LIVE UPDATES: Iran fires missiles at Israel; mass anti-Israel protests in Tehran

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Here’s where things stand on Friday 20 June 2025:

LIVE: Iran fires missiles at Israel; mass anti-Israel protests in Tehran

• Israel and Iran continue to exchange missile attacks for an eighth day, as hundreds of thousands protest against Israel on the streets of Tehran.
• At least 17 people, including three in serious condition, have been wounded in Israel after Iran’s latest missile salvo, with explosions reported in several locations.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is meeting European officials in Geneva for talks on Iran’s nuclear programme and ending Israel’s attacks.
• Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in the Swiss city, Araghchi condemned the Israeli attacks as a “betrayal” of diplomatic efforts with the US, saying Iran the the US had been due to craft a “promising agreement” on the Iranian nuclear programme.
• The White House says, due to “chance of negotiation”, President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will join Israel in attacking Iran.

Israeli attacks continue to kill dozens across the Gaza Strip

Here is a reminder that alongside its strikes on Iran, Israel has been continuing its attacks on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Today’s death toll from Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip stands at 73.

A medical source at al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat told Al Jazeera that 35 people were killed and a number of others wounded after being targeted by the Israeli army while waiting to receive aid near the Netzarim Corridor.

Iran seems to ‘lack confidence’ in its ability to hit significant Israeli military sites

David Des Roches, a former Pentagon official, told Al Jazeera that Iran’s missiles seem to be mostly aimed at relatively poorly defended or undefended Israeli assets, rather than key military facilities.

“The targets are different from things like command and control headquarters or air bases, which are defended by key point defence systems, he said.

“So far, the targets that have been hit in Israel seem to be militarily insignificant, so that indicates a lack of confidence in the ability of the missiles to hit a precise target, or a target of military value.”

Iran seems to ‘lack confidence’ in its ability to hit significant Israeli military sites

David Des Roches, a former Pentagon official, told Al Jazeera that Iran’s missiles seem to be mostly aimed at relatively poorly defended or undefended Israeli assets, rather than key military facilities.

“The targets are different from things like command and control headquarters or air bases, which are defended by key point defence systems, he said.

“So far, the targets that have been hit in Israel seem to be militarily insignificant, so that indicates a lack of confidence in the ability of the missiles to hit a precise target, or a target of military value.”

Israel’s UN envoy ‘trying to raise spectre of fear’

What we saw from the Israeli ambassador [at the UNSC] was he not only took personal attacks at the Iranian ambassador, but also tried to expand the Israeli argument for what they are doing, by saying it’s not only – in his words – “a defence of our people, but your people”.

And when he said “your people”, he meant the other Security Council members around the table and the larger international community, making claims that Iran has ballistic missile capability to hit Western Europe and even hit the East Coast of the United States.

He was making very unsubstantiated claims, trying to raise the spectre of fear and trying to get more support from other nations for Israel’s actions in Iran.

Israeli military claims to have killed IRGC base commander in overnight attack

In its latest update, the Israeli air force says it attacked three surface-to-surface missile launchers in western Iran that were “ready to fire” overnight.

It added that a remotely piloted aircraft attacked and killed a squad of Iranian soldiers on the move during the operation, including a commander of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base in western Iran.

‘How dare you’: Israeli envoy to UN attacks Iranian counterpart

Danny Danon has launched into a diatribe against his Iranian counterpart, accusing him of “playing victim” by earlier urging the UN Security Council to uphold international law and stop Israel’s attacks on Iran.

“Mr Iravani, you are not a victim. You are not even a diplomat. You are a wolf pretending to be a diplomat and we are done pretending otherwise,” the Israeli ambassador said.

Danon condemned Iran for a missile strike this week that damaged a hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel. Iran said it was targeting a nearby military site in that attack.

The Israeli ambassador also condemned world governments for calling for de-escalation.

“We do not apologise for defending ourselves. We do not apologise for striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. We do not apologise for neutralising the threat,” he said.

