LIVE UPDATES: Iran says US strikes betrayed diplomacy, warns of consequences

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Here’s where things stand on Monday 23 June 2025:

  • Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accuses the United States of betraying diplomacy, says will face “everlasting consequences” after it joined Israel in its air campaign against his country.
  • President Donald Trump claims the strikes on the key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan were “very successful” and warns against any retaliation, saying: “Remember, there are many targets left.”
  • International nuclear energy watchdog says there have been no reports of increased off-site radiation levels following the US attacks on the Iranian nuclear sites.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praises Trump’s “bold decision” and says Israel and the US acted in “full coordination”.
  • Iran says more than 400 people have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed in Iranian strikes.

Photos: Chaotic scenes as Palestinians seek aid in Beit Lahiya

Gaza
A boy carries cardboard as Palestinians gather to receive aid supplies in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip
Gaza
Palestinians carry a wounded man in Beit Lahiya
Gaza

Iran’s FM in Russia for talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow for talks on Sunday.

“Abbas Araghchi … arrived in Moscow to hold consultations with the [Russian] president and other senior officials of Russia regarding regional and international developments following the military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran,” the official IRNA news agency said.

Which Iranian nuclear facilities did the US strike?

  • Fordow: An underground enrichment facility in operation since 2006. Built deep inside the mountains some 48km (30 miles) from Qom, north of Tehran, the site enjoys natural cover. The facility was the primary focus of Sunday’s strikes.
  • Natanz: Considered the largest nuclear enrichment facility in Iran, located about 300km (186 miles) south of Tehran. It is believed to consist of two facilities. One is the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant, a test and research facility located above ground. It is used to assemble centrifuges – rapidly rotating machines used for uranium enrichment. According to the non-profit Nuclear Threat Initiative, the facility had close to 1,000 centrifuges. The other facility, located deep underground, is the Fuel Enrichment Plant.
  • Isfahan: An atomic research facility located in Isfahan. It was built in the 1970s and was used for uranium conversion. It was the last location hit before the US bombing mission withdrew from Iranian airspace, according to officials.

State Department warns of ‘demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad’

It has warned of the “potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad” in the wake of US strikes on Iran.

It added that the “conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East”.

“The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution,” it said.

Israeli Hermes drone shot down over central Iran

Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster is reporting that an Israeli Hermes 900 drone has been shot down over central Iran.

The report comes shortly after Israel said it had launched a barrage of missile attacks at Iran, including targeting a “ground to air missile launcher in the heart of Tehran”.

Europeans leading Iran diplomacy struggle with response to US strikes

There’s been some head scratching in Western capitals – those allied with the United States – over what to say about what has just happened.

We have a statement from the so-called E3 – UK, Germany and France – that have been involved in nuclear diplomacy with Iran for a very long time.

They say that they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East in recent hours. What they do not say is whether they think that strike was a good or a bad thing.

And we have different things coming out from the individual countries. A statement from France’s Foreign Minister notes what has happened with “concern”, whereas Germany’s Foreign Minister seems to see some justification. He says that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is legitimate.

So it is difficult times for these Western leaders in terms of how exactly to respond.

Photos: Anti-war protests take place in New York, Washington DC, Boston

Protest US Iran
People take part in an anti-war demonstration at Times Square in New York protesting US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Protest US Iran
People hold signs as they demonstrate in front of the White House in Washington, DC, against US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Protest US Iran
Protesters shout slogans during an anti-war demonstration in Boston, Massachusetts 

Gulf states on high alert as US bombing raises fears of wider Middle East conflict

Gulf states, home to multiple US military bases, are on high alert after the bombardment of Iran raised the possibility of a widening war in the Middle East.

Bahrain has told 70 percent of government employees to work from home until further notice.

“In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently,” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said in a post on X.

Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the risk of an open conflict between the US and Iran could plunge the region into a devastating and potentially protracted conflict.

“While the war has so far been contained in direct hostilities between Israel and Iran, direct US involvement is a critical threshold that risks dragging the Gulf states – notably Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, which host large US military facilities – into the conflict,” he said.

