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Here’s where things stand on Wednesday 18 June 2025:
- Supreme Leader Khamenei says Iran won’t accept “imposed war”, “peace”, and warns any US strikes on its territory will have “serious irreparable consequences”.
- Explosions rock Tehran as Israel claims to hit 40 sites in Iran today alone, including centrifuge and weapons production sites.
- The attacks come after Iran launched more missiles towards Israel, including the hypersonic Fattah projectile, claiming the weapon broke through Israeli air defences.
- US President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”, saying, “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”
- The death toll from Israel’s attacks on Iran has risen to more than 240, including 70 women and children. More than 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel.
- In Gaza, Israeli forces have killed at least 89 Palestinians, including 70 people seeking food aid in the city of Khan Younis.
Israel says 40 sites hit in Iran today
“This morning, Air Force fighter jets completed a wave of strikes against military targets in western Iran, under the direction of the Intelligence Branch,” an Israeli army post on X says.
“Approximately 25 fighter jets attacked more than 40 missile infrastructures aimed at the State of Israel, missile storage sites, and military operatives of the Iranian regime,” it adds.
Earlier, we reported that Israel claimed it had bombed at least two nuclear centrifuge production facilities in Iran, including the main nuclear facility in Tehran.
Qatar receives letter from Iran’s president
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has received a letter from Pezeshkian, the Qatari Foreign Ministry says.
The content of the letter was not revealed by the ministry.
Qatar is among the countries that have appealed to Washington to press Israel to agree to a ceasefire and resume talks with Tehran aimed at achieving a nuclear deal.
Iran won’t accept ‘imposed war or peace, won’t surrender’: Khamenei
Iran “will stand firm against an imposed war, just as it will stand firm against an imposed peace”, the supreme leader says in a televised address reported by the Tasnim news agency.
“This nation will not surrender to anyone in the face of imposition.”
Khamenei also pointed to statements made by Trump, saying those who know Iran and its history “know that Iranians do not answer well to the language of threat”.
“And the Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable consequences.”
We will bring you more comments as we get them.
Khamenei: Israel will be punished for its mistake
An address by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is now being broadcast, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.
We will bring you more shortly.
Turkiye’s Erdogan says Iran acting in self-defence
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of waging “crazed” attacks against Iran that amount to “state terrorism”.
Iran’s response, Erdogan said, is natural, legal and legitimate.
Speaking to members of his ruling Justice and Development Party in parliament, Erdogan said Turkiye wants to see the crisis resolved diplomatically and Ankara could play a constructive role.
What Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera
Here are the key takeaways from our interview with Esmaeil Baghaei:
- Any direct engagement by a third country in the war between Israel and Iran would be an invitation to a full-scale conflict that “would engulf all the region and even will go beyond that”.
- Iran is “for the time being” focused on targeting Israeli territory only and it trusts its neighbours would not allow the US to use their territory for attacks against it.
- When asked if Iran is willing to engage in dialogue with the US, he said, “Diplomacy never ends,” but added that Tehran no longer trusts Washington.
- Iran is in contact with other countries, including Russia, because it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and “we expect everyone that has a leeway, that has a mandate under the UN Security Council, to act to help having a resolution in condemnation of this attack.
Israeli military claims to hit 1,100 targets in Iran in 5 days, says it is ‘operating freely’
Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin has announced the figure at a news conference, according to The Times of Israel.
He said the strikes demonstrate that Israel is “operating systematically to neutralise the nuclear threat”.
“The Air Force is operating freely in Iran – this is unprecedented,” Defrin added, according to a military statement that included video footage of what appeared to be an air strike inside Iran.
Entire Middle East concerned about their ‘safety’, ‘future’
The public in the region has been horrified for the past 20 months. They’ve been horrified watching carnage in Gaza, watching decimation and destruction in Lebanon, watching Israel exercise free rein over the skies of Syria, watching Israel take over the region as a military hegemon.
Governments in the region are very aware of the potential fallout. This is not something that will pass if it is carried through to the end with US participation.
Israel is trying to capitalise on the idea that only the US can wrap this up quickly and open a new dawn in the Middle East. But the only ones cheering this on right now are in Tel Aviv.
Everyone else in the region is not just concerned, but they have very serious questions about their safety, their security and their very future. This is especially true for the Palestinians, who fear that what is happening right now will come at their expense, that their national aspirations for freedom will be entirely decimated.
