Trump offered to meet Iranian leader but couldn't reach him

Donald Trump tried to arrange a meeting between senior US and Iranian officials but was unable to do so because Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could not be contacted.
The US news website Axios reports that Mr Trump worked with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, to set up negotiations between the US and Iran in Istanbul this week.
Mr Trump was willing to send JD Vance and Steve Witkoff, the White House envoy, or even travel to Turkey himself if necessary in order to reach a deal.
The proposals were passed on to Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, and Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, who could not reach Khamenei for a sign-off, according to three US officials.
The Telegraph reported this week that Khamenei is being protected by an elite security unit and does not have access to his electronic devices.
Mr Trump is expected to convene his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Saturday evening to discuss whether to enter the conflict between Israel and Iran.
On Friday, Mr Trump told reporters that he will make a decision on whether to join the war within 'two weeks'.
The US has launched strikes on Iran, bombing three of the country's nuclear facilities.
Donald Trump authorised the strikes on the Fordow, Natanx and Esfahan sites on Saturday evening, calling it a 'successful attack'.
'We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Mr Trump said on Truth Social.
'All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.'
Pressure had been mounting on the US to intervene in the escalating conflict in support of Israel, and to force Iran's leaders to end its nuclear programme.
Follow the latest updates in our new liveblog.
Donald Trump has returned to the White House ahead of a US National Security Council meeting.
The president walked across South Lawn and declined to answer questions from reporters.
Mr Trump also did not give a statement before boarding Air Force One in New Jersey, hours after news broke that US B-2 stealth bombers had been moved to the US military base in Guam.
Instead, he wrote posts on his Truth Social platform.
Sharing a Fox News report about whether he will authorise US military strikes on Iran, Mr Trump wrote: 'Only time will tell!'
Following the alerts in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military has said it has since shot down an Iranian drone in that area.
The IDF said it was responding to reports of an 'intrusion of a hostile aircraft' shortly before 1am local time in Ramat Magshim and Haspin.
'The Air Force intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle that was launched from the east towards Israeli territory,' the IDF said.
An 'unrecognised aircraft' has been detected near two communities in the Golan Heights of Israel.
Residents of Ramat Magshimim and Haspin are on alert for drone attacks.
Iran has announced the launch of suicide drones towards Israel, the latest wave of attacks as fighting between the two countries enters the 10th day.
'A vast wave of attack and suicide drones has been heading for hours towards their strategic targets throughout the regime's territory, from the north to the south of the occupied territories,' Iran's Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini was quoted as saying by state television.
Israel has launched strikes on the southern city of Shiraz, the capital of Fars province, according to Iranian media.
'Shiraz's air defences have been activated in some areas of the city and have been engaged in fighting hostile targets and Zionist aircraft,' the Mehr news agency reports.
Previously, images from June 15 showed damage to the Shiraz missile and electronics production facilities after Israeli strikes.
Israeli officials have reportedly told the Trump administration that they do not want to wait two weeks to find out if the US will join the conflict between Israel and Iran.
According to Reuters, which cites two unnamed sources, Israel wants swift action to target the nuclear facility at Fordow before its narrow window of opportunity closes.
The US is the only country with bombs powerful enough to reach the nuclear site, which is buried 300ft inside a mountain and makes up one of three key pieces of nuclear infrastructure in Iran.
Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-Palestinian Columbia University activist who spent more than three months in immigration detention, has returned to New Jersey.
Mr Khalil emerged from security at Newark airport with his wife and infant son, smiling triumphantly.
A high-profile voice in Columbia University's pro-Palestinian protests, the US government has been seeking to deport Mr Khalil, saying his activism is harmful to foreign policy interests.
Speaking at the airport and flanked by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democratic congresswoman, he accused the White House of trying to 'dehumanise anyone who does not agree with the administration.'
Ms Ocasio-Cortez said that the Trump administration is 'waging a losing legal battle' to deport migrants in the US who support Palestinians.
US B-2 stealth bombers have left America, heading towards Guam, as Donald Trump continues to mull striking Iran's Fordow underground nuclear facility.
As many as four aircraft took off from the Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri on Saturday morning accompanied by four refuelling tankers, according to flight tracking data.
Two US officials confirmed that they are heading west towards the US Naval Base Guam in the Pacific Ocean. From there, they could head to the US base on Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands, which is within striking distance of Iran.
The B-2 is the only aircraft capable of delivering the 30,000-lb 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator' precision-guided bunker busters that could be used to target Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordow.