Trump ‘regime change’ post raises questions about end goal

The US president has now suggested that this conflict is, in fact, about “regime change”.

That comes as close ally Israel has so far not indicated that it has accomplished its mission, which it has said is to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme.

We should point out that when it comes to the battle damage assessment, there hasn’t been any proof that the programme has been destroyed.

Trump’s post in the midst of all of this is raising a lot of questions, particularly among US lawmakers who are concerned not only about what the end goal of this conflict is, but also whether or not it’s legal.

Israeli army claims it struck missile launcher in Tehran

The Israeli army says it has completed another wave of air strikes in western Iran and Tehran, including a strike on a surface-to-air missile launcher in the heart of the Iranian capital.

It said in a statement that around 20 jets carried out the operation using over 30 munitions.

It claimed the strikes targeted missile storage and launch infrastructure, satellite facilities, and military radar sites used for aerial surveillance in the provinces of Kermanshah and Hamadan.

IAEA chief: Non-Proliferation Treaty may collapse under current circumstances

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi noted that:

  • The global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is at stake and may collapse under current circumstances.
  • At the moment, no one, including the IAEA, can assess the underground damage at Fordow.
  • We must act immediately and decisively to stop the fighting and return to serious and sustainable negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.
  • Grossi again calls for maximum restraint, as military escalation threatens lives and delays a diplomatic solution.
  • Iran has informed the IAEA that there has been no increase in radiation levels at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
  • IAEA inspectors are in Iran and their work requires a cessation of hostilities.

No radiation leak reported near Iran’s nuclear sites: Health Ministry

Iran’s Health Ministry says no radioactive contamination has been detected near the country’s nuclear facilities after the US strikes, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

In a statement, the ministry cited assessments by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

‘MIGA’: Trump appears to call for regime change in Iran

In a post on his Truth Social account, US President Donald Trump said “it’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???”

“MIGA!!!” he added, appearing to refer to Make Iran Great Again, a play on his Make America Great Again (MAGA) slogan.

The post signifies a shift for the Trump administration, with the White House repeatedly claiming that the US is not seeking to overthrow Iran’s government.

Israel, US strikes result of ‘politically motivated actions’

Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Ali Bahreini has been addressing the UN Security Council.

Israeli and US attacks on Iran did not come about “in a vacuum”, Bahreini said, adding that they are the result of “politically motivated actions” of the US and its European partners.

Israel decided to “destroy diplomacy” when it struck Iran, two days ahead of nuclear talks that were set to take place between Iran and the US, Bahreini said.

While the West expects Iran to return to the negotiating table, he asked, how can it return to something “it never left”?

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been “manipulated into a political weapon … exploited as a pretext for aggression and unlawful action”, Bahreini said.

Iran’s president joins Tehran protest condemning US, Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian joined a crowd of protesters in Tehran on Sunday, condemning the US and Israel following the US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Pakistan’s UN envoy condemns US a day after Trump Nobel Peace Prize nomination

“Pakistan has condemned the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities”, its ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, has told the UNSC.

“The sharp rise in tensions and violence as a result of the Israeli aggression and unlawful actions is profoundly disturbing. Any further escalation risks catastrophic consequences for the region and beyond,” he said.

“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the government and brotherly people of Iran during this challenging time”, Ahmad continued.

These comments come just a day after Pakistan said it would recommend United States President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad

Any Iranian attack on US citizens, bases will be met with ‘devastating retaliation’: US UN envoy

The US’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, has just spoken at the UNSC meeting. Here is a summary of what she said:

  • US military strikes targeted [Iranian] nuclear facilities … with the aim of dismantling Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity.
  • Iran has long obscured its nuclear weapons programme and stonewalled good faith efforts in recent negotiations.
  • The time finally came for the US in the defence of its ally and in the defence of our own citizens and interests, to act decisively.
  • Iran should not escalate … Any Iranian attack, direct or indirect, against Americans or American bases will be met with devastating retaliation.
US Ambassador Dorothy Camille
The US’s United Nations Ambassador Dorothy Shea