UK removes family members of Foreign Office staff in Israel
Britain says it is temporarily withdrawing the family members of staff who work at the country’s embassy and consulate in Israel due to the significant risks posed by the conflict between Iran and Israel.
“Family members of staff at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv and the British Consulate in Jerusalem have been temporarily withdrawn as a precautionary measure,” the Foreign Office said on its travel advice page for Israel.
“The Embassy and Consulate continues with essential work including services to British nationals,” it added.
Televised message from Khamenei to air shortly: Iranian media
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will speak in a televised message in the coming minutes, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Khamenei’s last appearance was on Friday, shortly after Israel attacked Iran.
‘With national unity, we will overcome any crisis,’ Iranian president says
We can now bring you remarks from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has addressed his cabinet in a meeting this morning.
Pezeshkian stressed the need to “preserve national unity” to withstand the crisis.
“If the people stand with us, no problem will endanger the country, and for this reason, it is essential that all actions aim to preserve national unity,” Pezeshkian said in comments carried by Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “I believe that with national cohesion and unity, we will overcome any crisis.”
The president also expressed appreciation to neighbouring states for their offers of support and instructed state ministers to stay engaged with them, according to Tasnim.
Iranian missile attacks creating ‘unprecedented disruption to life’ in Israel
Over the past six days, the Israeli public has experienced something they haven’t in the past: a formidable army that is firing ballistic missiles at Israeli cities and sensitive Israeli sites.
We know of the damage to Israeli residential buildings because we’re allowed to see that, but there are increasing leaks about sensitive sites also being hit and damaged. Today was also the first time we heard from the Israeli army that a Hermes drone was downed in Iran.
While the Israeli public is seeing the destruction in Iran, they’re also seeing reports in their back yard of dozens of buildings damaged and condemned for demolition. There are more than 1,300 Israelis who now have to live in hotels because their homes are unliveable, damaged beyond repair. More than 18,000 compensation requests have been filed by Israelis because of the damage they’ve sustained.
These facets of the conflict are things Israelis are not used to. Past confrontations with paramilitary groups like Hamas and Hezbollah – even if far more ferocious with Hezbollah – were manageable for Israelis. This is something different. The disruption to life is really unprecedented.
Did Trump approve Israel’s attack on Iran, and is the US preparing for war?
As the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates, the Trump administration is offering mixed signals about whether it still backs a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Publicly, it has supported a negotiated agreement, and US and Iranian negotiators had planned to meet again this past weekend. As recently as Thursday, Trump insisted in a Truth Social post: “We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution.”
But 14 hours later as Israel began its attacks on Iran, Trump posted that he had given Iran a 60-day deadline to reach an agreement – and that the deadline had passed. By Sunday, Trump was insisting that “Israel and Iran should make a deal” and they would with his help.
On Monday as Trump prepared to leave the Group of Seven summit in Canada early, his warnings grew more ominous: He posted that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” The US president later denied speculation that he had returned to Washington, DC, early to negotiate a ceasefire, noting that it was for something “much bigger than that”.
Trump’s ambiguous statements have fuelled debate among analysts about the true extent of US involvement and intentions in the Israel-Iran conflict.
Read the rest of our explainer here.
IAEA says two centrifuge production facilities hit in Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says on X that two centrifuge production facilities in Iran, a workshop in Karaj and the Tehran Nuclear Research Center, were hit in Israeli attacks.
At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested, and at Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where centrifuge components were manufactured, the IAEA said.
‘This is how dictatorships fall,’ Israel’s defence minister says
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued more remarks suggesting the collapse of Iran’s government could be imminent.
In a post on X, Katz said Iranian “symbols of power are being bombed and collapsing – from the broadcasting authority and soon other targets, as masses of residents flee.”
“This is how dictatorships fall,” he wrote.
On Tuesday, as we reported, Katz warned that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei could meet the same end as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. “He [Khamenei] 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,” Katz said.
Iranian diplomat at UN promises serious retaliation against Israeli attacks
Iran will respond to Israeli strikes “strongly” and “without restraint”, its ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva says.
“We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land. We will respond seriously and strongly without restraint,” Ali Bahreini told reporters.
‘Diplomacy never ends’
We have more from Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
When asked if Iran is willing to engage in dialogue with the US, he said, “Diplomacy never ends,” but added that Tehran no longer trusts Washington.