Buried 300ft inside a mountain, the Fordow enrichment plant is one of three key pieces of nuclear infrastructure in Iran, alongside the Natanz enrichment plant and research facilities in Isfahan.
The US B-2 bomber is thought to cost $2.1 billion, making it the most expensive military aircraft ever built.
On Thursday, Donald Trump said that the decision on whether to strike Iran would be made 'in the next two weeks.'
Israel's military has said that it is currently striking unmanned aerial vehicle and weapons depots in Bandar Abbas, southwestern Iran.
Effie Defrin, the IDF spokesman, claimed that Israel has reduced Tehran's missile launch capabilities to 'merely a fraction of what they were at the outset of the operation.'
Iranian media also reported on Saturday that an Israeli strike had hit a military base in the Qom province.
'A few minutes ago, one of the evacuated military bases… was hit by projectiles from the Zionist regime,' ISNA news agency reported, citing official statements.
Iran's armed forces have threatened to strike shipments of military aid to Israel.
'We warn that sending any military or radar equipment by boat or aircraft from any country to assist the Zionist regime will be considered participation in the aggression against Islamic Iran and will be a legitimate target for the armed forces,' a spokesman said in a broadcast on state TV.
It comes after Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, told journalists in Istanbul on Saturday that it would be 'very, very dangerous for everyone' if the US becomes involved in the war with Israel.
A member of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed by an Israeli air attack, reports Reuters, citing a senior Lebanese security source.
The source identified the member as Hussein Khalil, commonly known as Abu Ali, who once served as the bodyguard of Hassan Nasrallah, the former Hezbollah chief who was killed in an Israeli attack on Beirut in September 2024.
The former bodyguard had appeared alongside Nasrallah over the years in the leader's rare public appearances.
AFP reports that Khalil was killed alongside a member of an Iraqi armed group in an Israeli drone strike.
The US Department of State has started assisted departure flights from Israel amid its conflict with Iran, Mike Huckabee, the US Ambassador to Israel, has said.
This is the first time that such flights have been offered there since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
In a social media post, Mr Huckabee said that US citizens and lawful permanent residents can complete an online form for updates.
The US has also told its citizens in Iran who wish to leave to go via Azerbaijan, Armenia or Turkey if they feel it is safe.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, has said that his country will not halt nuclear activity 'under any circumstances' amid ongoing fighting with Israel, according to AFP citing the IRNA news agency.
'We are ready to discuss and cooperate to build confidence in the field of peaceful nuclear activities, however we do not agree to reduce nuclear activities to zero under any circumstances,' Pezeshkian is reported to have said during a phone call with Emmanuel Macron.
Iran admitted it has detained a German cyclist on spying allegations for the past year for the first time on Saturday.
Marek Kaufman has been held in the notorious Evin prison since his arrest last year near the Arak nuclear facility in Markasi Province.
He is accused of recording the coordinates and locations of military and nuclear facilities
A propaganda video of him confessing to filming a nuclear facility has been released on Telegram by an Iranian news agency.
It appears to show him cycling and being arrested by Revolutionary Guards. Iran has been accused of forced confessions in the past.
The announcement comes after Britain and Europe warned Donald Trump that any US attack on Iran would endanger westerners held hostage by the Islamic Republic.
In recent years, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Among them are at least 20 European citizens.
Two British nationals, a man and a woman, were arrested in Iran in February and accused of security-related offences.
In recent years, at least 15 people with links to the UK have been arrested in the country and accused of espionage offences.
Emmanuel Macron vowed that Europe would step up its diplomatic efforts a day after Donald Trump dismissed European efforts to end the war between Iran and Israel.
The French President spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday.
Afterwards he said on X, 'I am convinced that a path exists to end war and avoid even greater dangers.
'To achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran.'
'Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons,' he added, 'It is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful.'
On Friday, President Trump was asked about a Geneva meeting that day between Iran's foreign minister and the foreign ministers of France, Germany, the UK and the EU.
'Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us,' he told reporters in New Jersey, 'Europe is not going to be able to help in this one.'
The US military is moving several of its B-2 bombers to Guam, Reuters has reported, citing two US officials.
The B-2 aircraft can deliver the 30,000lb bunker buster bombs that would be needed to launch a successful attack on Fordow, the Iranian nuclear facility buried 300ft inside a mountain.
Israel has claimed that Iran's Revolutionary Guards tried to attack Israeli citizens in Cyprus.