US says new sanctions on Houthis aim to disrupt Iran-backed group’s financial channels

According to the US, it is the single largest action to date against the Iran-backed Houthis.

It is specifically targeting those who help to finance the Houthis’ operations, as well as their group in general.

It’s targeting four individuals, a dozen entities and two vessels. Why are the individuals and entities being charged targeted?

Well, it’s because the United States alleges that these individuals and entities are acting as fronts to facilitate the funding of the operation – importing oil, illicit goods, and as a result, through the sale of oil and commodities on the black market, that’s where that revenue is being generated.

In terms of the vessels, there are two that the US alleges were involved in smuggling activities through a Houthi-controlled port.

Israel’s attacks pushing Iranians to ‘rally around the flag’

Abas Aslani, an Iranian affairs analyst, says today’s mass protests across Iran demonstrate that Israel’s attacks on the country are bringing people together.

Israel and the US had been hoping to “create a sense of chaos in the society in order to provoke the public against the government”, Aslani told Al Jazeera from Tehran.

“But it turned out differently and it created a sense of unity among [people from] different walks of life in the country as well as political factions,” he explained.

“Today, many people went to attend the Friday prayers. It was much more crowded than prayers in previous weeks. We were seeing people who normally do not attend Friday prayers [go] just for the sake of condemning Israeli aggression … This has made people rally around the flag.”

Iran’s UN ambassador urges Security Council to stop Israel

Amir-Saeid Iravani has stressed the civilian toll of Israel’s attacks on the country during the UN Security Council meeting in New York, at one point holding up photos of Iranian children killed in the bombings.

“At least two pregnant women and their unborn children were killed on the same day Israel struck the national broadcaster IRIB during a live broadcast,” Iravani told the council.

The Iranian ambassador said Israel’s attacks constitute “gross violations of international law”, and he urged the UN to take action. “Israeli strikes are an assault on the global non-proliferation regime,” he added.

“If the council fails to act now, it will send a message that international law and resolutions apply selectively. If the non-proliferation regime collapses, this council will share responsibility with the Israeli regime.”

Iran says Geneva talks ‘respectful, serious’, not the end of diplomacy

Iran’s IRNA news agency is reporting that Iranian and European officials have taken a break in their talks in Geneva “for internal consultations by the European parties”.

IRNA said the Iranian delegation to the talks emphasised “that only a halt to aggression can open the path to diplomacy”.

“The first round of talks was held with a respectful and serious approach, encompassing the perspectives of all parties involved,” IRNA’s report said.

“Some of the issues raised could benefit from greater clarity to help pave the way for diplomacy,” it continued.

“In particular, the E3 countries [the UK, Germany and France] and Europe, who were initiators of the nuclear talks with Iran, still hope to play a historic role and gain another opportunity to advance diplomatic efforts.”

IRNA added that the Iranian delegation “stressed that Iran has not walked away from the negotiating table, and this round of talks does not mark the end of dialogue”.

‘Not inconceivable’ that a deal could be reached

Carne Ross, the founder of Independent Diplomat, a diplomatic advisory group, says Iran has shown in the past that it is willing to limit its nuclear programme, including most notably as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.

“So it’s not inconceivable that such a deal would be available now,” Ross told Al Jazeera, noting that Tehran had agreed to curb its programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

“Iran, after the Israeli attack, is in a significantly weaker position than it was. The question is, though: Can the Europeans get the Iranians to engage and then take whatever is discussed to the US in particular and see whether the US is willing to engage with that?’”

Ross explained, however, that if the US starting position is zero uranium enrichment, that may be something Iran will not agree to.

“But diplomacy is about talking and seeing if there’s some middle position between the starting positions – and I don’t rule that out. Iran is really quite heavily incentivised to agree to something now, it doesn’t want the Israeli attacks to continue.”

‘Our offensive missile power is growing’: IRGC

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has fired its 17th wave of missiles at Israeli military facilities, including the Nevatim and Hatzerim bases.