“This war was imposed in the midst of a diplomatic process. We were supposed to be in Muscat on Sunday, and they started this aggression early Friday. Iran has been all in for diplomacy and dialogue,” he said.
Iran does “not really” trust the US because “no one can imagine in our region, not only in Iran, that Israel started this war without prior green light by the United States,” Baghaei said.
“So I think what is at stake is the credibility of a country that is supposed to be a global power. What is at stake is the international law, international law that has been almost annihilated for the past two years because of all of these atrocities that have been committed in occupied Palestine, in Lebanon, in Syria and elsewhere,” he added. “So I think the whole international community, in particular those who are members of the Security Council, must shoulder their responsibility and act in order to stop this aggression.”
Trust ‘nonexistent’ between Iran, US
Hassan Ahmadian, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, says he doubts the prospects for any diplomatic solution between Iran and the US.
“The minimal trust that led to the negotiations with the US is currently nonexistent,” Ahmadian said, adding that many Iranians now view the previous round of nuclear talks as little more than a distraction before the surprise Israeli attack.
“I don’t see much of a chance for diplomacy at this point – not until this confrontation ends and we see what comes next,” he told Al Jazeera.
Ahmadian said Israel is seeking direct US military involvement and is “misleading” Trump by claiming Iran’s missile and drone capabilities are being depleted, “which is not at all true”.
“Israel is in a confrontation in which there is no end in sight,” he said. “It wants to get out of it, and the best way to achieve that is to get the United States involved.”
However, Ahmadian said he hopes “voices of reason will prevail in Washington” to avoid “a confrontation that is bigger than Iran-Israel”.
Iran trusts Arab neighbours will not allow US to launch attacks from their territories, official says
We’ve been speaking to Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, on the ongoing conflict.
We asked him whether Iran would attack US forces in neighbouring countries if Washington enters the conflict.
Baghaei said Iran is “under an attack by a genocidal” regime and it will defend itself with “full force” against Israel’s “war of aggression”.
He says Iran is “for the time being” focused on targeting Israeli territory only and it trusts its neighbours would not allow the US to use their territory for attacks against it.
“Right now, we focus on defending ourselves from attacks from Israel, and that is why we have been very careful, very responsible, very calculated in our response to these attacks. We have targeted military bases, security bases inside the occupied lands, so for the time being, we are focused on that,” he said.
“We have very good relations with Arab countries, and they are very cognisant of the fact that Israel has been trying to drag others into the war. … We are sure our Arab countries hosting US bases would not allow their territory to be used against their Muslim neighbours,” he added.
Under international law, no country has a legal basis to allow a third party to use its territory against another country, and “I trust that the understanding between Iran and our neighbouring countries would not allow any third party to abuse their territory,” he said.
Israeli tanks, drones, snipers again gun down Gaza aid seekers
Israeli forces have killed 11 Palestinians who have tried to approach aid points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation this morning.
Health authorities say more than 100 people were wounded.
It’s very clear that Israeli forces are targeting civilians who only went to get bags of flour or boxes of food. Eyewitnesses say the soldiers used a variety of weapons, including drones and tanks. Snipers who have been deployed in nearby hills have also been gunning down the civilians.
The Israeli military claims these hungry crowds are a security threat, but these claims have been not substantiated with clear evidence.
Despite the threat and despite understanding that Israel is trapping and killing people in these humanitarian corridors, Palestinians here continue to take the risk because of the severity of the hunger crisis here.
Iranian oil, atomic energy ministries give update
Fars news agency, quoting Iran’s Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad, says the country “will not have a problem” keeping the populace supplied, and that Iranians should not worry.
This comes amid Israeli attacks on Iran’s energy sector and reports of people attempting to flee the country, unable to find enough fuel for their cars.
Paknejad added that there may, however, be some restrictions in certain areas in the long term.
As for the country’s nuclear facilities, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, said they are in “good condition”, despite repeated Israeli attacks.
“The morale of our colleagues at the nuclear facilities is excellent, and they are working hard,” he told Fars.
Israel says drone downed in Iran
Israel’s military says one of its remotely piloted aircraft has fallen in Iran after being shot at by a surface-to-air missile
“No injuries were reported, and there is no risk of an information breach,” the military said.
The report follows Iranian state media claiming that Iranian forces shot down an Israeli drone and fighter jet.
Israel did not address the Iranian claim about its fighter jet but has previously said none of its fighter jets has been lost in Iranian territory.