Gideon Saar, Israel's foreign minister, said in a post on X: 'The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… tried to carry out an attack on Israeli citizens in Cyprus.'
'Thanks to the activity of the Cypriot security authorities, in cooperation with Israeli security services, the terror attack was thwarted.'
He did not provide further details of the alleged attack, but claimed that Iran is 'deliberately targeting Israeli civilians both in Israel and abroad.'
Earlier today, Cypriot authorities said that they had arrested a suspected Iranian spy thought to be plotting a terror attack on an RAF base in Cyprus.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan predicted Iran would win its war with Israel on Saturday.
Speaking at a gathering of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation foreign ministers in Istanbul, he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to 'resolve issues through diplomatic means.'
Mr Erdoğan said he was 'optimistic that victory will be Iran's' and urged diplomats to use international law and UN resolutions to put pressure on Israel.
He accused Israel of sabotaging nuclear talks between Iran and the US by launching strikes on June 13, when negotiations were ongoing.
Mr Erdoğan will join fellow NATO leaders, including Donald Trump, in the Hague for a summit next Wednesday.
The Israeli military says that it has completed another series of strikes in southwestern Iran today.
It said that around 30 jets attacked dozens of military targets in the area of Ahvaz using more than 50 munitions.
The military also claimed that jets struck radar detection system sites and other military infrastructure.
Yemen's Houthis have threatened to target US ships in the Red Sea if Washington gets involved in Israel's attacks on Iran, according to a military spokesperson from the group.
'In the event of the American involvement in the attack and aggression against Iran with the Israeli enemy, the armed forces will target its ships and warships in the Red Sea,' Yahya Saree said.
In May, the US and the Houthis agreed to a ceasefire to halt the latter's attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea.
'The Houthis have announced… that they don't want to fight any more. They just don't want to fight. And we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated,' Donald Trump said at the time.
A suspected Iranian spy has been arrested near an RAF base in Cyprus following intelligence suggesting he was planning a terrorist attack.
The man, believed to be of Azerbaijani descent, has links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to local media reports.
Cypriot authorities confirmed they arrested the individual on suspicion of espionage and terror-related offences.
The suspect was thought to have had Britain's Akrotiri base, home to the RAF's Typhoons, and Cyprus's own Andreas Papandreou air base under surveillance since mid-April, ANT1 news portal reported.
The island country's counter-terrorism unit received information from a foreign intelligence service that he was planning an immediate terrorist attack, Israeli outlet Channel 12 reports.
The individual appeared before a district court on Saturday, which has ordered an eight-day detention pending enquiries. No further details would be issued, police said, citing national security.
Cyprus, situated close to the Middle East, has in recent days been used as a transit point for the region amid the spiralling conflict between Israel and Iran.
The UN nuclear agency confirmed that an overnight Israeli strike hit a centrifuge manufacturing workshop at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site, reports Agence France-Presse.
'A centrifuge manufacturing workshop has been hit in Esfahan, the third such facility that has been targeted in Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear-related sites over the past week,' the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement quoting its chief Rafael Grossi.
The Israeli Air Force bombed the Isfahan nuclear site early on Saturday for the second time since the conflict began.
Local news in Iran quoted a security official saying that there had been no leakage of hazardous materials from the site.
Mr Grossi appeared to confirm this, saying 'there was no nuclear material at this site and therefore the attack on it will have no radiological consequences'.
Credit: Eyepress via Reuters
Turkey is ready to facilitate the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the US, according to the office of Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president.
The Turkish president's office said that Mr Erdogan had met Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, on the sidelines of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Istanbul.
In a statement, Mr Erdogan's office said that the Turkish president told Mr Araghchi that resuming Iranian-US talks on Tehran's nuclear programme is the only way to end the conflict with Israel.
'Steps should be taken as soon as possible to open up diplomacy via technical and leaders-level talks between Iran and the US,' Mr Erdogan's office said.
The discussions and proposals made by the European powers to Iran over its nuclear programme in Geneva were unrealistic, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.
The official indicated that Iran is unwilling to negotiate over its defensive capabilities, including its missile programme, or agree to zero uranium enrichment.
The senior official added that if Europe insists on these proposals the parties will not come any closer to an agreement.
'In any case, Iran will review the European proposals in Tehran and present its responses in the next meeting,' the official said.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said 'it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful' and reiterated his position that 'Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons'.
Following a call with his counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, Mr Macron also said that negotiations between Europe and Iran will 'accelerate'.
'I am convinced that a path exists to end war and avoid even greater dangers,' Mr Macron wrote on X.