It said in at a statement that the “precise hits on Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba demonstrate that our offensive missile power is growing”.

Genocide in Gaza, Iran conflict ‘reaching point of no return’: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that Israel’s conflict with Iran and genocide in Gaza are “quickly reaching the point of no return”.

“This madness must end as soon as possible,” said Erdogan, warning the consequences could affect the region, Europe and Asia “for many years”.

“Israel complained about damage to its hospitals today, yet it has so far carried out over 700 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza alone,” he added during a speech to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Youth Forum, as he reiterated his call for a ceasefire.

US envoy to UN says Iran ‘must abandon nuclear ambitions’

Dorothy Camille Shea, the US ambassador to the UN, has again blamed Iran for the unfolding conflict, saying the country should have agreed to a deal “that would have prevented them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon”.

Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear arms. The IAEA – the UN’s nuclear agency – and the US intelligence community have said they found no evidence that the Iranian government was building one.

“While the United States was not involved in Israel’s strikes, let there be no doubt that the United States continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” Shea told the Security Council.

“The Iranian government must abandon its nuclear ambitions so that there is no more destruction.”

Israel has shown ‘blatant disregard’ for a diplomatic solution: Russia’s UN ambassador

Here is a translation of some of the Russian UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya’s statements at the Security Council.

• Iranian peaceful civilian nuclear facilities continue to be targeted, and this is liable to plunge us into a hitherto unseen nuclear catastrophe.
• The UN Security Council … must provide an objective assessment of the situation and devise an appropriate solution.
• It is Israel which attacked Iran on the eve of the latest planned round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran.
• Israel not only demonstrated blatant disregard for the efforts that have been undertaken to seek a diplomatic solution to issues around the Iranian nuclear programme but also demonstrated contempt for its key ally, the United States, which, up until recently, had been declaring an intent to reach a compromise solution.
• The nuclear facilities and installations in this country are under the safeguards of the IAEA and are subject to continuous and rigorous verification.
• Israel has disregarded the assessments of the specialist international agency, having, on its own authority, single-handedly, decided to carry out strikes against a sovereign country with no regard for the UN Charter.

UN chief urges restraint in Israel-Iran conflict

Antonio Guterres has warned that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could ignite a fire no one can control, calling on parties and potential parties to the conflict to “give peace a chance”.

He made the remarks during a statement at the UN Security Council.

Attack at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant would have most ‘serious’ consequences: IAEA

Here are some of Grossi’s concluding remarks at the Security Council, which we have been reporting on:

• Bushehr nuclear power plant is where the consequences of an attack could be most serious. It is an operating nuclear power plant, and as such, it hosts thousands of kilogrammes of nuclear material.
• Countries of the region have reached out directly to me over the past few hours to express their concerns, and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear that, in case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment.
• Similarly, a hit that disables the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor core to melt, which could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment.
• In their worst case, both scenarios would necessitate protective actions, such as evacuations and sheltering of the population, or the need to take stable iodine with a reach extending to distances from a few to several hundred kilometres. Radiation monitoring would need to cover distances of several hundred kilometres, and food restrictions may need to be implemented.
• Any action against the Tehran nuclear research reactor could also have severe consequences, potentially for large areas of the city of Tehran and its inhabitants.
• Armed attack on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked. I, therefore, again call for maximum restraint.

IAEA not aware of any damage at Fordow: Grossi

Here’s more of what the International Atomic Energy Agency head, Rafael Grossi, said at a UNSC meeting:

• The agency is not aware of any damage at Fordow at this time.
• At the Isfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in last Friday’s attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and the enriched uranium metal processing facility, which was under construction. No increase in off-site radiation levels was reported.
• The Khondab heavy water research reactor, under construction in Arak, was hit. As the reactor was not operational and it did not contain any nuclear material, no radiological consequences are feared.
• The nearby heavy water production plant is also assessed to have been hit, and similarly, no radiological consequences are anticipated.