Pentagon chief faces more grilling from US Congress
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is returning to Capitol Hill for the last in a series of often combative hearings before lawmakers, who have pressed him on everything from his use of a Signal chat to share sensitive military plans to the current Iran-Israel conflict.
The questions – which also have touched on his firings of top military leaders and even some of his inner circle of advisers – may be dominated by the escalation of air strikes between Iran and Israel, which threaten a potential regional war.
The US has shifted significant numbers of refuelling tanker and fighter aircraft to position them to be able to respond if needed to the conflict, such as possible evacuations or air strikes. Hegseth said this week that was done to protect US personnel and airbases.
“We are postured defensively in the region to be strong in pursuit of a peace deal, and we certainly hope that’s what happens here,” he told the Fox News channel. “And America First means we’re going to defend American personnel and American interests.”
In recent days, Trump has strongly hinted that the US could join in Israel’s military operation against Iran, threatening a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Hegseth is also expected to face sharp questions about his chaotic tenure, his opposition to women in combat jobs and efforts to shift funding from soldier housing to border security.
China says more than 700 citizens evacuated from Israel, Iran
Its Foreign Ministry says more than 700 Chinese nationals have been moved to “places of safety” and more than 1,000 more are in the process of being evacuated.
The ministry added that no Chinese citizens have been killed thus far in the ongoing hostilities between Iran and Israel.
Israeli attacks in Gaza kill 34, including 11 aid seekers: Reports
As Israel’s conflict with Iran rages, it is continuing to wage deadly attacks in Gaza.
Today, a series of Israeli attacks across the enclave have killed at least 34 people so far, many of them aid seekers and civilians, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The victims include:
- 11 people killed and more than 100 wounded in central Gaza, according to civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal;
- 10 people, including a woman and her children, killed in the Maghazi camp, according to Wafa;
- eight people killed in shelling in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, reports Wafa; and
- five people, including a woman and two children, killed in an attack on a tent camp in Khan Younis, according to Wafa.
‘Mr President give the order’: Israelis hope for US intervention
Overnight, there was a back-to-back commentary and discussion about an imminent decision from the American president.
There was euphoria about the possibility the US would use the B-52 bombers that would, once and for all, finish the job.
This morning, just to give you an indication of how much support this has, the front page of Yedioth Ahronoth has a picture of Trump in Air Force One and the headline is “Mr President give the order”.
There is a lot of anticipation for such an involvement that is seen as something that would conclusively end the war to Israel’s advantage. Although there are some voices that say that even if Trump doesn’t give the order, Israel is going to push on – it would take more time – but it can also do what is necessary according to Israeli interests.
Israeli attack targets missile production facility in Iran
Video shows plumes of smoke rising from the direction of the Khojir missile production complex in Tehran after a wave of Israeli air strikes across Iran.
Israel said its latest attacks have targeted weapons facilities and nuclear centrifuge production plants.
Iran shoots down Israeli drone, F-35 jet: Reports
We have more on Israel’s overnight attacks on Iran.
The state broadcaster IRIB is reporting that Iranian forces shot down an Israeli Hermes drone in Isfahan. It published footage of the downed unmanned aircraft used for surveillance.
Meanwhile, the official IRNA news agency reported that Iranian forces destroyed a hostile F-35 fighter in the Javadabad area of Varamin city.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
‘Escalation upon escalation’ as Israel ramps up attacks on Iran’s nuclear, military sites
We are now on day six of Israel’s escalation against Iran.
Overnight, we heard a lot of explosions here in the capital as the air defence systems were activated, and this happened several times up until the morning. We’re also receiving reports about important nuclear facilities being targeted and reports about the downing of Israeli drones which were intended to target different Iranian military complexes and nuclear facilities.
What we are seeing on the ground is escalation upon escalation as Israeli strikes continue. For its part, the IRGC also came out to say that they are going to continue their retaliation as long as Israeli strikes go on.
And in the city of Tehran, which houses at least 10 million people, we are seeing that a considerable proportion of the population has decided to leave the area. But still, there are many civilians remaining here, and they are very anxious about the future, given the threats from the Israelis as well as the US president, who have told them to evacuate.
Israel says it shoots down 7 more drones
The Israeli military says it has intercepted seven more drones launched from Iran.
This comes moments after it reported shooting down three other drones.
Israel shoots down 3 drones
The Israeli military says it intercepted three drones launched from Iran this morning.