Lack of trust in Trump could affect global diplomacy

Simon Mabon, a professor of international politics at Lancaster University, says he doubts anyone will believe Trump’s claim that he now wants peace after attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“It’s a little bit like ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’,” Mabon told Al Jazeera from the UK. “He says he’s going to give diplomacy a chance, and then the Israeli strikes took place. He says he’s going to give Iran two weeks for diplomacy to reach a deal … and then he drops these bunker-buster bombs on nuclear facilities in Iran.”

“So, how can anyone believe what is coming out of the mouth of US President Donald Trump right now?”

Mabon said that this lack of trust in the US leader will have a serious effect on global politics and diplomacy.

“It starts to be more about a performative game than actually substantive trust building,” he said. “Ultimately, without trust, you cannot have diplomacy.”

Air France KLM says it cancelled flights to Dubai, Riyadh

Air France KLM says it has cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday, the latest upheaval of travel in the Middle East following US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Russia says US has opened a ‘Pandora’s box’

Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya has told the UN Security Council that the US has “yet again demonstrated its complete contempt for the position of the international community” with its attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“It’s prepared not only to turn a blind eye to the killings of tens of thousands of Palestinian women, children and old persons, but also to gamble with the safety and … well-being of humanity as a whole.”

Nebenzya said that through its actions in Iran, the US has opened “a Pandora’s box” in which “no one knows what new catastrophe and suffering it will bring”.

Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vasily Nebenzya addresses the United Nations Security Council, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya

IAEA says entrances to tunnels at Iran’s Isfahan site hit by US strike

Entrances to tunnels at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex were hit in the US military strikes overnight, the UN nuclear watchdog said.

“We have established that entrances to underground tunnels at the site were impacted,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Officials said before Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 13 that much of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium was stored underground at Isfahan.

China is ‘deeply concerned’ by escalation: China’s UN envoy

China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, has told the UN Security Council that China “strongly condemns the US attacks on Iran and the bombing of nuclear facilities”.

“We call for an immediate ceasefire”, he said, adding that “China is deeply concerned about the risk of the situation getting out of control”.

“The parties to the conflict, Israel, in particular, should reach an immediate ceasefire” to prevent “escalation” and a “spillover” of war, he said.

Fu Cong
China’s Ambassador to the United Nations Fu Cong

UK’s ambassador to the UN says we ‘urge Iran now to show restraint’

The UK’s ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, has just spoken at the emergency special session of the UN Security Council.

“A further spiral of conflict poses serious risks to regional and international peace and stability. Our foremost priority must now be to support de-escalation,” she told the UNSC.

“The United Kingdom did not participate in US or Israeli strikes”, she said. “Military action alone cannot bring a durable solution to concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme.

“We urge Iran now to show restraint and we urge all parties to return to the negotiating table and find a diplomatic solution.”

United Kingdom's Ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward speaks during a Security Council meeting, Tuesday, July 2
The United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward

Khamenei adviser says Iran’s enriched uranium remains despite US attacks

An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the country still had its stockpile of enriched uranium despite attacks by the US on key nuclear sites.

“Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn’t over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain,” said Ali Shamkhani in a post on X. He added that the “political and operational initiative is now with the side that plays smart, avoids blind strikes. Surprises will continue!”

Draft UNSC resolution proposed by Russia, China and Pakistan

This draft resolution will not be voted on in today’s UN Security Council meeting. It’s just a draft, so it still needs to circulate among Security Council members before it goes up for a vote. The earliest would be early to mid- next week.

This draft resolution, proposed by Russia, China, and Pakistan, is concise. It’s only a page and a half long but contains two key points.

It condemns, in the strongest terms, the attacks against the peaceful nuclear sites and facilities safeguarded by the IAEA in Iran.

It states that the attack poses a grave threat to international peace and security and constitutes a serious threat to the entire safeguards regime of the IAEA. It does not specifically name the United States.