UK to withdraw British staff from embassy in Iran

The UK says it is temporarily withdrawing staff from its embassy in Iran, and will continue to operate its embassy remotely.

Radioactivity level outside Natanz site unchanged, normal after Israeli attacks: IAEA chief

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has spoken at a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.

Here are some of his comments:

• The Natanz enrichment site contains two facilities. The first is the main fuel enrichment plant. The initial attacks on June 13 targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the facility, including an electrical substation, the main electric power supply building, an emergency power supply and back-up generators.
• On the same day, the main cascade hall appears to have been attacked using ground-penetrating munitions.
• The second facility at Natanz is the pilot fuel enrichment plant. It consists of above-ground and underground cascade halls. On the 13th of June, the above-ground part was functionally destroyed and the strikes on the underground cascade halls were seriously damaged.
• The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment there.
• However, within the Natanz facility, there is both radiological and chemical contamination.
• The radiation poses a significant danger if inhaled or digested. Its risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory devices.

Photos: Aftermath of Iranian missile attack on Haifa

US issues new Iran-related sanctions

The US Treasury has published a list of sanctions to be placed on specifically designated individuals.

Several individuals listed are affiliated directly with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the Treasury’s website.

Israel begins new round of attacks on Iran

Air defence systems have been activated in Bushehr in southern Iran, according to the Young Journalists Club, run by state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it has struck military infrastructure in southwestern Iran.

We will bring you more information as we get it.

Video shows Israeli interception of Iranian drone over Syria

Footage circulated on social media and verified by Al Jazeera shows an Israeli F-16 intercepting an Iranian Shahed-136 drone in the skies over southern Syria.

The clip, originally posted on Facebook before a cropped version was shared on X, shows the drone being shot down in a fiery explosion by the fighter jet.

The incident took place in the skies over Deraa, near Syria’s southwestern border.

Israel seeks genuine effort on Iran capabilities, UN ambassador says

Israel seeks genuine efforts on Iran’s nuclear capabilities from Friday’s meeting between European and Iranian ministers, not just another round of talks, Israel’s UN ambassador said.

“We have seen diplomatic talks for the last few decades, and look at the results,” Danny Danon told reporters at the United Nations. “If there will be genuine effort to dismantle the capabilities of Iran, then that’s something we can consider, but if it is going to be like another session and debates, that’s not going to work.

“If it is going to be just another round of talks, that’s something, which we cannot accept,” Danon said.

Iran was reportedly close to a deal with the US on its nuclear capabilities when Israel unleashed unprecedented attacks on the country’s nuclear programme, scientists and senior military leadership last week.

UK police arrest 6 on suspicion of assault near Iran’s London embassy

British police have arrested six men following reports of an altercation at a location close to the Iranian embassy in London, Reuters reported.

“Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody,” Reuters quoted police as saying in a statement.

British media reported that the arrests took place at a protest against the Iranian leadership.

Reports of four potential impact sites after Iran’s missile salvo

Israeli media is now reporting that about 20 missiles were fired from Iran. We haven’t had confirmation of that from Israel’s military.

It’s just an hour now since those missiles impacted or were destroyed as they tried to make their way to Israeli airspace.

There are reports of four potential impact sites.

If 20 missiles were fired and there are four impact sites, then they’re not all being intercepted – and we know earlier on this morning, there was a failure on a defence rocket.

This afternoon, we’ve had more hits in Haifa. It appears to be a building located in the centre of a government district.

What happens in Israel is these pictures go on social media very quickly, of course, when impacts happen, but there are very strict wartime censorship rules in Israel, recently tightened with threats of jail if people reveal locations of what are considered sensitive or military locations that have been hit by missiles.

Protest marches in Iranian cities double as funeral for those killed in Israeli strikes

As we reported earlier, tens of thousands of people have attended protest marches in Tehran, as well as other major cities, including Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad and Qom.