The launches triggered sirens in the occupied Golan Heights, it added.
Iran’s Pezeshkian holds cabinet meeting
The Iranian president has presided over a meeting of his cabinet, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, as the country faces the threat of more Israeli strikes and the possibility of the US entering the conflict.
Tasnim reported that the meeting was held at the presidential palace this morning.
Photos posted by Tasnim showed First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and other cabinet members at the meeting.
Trump’s latest comments indicate ‘US is heading towards military action against Iran’
We know that Trump spoke to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, late on Tuesday. There’s no readout of what they discussed or what was said, but we can imagine what was on the table there.
And, of course, this came after the US president had spent about one hour, 20 minutes in the Situation Room. He was meeting with his top cabinet officials. He was meeting with some top generals. He was meeting with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, really discussing the next step forward.
It does appear from all indications that at the moment, all diplomacy or talk of a deal is off. And it looks like Trump could be heading towards some kind of military action. Now, whether or not that is unilateral or whether or not that is with Israel, that remains to be seen.
But the fact of the matter is that the indications are that that is at least what is coming.
You’ve just got to look at those messages, those Truth Social posts where he talked about complete surrender, where he used the term “we” when he spoke of control over Iranian skies. This is fairly significant because it was Israel that was previously talking about having that presence over the Iranian skies. But now the fact that Trump is saying “we” shows that there is a coupling.
There’s also what Trump said to Khamenei, saying we know where you are but we are not going to kill you.
So the big question is what will any action look like.
Ship collision in Sea of Oman caused by a navigational error, UAE says
An accidental collision between two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman indicates that the incident was caused by a navigational misjudgement by one of the vessels, UAE’s Energy Ministry says, citing preliminary information.
The Adalynn and Front Eagle collided and caught fire on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has surged amid conflict between Iran and Israel, but there were no injuries to the crew or spillage reported.
What happened in Israel overnight?
Volleys of Iranian missiles were fired towards Israel, concentrating on the central area as well as the north.
We know from the Israeli Ministry of Health that 94 Israelis have been treated for injuries from those overnight strikes, and that there were several fires where these missiles hit, or where fragments from the interceptors hit.
We’re not very clear on the locations of direct impact, because there is almost a blackout of information as the Israeli military censors reporting on what is targeted and what kind of damage is sustained.
But several municipalities are now releasing information about damage to residential buildings, and the number of buildings condemned for demolition has risen.
In Bat Yam, a city that was hit on Monday, there are 30 buildings that cannot be repaired.
What air defences does Israel have, and how do they work?
As we’ve been reporting, Israel has intercepted many of the Iranian missiles fired towards its territory, but not all of them, with some causing major damage and casualties in recent days.
The Israeli air defence relies largely on what is known as the Iron Dome system, which is equipped with a radar that detects an incoming projectile, as well as its speed and direction.
The control centre then calculates whether the projectile poses a threat to Israeli cities and towns, and if so, the missile-firing unit launches missiles to shoot them down. The launcher contains 20 interceptor missiles.
There are 10 Iron Dome batteries scattered around Israel.
Other systems intercept medium- and long-range missiles. The David’s Sling intercepts missiles ranging between 40km (25 miles) and 300km (186 miles). The Arrow System intercepts missiles with a range of up to 2,400km (1,491 miles).
Iranian police say 14 Israeli drones intercepted: Report
Quoting Iran’s police spokesperson Saeed Montazerolmahdi, the Iranian Labour News Agency says police forces also identified hostile drone-producing workshops and drone-carrying vehicles across various provinces.
Some business activities continue in Tehran despite exodus: Report
Despite reports of tens of thousands of people leaving the Iranian capital for safer areas amid threats of more Israeli attacks, some forms of commerce continue in parts of Tehran, according to Iran’s Press TV.
Images posted on X by the English-language news publication showed people lining up for bread, buying their groceries and doing their daily activities in Tehran.
Some residents of Tehran have told Al Jazeera that their families are unable to leave the city due to medical conditions or lack of transport. Others said they are refusing to leave despite the threat by Israel.
An estimated 10 million people live across Tehran’s 22 districts.
Israel running low on defensive interceptors: Report
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Israel is running low on defensive Arrow interceptors and says this could affect the country’s ability to shoot down the long-range ballistic missiles from Iran.