It also calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

The fact that it calls for an immediate ceasefire, if this ultimately goes to a vote, the US could very well veto it.

UN chief says US strikes mark ‘perilous turn in a region that is already reeling’

The United Nations chief has just spoken at an emergency special session of the Security Council. Here are the major talking points:

  • The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the US marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling.
  • We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.
  • To avoid it, diplomacy must prevail, civilians must be protected, and safe maritime navigation must be guaranteed.
  • We must act immediately and decisively to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme.
  • The Non-Proliferation Treaty is a cornerstone of international peace and security. Iran must fully respect it.
  • All member states must act in accordance with their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law, including international humanitarian law.
  • The UN stands ready to support any and all efforts toward a peaceful resolution.
UN chief Antonio Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres

Response to US will depend on ‘conditions of war’

Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said Tehran will decide how to respond to US aggression based on the evolving “conditions of war”.

He described Israel’s reliance on the US as a sign of its weakness in the face of Iran’s missile and defense capabilities, the IRNA news agency reported.

Iran’s president tells Macron US ‘must receive response to their aggression’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says the United States must “receive a response” to attacks on nuclear sites in Iran during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

“The Americans must receive a response to their aggression,” Pezeshkian told the French leader, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Israeli army says attacking Tehran

The Israeli military has said its forces are currently attacking “military infrastructure” in Tehran and western Iran.

This comes as Iranian media report blasts being heard in Iran’s western city of Kermanshah.

We’ll bring you more shortly.

If you’re just joining us

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calls the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites “unforgivable” and says Iran has “to respond based on our legitimate right to self-defence”.
  • Iranian authorities say nine security personnel have been killed after Israeli forces struck two military sites in the central province of Yazd, Iran’s Fars News Agency reports.
  • At the request of Iran, the UN Security Council will meet at 19:00 GMT today to discuss the US attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
  • Israel’s attacks on Gaza continue, with medical sources telling Al Jazeera that 37 Palestinians have been killed since this morning.
  • British Foreign Secretary David Lammy says the United States has taken action to address the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, adding that “Iran must never have a nuclear weapon”.
Iran
A US B-2 bomber arrives at a US airbase after launching strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

UK calls for de-escalation, says was not involved in Iran strikes

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy says the United States has taken action to address the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, adding that “Iran must never have a nuclear weapon”.

“The UK did not participate in these strikes,” he said.

Lammy added that he spoke with his counterparts in both Iran and Israel to emphasise the need for de-escalation and urged a “diplomatic, negotiated solution to end this crisis.”

Israeli attacks continue 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.

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that, according to medical sources, 37 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip today.

They say eight of those were killed while seeking aid.

Gaza
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike at al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City

Israeli attacks across Gaza Strip target residential areas

Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip continue … [targeting] different residential areas.

The situation now is more difficult as most of Gaza’s ambulances are no longer operating after the fuel stock ran out.

Israeli forces continue to attack aid seekers and Palestinians who have been very close to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution points, where at least seven Palestinians have been killed since this morning.

In hospitals, the situation is collapsing and deteriorating as facilities are running out of fuel and medical supplies.

‘Pain for pain’: Iran seeks to impose a deterrence

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

Tehran has not issued a clear line regarding a warning or threat, nor has it outlined the next steps.

This is because the decision-maker will be the Supreme National Security Council, and it’s clear that making a decision is a very complicated process.

On one hand, Iran wants to retaliate, and on the other, it seeks to maintain a certain distance from the US.

We must remember that Israel and Iran are both regional powers, while the US is a superpower with nuclear facilities and nuclear bombs.

Iran is trying to impose a kind of deterrence, a balance of pain for pain, by daily launches, and we are seeing the Iranian rockets hitting bases in different Israeli cities.

The Iranian president spoke about how the Israelis dragged the US into this war, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that all the US bases are under observation, but neither gave a clear line on what the next step will be.

That is up to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which will need to convene to make a decision.