In Isfahan, the capital of the erstwhile Persian empire, thousands of attendees of Friday prayers and the protest that followed joined in the funeral of an Iranian killed in an Israeli attack, according to a video clip posted by the Tehran Times.

Several men were seen carrying a coffin draped with Iranian flags and with a photo of a uniformed soldier. Behind them, men, women and children followed, chanting “Death to Israel”.

Similar funeral scenes were also reported by Iranian media in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, and Karaj, a western suburb of the capital city.

Geneva talks should demand complete rollback of Iran nuclear programme: Israeli envoy

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva says he expects European foreign ministers to demand a complete rollback of Iran’s nuclear programme during their meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Daniel Meron, was commenting on the talks between Araghchi and the foreign ministers of Germany, France and the UK, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, taking place today in Geneva.

Araghchi has said he is not prepared to hold negotiations with any party while Israel strikes his country, and that Iran’s missile programme is non-negotiable.

Iranian foreign minister holding talks with European officials

Abbas Araghchi has now arrived at a Geneva hotel for the meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany and the UK, as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief.

It is the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since Israel’s attack on Iran a week ago.

Ahead of the meeting, Araghchi said his country has “nothing to discuss” with the US as long as Israel continues its strikes on Iran, but is open to “dialogue” with others, though not negotiations.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who travelled to the Swiss city after holding talks with senior US officials in Washington, DC, said “a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution”.

Injuries from Iranian attacks on Israel grow

Magen David Adom, Israel’s ambulance service, says its teams are providing treatment to 17 people, three in serious condition.

It said those wounded include “a 16-year-old boy with a shrapnel wound to his upper body, a 54-year-old and a 40-year-old with shrapnel wounds to their lower limbs, and 14 injured people in minor condition, from shrapnel”.

More from Araghchi

Here are some more lines from the speech of the Iranian foreign minister in Geneva:

• We were attacked in the middle of an ongoing diplomatic process.
• We were supposed to meet Americans on June 15 to craft a very promising agreement for a peaceful resolution of the issues fabricated over our peaceful nuclear program.
• It was a betrayal of diplomacy and an unprecedented blow to the foundation of international law and the UN system.
• We need action now. Otherwise, the whole UN-based international law system would corrode badly.
• This is a call from someone who has allocated his whole life to dialogue and diplomacy, but who is also a veteran of an imposed war by the [former President of Iraq] Saddam [Hussein’s] regime and knows how to defend his beloved motherland.

Israeli army signals missile attack over

The army says on X that Israelis are now permitted to leave protected areas.

“Rescue … forces are operating in several areas across the country where reports of falls have been received,” the army said.

Israeli rescuers say two injured in Iran missile barrage

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service reported two people injured by shrapnel, including a 16-year-old, in serious condition, after the latest barrage of missiles fired from Iran.

“MDA medics and paramedics are providing medical treatment and are taking a 16-year-old boy to the hospital in serious condition, with shrapnel in his upper body, and a 54-year-old man in moderate condition with a shrapnel injury to his lower limbs,” the MDA said in a statement, without specifying their location.

Earlier, we reported, citing local media, that two people were wounded in Haifa after an Iranian missile strike.

Iran defending itself against ‘barbaric’ aggression: Foreign minister

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has just spoken at the United Nations in Geneva. Here is a summary of what he said:

• Israel has launched an unprovoked aggression on Iran, in a stark violation of Article 2, paragraph four of the UN Charter.
• This is an unjust war imposed on my people since early hours of Friday, June 13, when Israel perpetrated a mix of unlawful and criminal operations against off-duty military personnel, university professors and ordinary people.
• My fellow Iranians have been killed and injured following Israel’s surprise armed attacks …operations on residential areas, public infrastructures, hospitals, health centres … the foreign ministry … nuclear facilities have also been targeted.
• Israel’s attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes, given also the danger of an environmental and health catastrophe as a result of radiological leakage.