Several powerful explosions have been heard in Ahvaz, the capital of Iran's southwestern Khuzestan Province, according to local media.
Khuzestan is Iran's primary oil-producing region, situated on the border with Iraq.
Israel's military had previously announced strikes on military infrastructure in Iran's south-west.
Avichay Adraee, an IDF spokesman, wrote on X: 'Air Force warplanes are currently launching raids targeting military infrastructure in southwestern Iran.'
Iran said more than 400 people have been killed since start of war with Israel.
That death toll is believed to include more than 200 civilians as well as military commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes.
The suspected Iranian spy arrested in Cyprus was seen walking near RAF Akrotiri almost daily, carrying a camera with a magnifying lens and three mobile phones, according to reports.
The man is said to have been taking photos with his phones and other electronic devices as well as writing notes, reports to Phileleftheros, Cyprus's largest newspaper.
The Akrotiri RAF base in Cyprus is the UK's largest military installation outside Britain and plays a key role in supporting operations in the Middle East.
Aircraft deployed at the base include Eurofighter Typhoons, which have been used in strikes against the Islamic State and Yemen's Houthis.
Puma helicopters, Voyager tanker aircraft and the Shadow R1 reconnaissance aeroplane are also deployed to the base.
Israel launched a new wave of air strikes against the Iranian regime overnight as it claimed to have set back Tehran's development of nuclear weapons by 'years'.
In a post on X, the Israeli air force said it targeted 'missile storage and launch infrastructure in central Iran' on Saturday morning.
'According to the assessment we hear, we already delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb,' Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar said in an interview with Bild on Saturday.
Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv on Saturday morning as Israel's air defence systems responded to a fresh barrage of projectiles from Tehran.
The war has entered its second week and Israel's military chief last night warned of a 'prolonged campaign'.
An Iranian drone on Saturday hit a home in the Beit She'an valley, marking the first time a drone has hit a residential area in Israel since the conflict began on June 13.
At least 25 people have been killed in Israel since the violence erupted. Iran said last weekend that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, but Tehran has not issued an updated toll since.
The Islamic Republic on Friday ruled out further nuclear talks with the United States until Israel halts its attacks.
Credit: Reuters / Turkish foreign ministry
Two to four US B-2 bomber aircraft have taken off from their base in Missouri, according to flight tracking data.
The B-2s are the only aircraft capable of carrying the 30,000-lb 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator' bunker busters, that Israel estimates could destroy Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordow.
The aircraft took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base on Saturday morning, accompanied by four refuelling aircraft, and are heading west towards the Naval Base Guam in the Pacific Ocean.
It comes amid a great American military build-up in the Middle East as Donald Trump plots whether to join Israel's strikes against Iran.
Four fighters from Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed in an Israeli attack on a training centre, the ISNA state news agency reported.
'Four people have died as martyrs and three others were wounded in an Israeli attack against a training camp of the Revolutionary Guards in Tabriz,' ISNA reported.
The city in north-west Tehran has been repeatedly targeted since Israel began striking Iran more than a week ago.
Credit: X / almayadeen_es
A senior Israeli military official said on Saturday morning that IDF strikes on Iran would continue for 'as long as possible' and anyone saying otherwise was making 'empty promises'.
Originally, Israeli government officials publicised a 'two-week' time frame for the campaign, saying its objectives could be met in that period.
Overnight, 50 Israeli jets hit targets across Iran with 150 munitions, killing three senior Iranian military commanders, including the new commander of its drone force.
Israel also hit the Isfahan nuclear site in Iran for the second time, further degrading its capacity to manufacture the centrifuges required to produce weapons-grade uranium.
Israel had dealt a 'severe blow to centrifuge production' in Iran and had taken out '50 per cent or more' of its ballistic missile launchers, said the senior military official.
The launchers were being hit 'in real time' by Israeli jets, they added, suggesting that they were being hit opportunistically while out in the open, rather than at their bases.
Iran fired a barrage of five ballistic missiles at central Israel overnight, triggering sirens in Tel Aviv and numerous surrounding towns at around 2:40am. All were intercepted while the nation hunkered down in shelters.
The three senior Iranian commanders killed overnight were named as Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestinian Division in the IRGC's Quds Force, Behnam Shahriyari, head of the Quds Force's Unit 190, and Aminpour Joudaki, head of the IRGC Aerospace Force's drone unit.
It would be 'very, very dangerous for everybody' if the US was to join Israel's strikes on Iran, the country's top diplomat said.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said: 'Unfortunately we have heard that the US may join this aggression.