Houthis condemn ‘cowardly’ US attack on Iran

The political bureau of Yemen’s Houthi rebels has condemned the “cowardly” US attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities, calling it a flagrant violation of international laws.

In a statement, the group said the strike poses a direct threat to both regional and global peace and security.

The attack, it said, is part of the United States’ “unlimited criminal support” for Israel and comes in retaliation for Iran’s firm stance in support of the “Palestinian cause and resistance movements”.

The group added that such aggression will not deter Iran from continuing its “path of resistance” against both the US and Israel.

Nine Iranian security personnel killed in Israeli strike on Yazd

Iranian authorities said nine security personnel were killed after Israeli forces struck two military sites in the central province of Yazd, Iran’s Fars News Agency reports.

According to officials, those killed include seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and two soldiers.

India’s Modi and Iran’s Pezeshkian hold phone call

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a phone call from Iran’s president, during which he was briefed about the conflict between Iran and Israel, India’s Foreign Ministry says.

Modi emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and reiterated India’s support for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability, the statement said.

Tel Aviv airport to resume flight operations on Monday

Flights to and from Israel’s main airport will partially resume on Monday, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) has said, with safety restrictions limiting the number of flights and passengers.

“Beginning tomorrow, Monday, June 23, 2025, both incoming and outgoing flights will resume at Ben Gurion Airport, marking a significant step toward the gradual restoration of routine international travel,” the IAA said in a statement.

Hezbollah condemns US strikes on Iran as ‘insane escalation’

Hezbollah has issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it called the “barbaric and treacherous” US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling it a blatant violation of international law.

The Lebanese group warned that the “uncalculated” attack could drag the region and the world into chaos if it is not stopped.

“The attack exposes the true face of the United States as the greatest threat to regional and global stability,” the statement said, accusing Washington of acting as “the official sponsor of terrorism” and attempting to compensate for Israel’s failure to halt Iran’s missile response.

Hezbollah said the assault gave Iran “the full right to respond and defend its land, people, and sovereignty”.

The group also accused US President Donald Trump of trying to subjugate “free nations”.

If Iran withdraws from the NPT, ‘other countries could follow suit’

If Iran left the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it would remove its “legal obligation not to build a nuclear weapon”, said Mark Fitzpatrick, an associate fellow for strategy, technology and arms control at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Iran would be “free to engage in nuclear activities without the oversight monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency”, he told Al Jazeera.

“Iran has been threatening to pull out of the NPT for several years … as leverage in diplomacy”, said Fitzpatrick, adding that “given the enormity of the situation that Iran faces”, the time has likely passed for such a threat.

Fitzpatrick, who is also a former director of IISS’s non-proliferation programme, said he is concerned that if Iran were to withdraw from the NPT, other countries might follow suit.

He said nations like Saudi Arabia have vowed to match Iran if it were to pursue nuclear weapons, so it might take Iran’s withdrawal from the NPT as a signal that Iran was seeking “to pursue nuclear weapons in secret”.

Iran must engage in nuclear talks, says Germany’s top diplomat

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says Iran must engage in negotiations.

Preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons was legitimate, the top diplomat told German public broadcaster ARD, adding that European nations are prepared to assist in potential talks between Iran and the US.

Israel’s emergency service says 24 killed in Iranian attacks

Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, says 24 people have been killed in the country since Israel began its war with Iran 10 days ago.

It said its teams have treated 1,213 Israelis, including 16 who are in serious condition.

The rest have been treated for moderate and mild injuries, as well as for anxiety, it said.

Israeli attacks on Iran have killed more than 400 people.

Photos: Tehran residents protest against US attacks on Iran

Iran
A woman lifts a national flag during a rally at the Enghelab Square in the Iranian capital
Iran
Iran

‘Euphoric, almost biblical language used in Israel to describe US attack on Iran’

Meron Rapoport, an editor and writer at Israeli news site Local Call, says there appears to be a universal sense of euphoria in Israel today following the US strikes against Iran.

