to do’ with attack on Iran
But the American president has warned that if the US is “attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before”.
“However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Israeli soldier killed in Gaza
The military says the soldier was killed in the southern Gaza Strip, the latest troop casualty since Israel launched its deadly assault on the coastal enclave in October 2023.
The Israeli government has faced domestic pressure to agree to end its war on Gaza in order to secure the release of Israeli captives.
Before Israel launched its attacks on Iran, it was also facing growing international calls to halt its attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and allow the free flow of humanitarian aid into the territory.
Rights groups have cautioned that with the world’s attention turned to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, the Israeli military will ramp up its attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Iranian airspace to remain closed until 3:00pm
Iranian civil aviation authorities have extended the closure of the country’s airspace until 3:00pm today (11:30 GMT).
In a statement, the Civil Aviation Organisation urged passengers to refrain from visiting Iran’s airports in person and to look for updates on its website.
US Muslim groups call on Trump to reject Israel’s ‘unprovoked war on Iran’
The US Council of Muslim Organizations, the largest coalition of Muslim groups in the country, has warned that Israel’s “illegal, unnecessary and unprovoked war on Iran … threatens to entangle the United States in more death and destruction”.
In a statement, the group called on Trump to reject Israel’s push for the US to get more involved in the conflict, and to demand that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately halt his country’s attacks.
“Let’s be clear. What we are seeing today echoes the lies that led to the Iraq war,” the organisations said, referring to the false claim in the lead-up to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 that the country had “weapons of mass destruction”, or WMDs.
“Just as Iraq did not have WMDs, Iran does not have nuclear weapons, was not making nuclear weapons, and was at the negotiating table ready to commit to limiting its uranium enrichment to the amount that can only be used for civilian purposes,” the statement reads.
The groups also tied the Israel-Iran escalation to the “US’s blind support” for Israel’s abuses against Palestinians. “The Israeli government is committed to self-destructive madness – and the American government must stop blindly following this foreign nation into the abyss,” they said.
China’s Wang Yi slams Israel’s ‘brutal attacks’ on Iran
The Chinese foreign minister has held phone calls with his counterparts in Iran and Israel.
In his call with Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, Wang said China “clearly opposes Israel’s violation of international law by attacking Iran with force, especially when the international community is still seeking a political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue”.
He called for a return to diplomacy, saying that diplomatic avenues for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue have not yet been exhausted and adding that “force cannot bring lasting peace”.
In his call with Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, Wang said that China condemns “Israel’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity” and opposes the “brutal attacks” targeting Iranian officials.
He also said that China supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and denounced Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying that they “set a dangerous precedent that could have disastrous consequences”.
Israel facing ‘no effective pressure’ to stand down
Former US nuclear negotiator Alan Eyre says Israel and Iran are “stuck in a dangerous, escalatory spiral of hostilities”.
“All in all, it seems that Israel had a plan, it’s following the plan, there’s really not effective international pressure on Israel to stop, and so it seems – at least for the time being – that Israel will continue to go after targets it deems it needs to take care of inside Iran,” Eyre told Al Jazeera.
While Trump has said he thinks Israel’s attacks on Iran will encourage Iranian negotiators to agree to a nuclear deal, Eye explained that “anyone with even a cursory knowledge of contemporary Iran realises that that’s very unlikely”.
“If the US thinking is that allowing Israel to go forward with these attacks will put more pressure on Iran and get a better deal for the United States, I think that’s quite unlikely.”
With Israel facing no “effective pressure” both domestically and internationally to halt its attacks, Eyre added that the key question will be what the Israeli government’s goals are.
“Is Israel just seeking to incapacitate Iran’s nuclear programme, or is it in fact hoping to push Iran towards some type of regime change by increasing the pressure on the Iranian population?”
Death toll in central Israel rises to 4: Reports
Israel’s Ynet News outlet is reporting that a nine-year-old girl has been confirmed killed in the missile attack in Bat Yam, taking the overall toll from that assault to four.