Araghchi begins speech in Geneva

Iran’s foreign minister has told the UN Human Rights Council that Israel’s attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran are “grave war crimes”.

We will bring you more of his comments shortly.

Photos: Iran launches missile attack against Israel

Tens of thousands gather in Iraq in support of Iran

Thousands of Iraqis have gathered for Friday prayers in Baghdad’s Sadr City, chanting against the US and Israel amid the attacks on Iran, according to footage posted online.

Sadr City, also known as Revolution City, is a suburb of the Iraqi capital and has an estimated population of more than one million, mostly Shia Muslims.

The area was named after the populist Shia and militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who is known as a close ally of Iran’s ruling religious leaders and a fierce US critic.

Two injuries reported in Haifa after Iranian missile attack

Israeli newspaper Haaretz cites emergency medical teams as saying that the two people, one severely wounded and one moderately wounded, were transported to a hospital to receive treatment.

This follows reports of an Iranian missile impact in the northern Israeli city.

Iranian missiles fall in Israel: Report

Local media in Israel are reporting that missiles have hit targets across the country.

Impacts have been reported in the Haifa area in the north and Beersheba, which has been a frequent target of Iranian missile fire, in the south. At least one missile fall was reported in Jerusalem as well.

Israel’s Channel 12 reports that about 39 missiles were identified in this barrage.

UK defence minister orders security review after pro-Palestine protest at base

John Healey says he has ordered an investigation after pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force (RAF) base and damaged two military aircraft.

“The vandalism of RAF planes is totally unacceptable,” the British defence minister said in a social media post, following the action at the Brize Norton base.

Healey also said he had ordered a review of wider security at bases following the incident, adding he was “really disturbed that this happened”.

“This [protest] does nothing to support Gaza or our push for peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said.

Campaign group Palestine Action said its activists had sprayed two military aircraft with red paint and carried out further damage with crowbars to protest against the UK’s support for Israel.

Explosions heard over Israeli cities

Reuters news agency reports that explosions have been heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, moments after the Israeli army said its air force was working to intercept missiles fired by Iran.

Iran launches missile salvo at Israel

The Israeli military says on X that its defence systems are working to intercept the missiles, advising Israelis to enter protected areas.

Local media report that air raid sirens are sounding across the country.

We will bring you updates on Iran’s attack as information comes in.

Merz, Erdogan hold phone call on Israel-Iran conflict

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran over a phone call, a German government spokesperson says.

The leaders spoke about their respective diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation, and agreed to coordinate closely going forward, according to the spokesperson.

Photos: Demonstrators in southern Beirut hold pro-Iran rally

Senior Iranian officials join Friday march in Tehran

As we’ve been reporting, large crowds have taken to the streets of the Iranian capital after weekly prayers to denounce the Israeli attacks against the country.

Among those photographed at the prayer and the march were Chief Justice of Iran Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, former IRGC commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, as well as several ministers and the deputy speaker of parliament, a social media post by Iran’s Jamaran News showed.

According to Iran’s Press TV, similar demonstrations in support of the country’s military also took place in a number of other cities, including Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz, Qom, Shiraz, Qazvin, Yazd, and Gilan.

Trump decided to ‘leave Israel do the dirty job, see how much it can weaken Iran regime’

Luciano Zaccara, an associate professor of Gulf politics at Qatar University, says the European officials meeting Araghchi today in Geneva have limited options.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said that with the “snapback” mechanism expiring in October, which would lead to the reinstatement of UN sanctions eased under the 2015 nuclear deal, European countries have a short window of time to apply any kind of pressure on Iran.

“They gave themselves a deadline of mid-August to decide whether they will implement this mechanism or not,” Zaccara said. “This gives [them] a very short time, leverage … to do something,” he added.

Zaccara argued “the only thing” they can aim at now is to convince Iran “to deescalate a little bit and to sit down again with the US to negotiate something, which is something that Araghchi said they will never do under fire”.