'That would be very unfortunate and very, very dangerous for everybody.'
Araghchi was speaking to reporters in Istanbul on his way home from talks in Geneva, which failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough.
Donald Trump has delayed a decision on whether to join Israeli strikes against Iran's military and nuclear facilities by two weeks, giving Iran a window of opportunity to sign a nuclear deal.
An Iranian drone has hit a residential building in the Beit She'an valley.
It is the first known case of an Iranian drone hitting a populated area since the conflict began on June 13.
'A drone strike hit a two-storey residential building in northern Israel,' the Magen David Adom said in a statement, adding that its rescue teams found no visible casualties as they arrived.
The Israeli military has said that it killed a second commander of the Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm during a precision strike on his vehicle overnight in western Tehran.
Benham Shariyari, the IDF said, 'was responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East'.
Shariyari supplied missiles and rockets launched at Israel to Hezbollah, Hamas and Yemen's Houthis, the IDF added.
The announcement came shortly after Israel said it had assassinated Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestinian Corps inside Iran's elite Quds Force, in his apartment.
Credit: Israeli Army handout
Vladimir Putin said that Russia has repeatedly notified Israel that Iran has no intentions of obtaining nuclear weapons.
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, the Russian president said: 'I must say that Russia, like the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], has no evidence that Iran is preparing to acquire nuclear weapons.'
'If Israel has any concerns, then they need to be addressed, and there are forms and possibilities for addressing these concerns, as I have already said, in my opinion,' he added.
Moscow has repeatedly called for the end to Israeli strikes on Russia's key ally since war broke out last week.
There has been a large movement of US military aircraft towards the Middle East in recent days, with some passing through UK airspace.
Flight tracking data shows 52 warplanes flying over the eastern Mediterranean in the direction of the Middle East between Monday and Thursday.
The military build-up comes as Donald Trump mulls whether to join Israel's strikes against Iran's military and nuclear facilities.
The US will be seeking to bolster its defences in the region to brace against a possible Iranian retaliation. The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is already in the Arabian Sea, while the Nimitz group is en route from the Indo-Pacific.
Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East has remained in 'correspondence' with Iranian officials, according to the White House.
Steve Witkoff, however, did not attend talks between top diplomats from the UK, France, Germany, the European Union and Iran in Geneva on Friday to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Mr Trump dismissed the meeting, which ended with no breakthrough. 'Europe is not going to be able to help on this one,' he told reporters. 'Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us.'
Donald Trump has said it is 'very hard' to ask Israel to stop bombing Iran.
'I think it's very hard to make that request right now,' the US president told reporters after stepping off Air Force One in New Jersey on Friday.
'If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens.'
Tehran has repeatedly stated that it will not hold direct talks with the US until Israel pauses its strikes.
Credit: Reuters
Israel's military said its navy hit a Hezbollah 'infrastructure site' near the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura on Saturday, despite an ongoing ceasefire.
'Overnight, an Israeli Navy vessel struck a Hezbollah 'Radwan Force' terrorist infrastructure site in the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon,' the military said in a statement, adding that it was used 'to advance terror attacks against Israeli civilians'.
The Iran-aligned Lebanese group, which was heavily degraded by Israeli strikes before a November ceasefire, has condemned Israel's strikes on Iran, threatening there would be 'dire consequences'.
But the group has stopped short of making explicit threats to intervene. Israel Katz, Israel's defence minister, on Friday warned Hezbollah against joining the war. 'If there is terror, there will be no Hezbollah,' he said.
Iran's supreme leader has been moved to a highly secure location where he is under the protection of a top-secret elite unit, The Telegraph has learned.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled Iran since 1989, has entrusted his survival to a previously unknown group of deeply vetted bodyguards, amid increasingly overt threats from Israel on his life, according to officials in Tehran.
Believing Israeli intelligence has comprehensively penetrated the regime, the unit was kept so secret that even senior officials within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were unaware of its existence.
'He's not hiding from death, he's not in a bunker,' said one Iranian official. 'But his life is in danger, and there is a unit responsible for his protection that no one even knew existed to avoid any chance of infiltration.'
Police in Iran's Qom province said that 22 people 'linked to Israeli spy services' had been arrested since June 13.
'22 people were identified and arrested on charges of being linked to the Zionist regime's spy services, disturbing public opinion and supporting the criminal regime,' the IRGC-backed Fars news agency reported, citing police.