Israeli Army Radio also reported the death, but said the girl was eight years old.
Earlier, Israeli media reported that 35 people were missing at the site of the hit on the city, located just south of Tel Aviv.
Some 100 people were wounded.
Houthis launch second wave of attacks on Israel
This latest wave of attacks overnight, from Saturday into Sunday, sent Israelis running to their bomb shelters repeatedly.
This time, Israel says that the missiles are coming not only from Iran, but also from Yemen, from the Houthis.
This is the second time the Houthis have done this in this latest wave of attacks.
They carried out a first missile launch on Tuesday. They said they launched two missiles, and in response, Israel bombed the Hodeidah port, which is held by the Houthis in Yemen.
The Houthis say that they’re involved in these attacks on Israel out of solidarity for the Palestinians, following the start of the war on Gaza. There was a pause in Houthi attacks, which launched drones and missiles previously to Israel when there was a ceasefire back in March, but as soon as Israel broke the ceasefire, the Houthis started launching missiles again. They are an Iranian supported group in Yemen.
If military installations have been hit, we wouldn’t hear about it, because there is military censorship in Israel. So we only hear if Iranian missiles have gotten through Israel’s Iron Dome and hit civilian targets. And we’ve seen that happen in both Tel Aviv and in Haifa.
What’s the White House’s thinking on the Israel-Iran conflict?
Well, there’s no question that US President Trump did, in fact, campaign on being less interventionist.
He said that he wants to see an end to the ‘forever wars’, and that’s what his supporters want as well. But the problem is, the president is a member of the Republican Party that typically, particularly among the older generations, has been very hawkish.
There’s a faction known as the neoconservatives, or neo-cons, that are very much interventionist in nature. And as a result, the US president is finding himself in the midst of a bit of a schism in the political party.
And so, what we know is that the US president, both privately as well as publicly, has urged Israel not to attack Iran while there was still the prospect of negotiations to limit Iran’s nuclear programme, but the US watched as the rest of the world did, as Israel struck on the 61st day after that 60-day deadline for making an agreement that Trump put forward.
So the US president now, as he expressed to the Russian president in a phone call earlier today, said that he is committed to trying to find diplomacy and that the US mediators are ready to work with Iran at any time.
The problem is in the midst of all of this, that we know Iran is not willing to do that. So, that is the conundrum that the US president finds himself in.
Photos: Aftermath of Iranian missile strikes near Tel Aviv
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
- At least seven people have been killed in Israel after Iran launched new waves of missile strikes on the country, according to medics and Israeli media outlets. Dozens more have been wounded.
- The casualties come after Israel carried out several attacks across Iran, with the Israeli military saying it targeted nuclear sites, including the headquarters of the Iranian Defence Ministry.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK is moving more military assets, including fighter jets, to the Middle East to provide “contingency support in the region”.
- US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to the country’s enemies at a military parade in Washington, DC, in comments seen as a thinly veiled threat against Iran.
- The AP news agency, citing two unnamed US officials, says three drones that were launched towards the Ain al-Assad Airbase in western Iraq, which houses US troops, have been shot down. No group has claimed responsibility.
Dozens missing after missile strike in Israel’s Bat Yam: Report
Israeli news outlet Ynet is reporting that the Home Front Command estimates that 35 people are missing at the site of the hit in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv.
The number of people hurt in that strike has risen to 100, including four people with serious injuries, Ynet said.
Those killed include a 10-year-old boy and two elderly women, aged 69 and 80, the news outlet said, citing Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom.
Ynet added that in Rehovot, another city south of Tel Aviv, at least 37 people were injured in a separate missile strike.
Welcome to our live coverage
Thanks for tuning in to our coverage of the situation between Iran and Israel.
Stay here for up-to-the-minute coverage of Israel’s attacks on Iran and Iran’s barrages of missiles in reply.
You can find all our most recent updates from the last hours here.