“So as far as Trump is also not pushing Israel to stop the offensive against Iran, this conversation will never happen,” he said, noting that by giving himself two weeks to make up his mind over his next actions, the US president is “telling Israel, ‘OK, do as much as you can, and then I will decide’”.

He added: “I think he’s trying to gain time, to see what’s going on; he’s decided to leave Israel to do the dirty job, to see how far Israel can reach in terms of weakening the Iranian regime.”

Protests in Iran express public rage over Israeli strikes

We’re seeing unprecedentedly large demonstrations here in Tehran and in cities big and small across the country.

We’ve seen hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets and marching in solidarity to express their anger over the Israeli attacks, despite the ongoing strikes.

There were striking scenes at Friday prayers at the University of Tehran. People were chanting, waving flags of Iran, Palestine and Hezbollah.

We heard many chants saying they supported Iran’s retaliatory actions.

Some people brought pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had called for solidarity among the people after the Israeli strikes began.

Now we see people answering that call.

We have to keep in mind that a considerable proportion of Tehran’s population has decided to get out of the city amid the attacks, but still we see huge numbers.

It’s not just in major cities like Tehran, Shiraz, Tabriz, Isfahan – but in smaller cities, too.

Since day one of these strikes, we’ve seen this strong sense of anger from ordinary citizens. Now they’re taking to the streets to express that.

Israel says it is attacking western, central Iran

We have a short statement from the Israeli air force.

It says its forces are currently attacking “military” infrastructure in western and central Iran.

UK working with Israel to arrange charter flights out of Tel Aviv

The UK government is working with Israeli authorities to arrange charter flights for British nationals from Tel Aviv when the airport reopens, Foreign Secretary David Lammy says.

“As part of our efforts to support British nationals in the Middle East, the government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport when airspace reopens,” Lammy said in a statement.

Israel’s main international gateway, Ben Gurion airport, closed last week after it launched attacks across Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks.

On Monday, the UK government advised its citizens in Israel to register their presence with British authorities, saying it was monitoring the situation and considering options for assistance.

It said it had increased its logistical support for citizens who have turned to overland routes into Jordan and Egypt.

Attacks on civilian nuclear sites break international law, says Saudi regulator

Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission says military attacks on civilian nuclear facilities violate international law.

This, after Israel attacked multiple Iranian nuclear facilities, including strikes on the Khondab heavy water research reactor on Thursday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the strikes damaged key buildings at the facility, but as the site was still under construction and contained no nuclear material, no radiological effects were expected.

Israel earlier also struck Iran’s main uranium enrichment site at Natanz and the Fordow plant, which is located deep underground.

Netanyahu wants Trump to enter war as quickly as possible

Gideon Levy, columnist with Israeli outlet Haaretz, says Netanyahu and his coalition will be reacting with “deep disappointment” to Trump’s suggestion that he will wait a few weeks before deciding whether to get involved in Israel’s war with Iran.

“Two weeks is endless in this reality, and if he really meant two weeks, and it’s not a deception, then the chances that the Americans will get involved in this war are decreasing and decreasing,” he told Al Jazeera.

Levy went on to say that in the long term, Israelis will not feel any safer even if Israel succeeds in destroying Iran’s nuclear programme and damaging its offensive missile systems.

“Nothing will be solved because Iran can regain its capability,” he said, adding that Israel has many other security problems that are not going to go away, such as Gaza.

Thousands march in Tehran against Israeli attacks, US threats

Hundreds of thousands of people protested against Israel in Iran’s capital of Tehran after weekly prayers, chanting slogans in support of their leaders, according to images on state television.

Some also chanted against the threats of US intervention in their country.

“This is the Friday of the Iranian nation’s solidarity and resistance across the country,” the news anchor said.

Footage showed protesters in Tehran holding up photographs of commanders killed since Israel’s attack on June 13, while others waved the flags of Iran, Palestine and Hezbollah.