An anonymous US official told the newspaper that Washington has been aware of the capacity problem for months and has been augmenting Israel’s defences with systems on the ground, at sea, and in the air.
The report said the Israeli military declined to comment “on matters related to munitions”.
Israeli army shoots Palestinian in West Bank
The Israeli army says it “neutralized” an armed man with a knife who attempted to stab Israeli soldiers and seize their weapons as they were operating in the village of al-Walaja in the occupied West Bank.
“The fighters responded with fire and neutralized the terrorist,” the army said on Telegram.
While it is not clear whether it refers to the same incident, Palestine’s Wafa news agency reported that in al-Walaja, a young man, identified as Ali Hamza Hajajleh, 22, was shot “from close range” by Israeli soldiers after they had raided his house and arrested him.
He was seriously wounded, the agency added.
In separate reports, the Palestinian news agency said Israeli troops conducted multiple overnight raids in the Palestinian territory, including in the town of Birzeit, west of Ramallah, and the town of Burqin, west of Jenin.
The Israeli-occupied territory has been under lockdown since last week as the Israeli army, while bombing Iran, sealed the entrances of cities and villages there with iron gates and concrete barriers.
Palestinians in the West Bank say the Israeli actions are aimed at annexing their lands and expanding illegal settlements. An estimated three million Palestinians live under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank.
Iranian official says all border crossings remain open: Report
All land border crossings in Iran have remained open, according to an Iranian official, as foreign nationals living there seek the nearest departure point amid escalating hostilities with Israel.
Javad Hedayati, director general of Iran’s transit bureau, told Tasnim news agency that all borders of the country are open to passengers and freight, and that the border crossings are “being operated normally”.
In recent days, foreigners, including Pakistani, Chinese and South Korean nationals, have started evacuating from the country using land routes, as all aviation activities have been halted.
Meanwhile, Hedayati said, due to the ongoing attacks by Israel and the need for “security precautions”, the entry of people and goods into Iran has slowed down.
China begins evacuating citizens from Iran
The China News Service reports that Beijing is evacuating the first batch of Chinese citizens from Iran.
The Chinese nationals departed from Tehran via land route into Turkmenistan on Tuesday, the state-run agency said.
Photos: Israelis take shelter from Iranian missiles
Israel attacks Iran where thousands of Jewish people call home
Lost in coverage of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel is the Iranian Jewish community that has called the country home for centuries.
- According to estimates, between 17,000 and 25,000 Iranian Jews are living mostly in larger cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Hamedan and Tabriz.
- Next to Israel, Iran has the largest number of people of the Jewish faith in the Middle East. Iran’s parliament, the Majlis, has one reserved seat for the Jewish community.
- In Isfahan, one of the city’s most prominent synagogues is located next to a mosque called Al Aqsa, and in Tehran, there are at least 50 synagogues spread across the city.
- The Jewish community also runs a hospital in Tehran that caters to all patients regardless of their religious affiliation.
- Jewish ties to the country date back as far as 2,700 years ago, Younes Hamami Lalehzar, a senior rabbi at Abrishami Synagogue in Tehran, once told me in an interview.
- It is believed that Jewish heroine Esther and her uncle, Mordechai, are buried in the western city of Hamedan. According to Jewish biblical text, Esther was married to the Persian king, Xerxes.
- In more recent history, the country gave safe haven to Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition. During German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s rampage of Europe, Polish Jews sought refuge in Iran.
- But there have also been periods of unrest, such as the forced conversion of Jews to Islam during the Safavid and Qajar era, and the migration of thousands of Iranian Jews to the US and Israel following the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Iran-Israel conflict raises alarm in Pakistan amid fears over own security
Pakistan and Iran fired missiles into each other’s territory during a brief military escalation between the neighbours in January 2024.
Now, 17 months later, after Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities and assassinated multiple Iranian generals and nuclear scientists, Pakistan has been quick to condemn the Israeli military action.
Islamabad described the Israeli strikes as violations of Iran’s territorial sovereignty and labelled them “blatant provocations”.
Analysts now say the deepening conflict is sparking fears due to Islamabad’s complex ties with Tehran and the prospect of the Israeli military extending its aerial influence close to the Pakistani border.
Read the full report here.
Israeli air base reported as target of overnight Iran missile attack
Iranian missiles in the early hours of Wednesday caused fires in an area of central Israel. Iran’s Fars News Agency says one of the targets was the Meron airbase, which is in northern Israel.