“There is a feeling that it’s a great thing for Israel; I think most Israelis think like that, that this is a big moment,” he told Al Jazeera. “Some talk using euphoric language in order to describe, in almost biblical terms, what happened this morning in Iran.”

He noted, however, that at the same time, people in Israel had to rush to shelters this morning due to an Iranian attack.

“The damage is not slight in Tel Aviv and other places in Israel, so there is also a lot of apprehension.”

Asked about what might have convinced US President Donald Trump to join the Israeli air campaign against Iran, Rapoport argued that the “successful” Israeli attacks on Iran over the past nine days should be seen as one of the reasons.

“I think Trump is a person that is looking to join the strongest side when he sees [it]; he did it [in the Russia-Ukraine war] with Putin against Zelenskyy, and he did it elsewhere.”

How has Trump and Netanyahu’s relationship shifted over the years?

After the US launched strikes against three key Iranian nuclear sites, Trump thanked and congratulated Netanyahu, along with several other people and institutions.

“We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Although the two have often enjoyed a warm relationship, it has been marred by fractious moments, including Trump reportedly using an expletive to describe the Israeli prime minister after he publicly congratulated then-incoming President Joe Biden on his 2020 election victory – a loss that Trump has refused to accept.

You can read more about the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu here.

US President Donald Trump meets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Trump (R) meets Netanyahu at the White House, Washington, DC

Hague NATO summit protest shifts focus to Iran

An anti-NATO protest in The Hague shifted its focus to Iran after overnight US strikes on Iran.

The peaceful demonstration took place days before The Hague hosts a NATO summit. The planned protest against NATO’s military policies pivoted to condemnation of the US attacks on Iran, with participants voicing concern about rising tensions in the Middle East.

Thousands marched towards the Peace Palace, home to the ICJ. Organisers estimated the crowd at 5,000.

Protesters carried banners calling for de-escalation, diplomacy, and for NATO to be disbanded, with some saying “No Iran war” and “Hands off Iran”.

Iran would be wise not to open up another front with US

Many people are framing Iran’s options in binary terms. It’s either they escalate on two fronts, with Israel and the US, or they surrender and go to the negotiation table humiliated under strict US conditions.

I don’t think these are Iran’s options. It’s not a matter of escalation or surrender. There are a number of options in between.

I think the smartest option for the Iranians to pursue is not to open two fronts simultaneously.

The best thing you can do with Trump is to ignore him. That’s the best way to hurt him.

The best thing to do against Netanyahu today is to deny him opening another front with the US, because that’s exactly what he wanted from day one. Opening two fronts is not in Iran’s interests.

If they have to play dead, play dead. If they have to keep quiet, keep quiet.

Top Iranian official slams US strikes as ‘blatant violation’ of international laws

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, has condemned the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling it “a blatant violation of all international laws and UN regulations”.

He said the strikes grant Iran the legitimate right to respond, IRNA reported.

Velayati also criticised Trump, saying he acts “thoughtlessly and against America’s own interests”, comparing him with “his irrational puppet Netanyahu”.

US strikes were carried out with ‘massive military coordination’

This was all part of the operation that the Americans put in place.

It was carried out by deception and massive military coordination and ordnance. We heard that there were 14 bunker-buster bombs effectively used on some of the nuclear sites, as well as a number of Tomahawk missiles.

What is really interesting is the way that the language changed in less than 12 hours, with Donald Trump saying that the targets were completely obliterated, and now we’re hearing Rubio and Vance saying they’d set the Iranian nuclear programme back by a considerable amount of time.

You can see they’re still assessing the damage.

Pakistan condemns US strikes, a day after nominating Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Pakistan has condemned the strikes ordered on Iran by Trump, a day after Islamabad said it would nominate the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Pakistan said Trump’s decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities violated international law and that diplomacy was the only way to resolve the Iran crisis.

“The unprecedented escalation of tension and violence, owing to ongoing aggression against Iran, is deeply disturbing. Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and “conveyed Pakistan’s condemnation” of the US attacks, a statement from the Pakistani leader said.