“I will sacrifice my life for my leader,” read a protester’s banner, a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to state television, protests also took place in Tabriz in northwestern Iran and Shiraz in the south.

If you’re just joining us

Here’s a recap of the most recent developments:

• A cleanup operation is under way in the southern Israeli town of Beersheba after Iran fired a barrage of missiles, heavily damaging a building. Iran says the attack targeted a technology park with military installations.
• An attack on a building in Tehran killed a nuclear scientist, unconfirmed Israeli media reports say.
• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, before meeting European officials in Geneva, says Iran is not prepared for negotiations with anyone while Israel continues its attacks.
• Germany and its European partners are open to further talks with Iran if it is willing to give assurances over its nuclear and missile programmes, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says.
• The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation says Russian specialists continue to work at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, and the situation there remains normal.

Rights groups, unions call on EU to scrap trade agreement with Israel over abuses

More than 100 organisations, including human rights groups and trade unions, have called on the European Union to immediately suspend its trade agreement with Israel over its abuses towards Palestinians.

EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss their trade cooperation deal with Israel, the EU-Israel Association Agreement, on Monday, when they are due to get an assessment of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the agreement.

The article states that “respect for human rights and democratic principles” in “internal and international policy” is an essential element of the deal. EU foreign ministers voted to initiate a review of the deal last month.

“As parties to the Genocide Convention, all EU states are bound to ‘employ all reasonable means’ to stop Israeli atrocities, but instead, many EU states have stood by, quiet and at risk of complicity,” said Claudio Francavilla, acting EU director at Human Rights Watch.

The human rights group is one of 114 organisations that signed the joint statement, along with Amnesty International and Oxfam Ireland.

“EU foreign ministers shouldn’t let the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran take focus away from the ongoing extermination and apartheid against the Palestinians,” he said, adding that the EU “should suspend the trade pillar of the EU-Israel Association Agreement without further delay”.

Israel, Iran and ‘double standards’

We have spoken to Sahil Shah, a London-based nuclear weapons policy analyst, about whether US bunker-busting bombs could actually destroy Fordow nuclear facility and what the impact of the attacks on Iran could be.

Here’s what he said:

“There are many hypothetical models on how effective US bombing of Fordow would be. But I think the main point that we have to understand is that we can’t simply bomb away Iran’s nuclear programme.

“The programme could be reconstituted even if Fordow is completely eliminated from the planet.

“The issue is that Iran has had decades of experience now with nuclear energy and, more specifically, creating an enrichment capacity.

“That’s why military options are so challenging – because they could buy you some time but what they could also do is increase the incentives for Iran to want to have more of an effort to potentially weaponise the material that it does still have or that it generates. And also for it to do this and do its activities under less international scrutiny and oversight.

“We risk Iran now becoming more and more insular because of the fact that it feels that the international non-proliferation regime is not working in its favour.

“That there’s a double standard here, where Israel has nuclear weapons, is allowed to exist outside of formal treaty obligations and do whatever it wants with impunity, but that Iran is unable to have peaceful energy through a nuclear programme.”

Starmer: Pro-Palestine protest at UK air force base ‘disgraceful’

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned a pro-Palestine protest in which two activists damaged military aircraft at a Royal Air Force base.

“The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful,” the British leader said in a post on the social media site X.

“Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us,” he said.

Campaign group Palestine Action said its activists had sprayed the aircraft with red paint and carried out further damage with crowbars to protest against the UK’s support for Israel.

Qatar PM says Israeli targeting of Iran’s economic facilities ‘dangerous’

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has spoken to Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, according to Qatari state media.

During the phone call, Sheikh Mohammed expressed Qatar’s condemnation of the “repeated Israeli violations and attacks in the region”, which “undermine peace efforts and threaten to drag the region into a regional war”, Qatar News Agency reported.

He also expressed the “seriousness” of Israel’s targeting of economic facilities in Iran, warning of its “disastrous” regional and international repercussions, it added.