There is no indication whether that was hit.
There is military censorship in wartime in Israel, and if sensitive targets are hit, the media is not allowed to report that.
Another area that was hit earlier on Tuesday was Herzliya. Buses were set on fire in that area. The Iranian media is again saying that it was a military site.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed:
- New explosions reported in Tehran as the Israeli military claims it attacked a centrifuge production site as well as several weapons-production facilities.
- For its part, the IRGC says it deployed the hypersonic Fattah missile in its attacks against Israel, claiming the weapon broke through the Israeli air defences and that it now has control over the country’s skies.
- The US says its embassy in Jerusalem and its consular section in Tel Aviv will remain shut until Friday.
- French President Emmanuel Macron has called for dialogue, warning that any attempt to force the overthrow of the government in Tehran would bring “chaos”.
- A YouGov poll shows most Americans believe the US military should not get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict, with some 60 percent opposing the move and only 16 percent supporting it.
Videos capture Israeli attacks on two Iranian cities
This collection of short video clips captures the sight and sound of Iranian air defences attempting to intercept attacks on sites in the country by Israeli forces.
The low rumble of multiple explosions is heard and the night sky is filled with bright flashes in what appears to be attempts by Iran’s military to intercept incoming Israeli missiles and warplanes.
Video footage shot in the daytime also shows the aftermath of the devastating Israeli strikes.
Israeli strikes have killed 585 people across Iran, rights group says
The Washington, DC-based group Human Rights Activists says Israeli attacks have killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others.
The group said it had identified 239 of the dead as civilians and 126 as security personnel.
Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded.
Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, says it crosschecks local reports in Iran against a network of sources it has developed in the country.
Israel says it attacked Iranian ‘centrifuge production site’
More than 50 Israeli Air Force planes carried out an attack in Iran in recent hours, targeting an alleged “centrifuge production site” – a key part of uranium enrichment – and “several weapons productions sites” in the country, the Israeli military said.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the military said the latest wave of attacks was carried out as “part of the extensive effort to damage Iran’s nuclear weapons development programme”.
Iran, however, has denied that it is developing nuclear weapons, and the UN watchdog the IAEA as well as the US intelligence community have made similar assessments in their most recent reports.
The Israeli statement said that its warplanes also attacked manufacturing plants involved in the production “of raw materials and components” for assembling surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.
War monitors record 5 times as many strikes on Iran compared with attacks on Israel
US-based defence think tanks the Critical Threats Project and the Institute for the Study of War (CTP-ISW) report that Israel’s military has carried out five times as many air attacks on sites in Iran compared with Iran’s attacks on targets in Israel.
Since Israel launched its attack on Iran on June 13, the CTP-ISW said it recorded 197 reported or confirmed air strikes on Iran by Israeli forces. In contrast, the think tanks recorded 39 reported or confirmed Iranian ballistic missile strikes or interceptor impacts in Israel since the outbreak of fighting.
The CTP-ISW also noted a “sharp decline” in the size of recent Iranian missile barrages, which they attribute to Israel’s destruction of missile launchers and storage facilities.
Video shows Iranian air defences intercepting Israeli missiles
The footage, posted by the Mehr news agency, shows explosions in the sky over Tehran as air defence systems shoot down incoming missiles.
Mehr said the video shows Tehran’s air defences “successfully repelling Israeli aggression”.
Hezbollah watches on as Iran and Israel battle, for now
When Israel bombed Iran and assassinated several IRG commanders on Friday, Hezbollah released a statement condemning the attacks and offering condolences for the slain officers.
Analysts say the statement was a clear sign that Hezbollah would not be entering the battle in support of Iran.
“Currently, there is no need for Hezbollah to intervene, as Iranian missiles are capable of confronting the Israeli occupation,” said Qassem Kassir, a Lebanese political analyst supportive of the group. “However, if the situation escalates into a full-scale war, nothing prevents the situation from changing.”
Others say Hezbollah’s lack of action may indicate it does not have the means to intervene militarily.
That’s because the Israeli campaign on Lebanon has left Hezbollah’s political leadership battered. Many of the group’s most senior military figures, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, were assassinated. The group’s political hegemony is now being challenged by the Lebanese state, with pressure from the US and Israel, as it moves to disarm Hezbollah and bring the use of force under the state’s exclusive authority.
Read our full story here.
US foreign policy decisions ‘centralised, personalised’ in the White House
The State Department has confirmed that it is creating a task force to keep an eye on the situation in the Middle East.
There’s a travel advisory at the moment saying no American should travel to Iran under any circumstances, and also to approach with extreme caution any travel to Israel and also to Iraq. This task force will look at logistics that might be required if the situation deteriorates to try and move American diplomatic staff and also civilians from the wider Middle East region.
But we also got confirmation from the State Department that foreign policy is effectively centralised and personalised in the White House. It’s not changing week to week. It is changing hour to hour.
When asked about a US intelligence assessment that Iran was not working towards a nuclear bomb, a State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera that it is “President Trump and his team who are seeing things that matter when it comes to the decision-making”.
That intelligent assessment came from Tulsi Gabbard, who is the director of National Intelligence. When asked about that early on Tuesday, Trump said, “I don’t care what she says.” He is effectively driving all of the foreign policy at the moment, and will make decisions hour by hour based on the information that he’s getting.
It’s clear his position on Iran has changed. Just a few weeks ago, he was talking about the need for a diplomatic solution. Now he’s talking about the operation over Iran being about “we” – Israel and the United States. And again, the position could change in the coming hours and we are likely to find out about it from social media.
Photos: Explosions in the sky over Israel as Iran launches missiles
UAE urges UNSC to take urgent action on Israel-Iran conflict
The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates is calling on the UN Security Council to take “urgent and necessary measures” to obtain a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed al-Nahyan also said that diplomacy is required to “prevent the situation from spiralling into grave and far-reaching consequences”.
He went on to warn that “reckless and miscalculated actions” could result in the conflict spilling beyond the borders of Israel and Iran, and called for urgent action to end hostilities “before the situation spirals out of control”.
Israel intercepts drone ‘from the east’
The Israeli military says the drone triggered sirens at about 5:55am local time (02:55 GMT) and has been shot down.
US intelligence ‘stated repeatedly’ Iran does not have nuclear weapons capability
An important point is to what extent the intelligence services of Israel and the US are on the same page.
Israel continues to trumpet what its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has claimed for literally decades, that Iran is close to achieving nuclear weapons capacity.
Whereas US intelligence has stated repeatedly – the most recent in March this year – that Iran does not have nuclear weapons capability. And, at that stage, say US intelligence sources, it was not planning on achieving that.
The reason for this is the religious edict issued by the country’s supreme leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei], the man who President Trump said in the course of the day, that we know where he is, but we are not, in his words, “going to take him out at this stage”.
So it does appear that the US president is well aware of the importance of the Iranian leader in terms of preventing any process towards establishing a nuclear-weaponised system in Iran.
Which, as I said, US intelligence is adamant they do not have.
Former US diplomat urges Trump to give Iran an ultimatum
A former US diplomat and senior foreign policy expert has called on US President Donald Trump to send Iran a “demanding proposal” with “a time limit to accept”, before taking further action that could draw Washington directly into conflict.
Richard Hass, a veteran diplomat and former president of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said in a post on X that Trump should demand Iranian denuclearisation with verification “in exchange for no attack and sanctions relief”.
“If rejected, US should attack Fordow and other sites. Better to avoid war if possible, but Iran cannot become the next North Korea,” he said.
Iran has threatened to target US interests in the Middle East region should Trump decide to be directly involved in Israel’s military operation.
WhatsApp expresses concern after Iran urges people to delete app
The statement comes after Iranian state television urged people to remove WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging without specific evidence that the messaging app gathered user information to send to Israel.
The app, which is owned by Meta, said it was “concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most”.
“We do not track your precise location, we don’t keep logs of who everyone is messaging and we do not track the personal messages people are sending one another,” it said.
“We do not provide bulk information to any government,” it added.
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, meaning a service provider in the middle can’t read a message.
Question now is how far Trump willing to increase military support for Israel
The question is to what extent he wants to bolster US support for Israel.
The US has continually armed Israel for decades, and in this particular conflict, there is no doubt that US missile defence systems are being used and have been added to the Israeli systems.
There is also a US fleet in the region – two aircraft carriers. In all, there are some 40,000 to 50,000 troops in the region at any given time.
These numbers fluctuate and flow. So it’s very difficult to attribute any increased troop presence on the ground.
But the question is to what extent President Trump is going to ramp up the tangible visibility of the military in this ongoing conflict.