It came after Iranian police announced the arrest on Thursday of 24 people accused of spying for Israel and of seeking to tarnish the country's image.
Israel's defence minister said that Saeed Izadi, commander of the Palestinian Corps inside Iran's elite Quds Force, was assassinated in his apartment.
Israel Katz said: 'He funded and armed Hamas ahead of the October 7 massacre. A huge achievement for Israeli intelligence and air force, justice for the murdered and kidnapped. Israel's long arm will reach all its enemies.'
The Israel Defence Forces, confirming the strike, said Izadi was responsible for co-ordination between the senior commanders of the IRGC and Hamas leaders.
Unverified footage showed the burnt remains of the upper floors of an apartment block in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, where Izadi allegedly lived.
Iran's Quds force is the external branch of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), tasked with overseeing the country's foreign operations and is tied to Iran-aligned armed groups in the region.
Iran's Isfahan nuclear site was targeted by Israel, Tehran's military-backed Fars news agency reported on Saturday.
Quoting a security official, it said Israel carried out multiple attacks, including on the Isfahan site, saying 'most of the explosive sounds heard in these attacks were related to air defence activity'.
There was no 'leakage of hazardous materials', the official added.
Israel struck the Isfahan facility earlier this week, damaging four 'critical buildings', including a Uranium conversion facility and a fuel plate fabrication plant.
Over the past seven days, Israeli warplanes have been attacking Iran's most precious military and nuclear targets with ease and speed, after knocking out its air defence missile launchers and radar sites last week.
In his many years as Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei has gained a reputation for political caution, deep conservatism, and absolute ruthlessness. But above all, he is stubborn.
Faced with the killing of numerous members of his military high command, the destruction of swathes of the Islamic Republic's treasured nuclear programme and with enemy jets operating freely over his capital, he responded to Donald Trump's demand for surrender this week by declaring: 'The Iranian nation will stand firmly against any imposed war, just as it always has.'
'The Iranian nation also firmly stands against any imposed peace. The Iranian nation will not capitulate to anyone in the face of coercion,' the 86-year-old cleric went on.
It is fighting talk. But many believe it is at odds with reality.
Welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict.
Here are today's top stories:
Iran has been told by the West to stop funding its proxies, end its nuclear programme, and limit manufacturing ballistic missiles in exchange for a deal to halt Donald Trump's plans for military strikes
The UK believes US military action is real and approaching, and that Mr Trump is not stalling with his two week deadline, The Telegraph understands
European officials warned their counterparts in the White House that any attack could imperil the lives of Western hostages held by Tehran
Iran is rushing to export as much oil as possible amid fears a wider war could result in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
Britain announced it would withdraw its embassy staff from Iran
Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, warned that strikes on Iran's Bushehr plant could trigger 'a very high release of radioactivity'
Read more: Britain tells Iran to stop funding proxies or face Trump strikes
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States attacked three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel's war aimed at destroying the country's nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict. Addressing the nation from the White House, President Donald Trump asserted that Iran's key nuclear sites were 'completely and fully obliterated.' There was no independent damage assessment. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted that its nuclear program will not be stopped. Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations. It was not clear whether the U.S. would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a war with Iran for nine days. Trump acted without congressional authorization , and he warned that there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against U.S. forces. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' he said. Iran's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, warned in a post on X that the U.S. attacks 'will have everlasting consequences' and that Tehran 'reserves all options' to retaliate. Hours later, Iranian missiles struck areas in northern and central Israel, according to an Israeli rescue service. United Hatzalah said it was dispatching first responders, but here was no immediate word on casualties or damage. The US helped Israel strike Iran's toughest nuclear site Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have claimed that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. The decision to directly involve the U.S. in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel that significantly degraded Iran's air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, and damaged its nuclear enrichment facilities. But U.S. and Israeli officials have said American B-2 stealth bombers and the 30,000-pound (13,500-kilogram) bunker-buster bomb that only they have been configured to carry offered the best chance of destroying heavily fortified sites connected to the Iranian nuclear program buried deep underground. Trump appears to have made the calculation — at the prodding of Israeli officials and many Republican lawmakers — that Israel's operation had softened the ground and presented a perhaps unparalleled opportunity to set back Iran's nuclear program, perhaps permanently. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Trump said in a post on social media, using common alternate spellings for two of the sites. 'All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.' Trump added in a later post: 'This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!' Israel announced Sunday that it had closed its airspace to both inbound and outbound flights in the wake of the U.S. attacks. The White House and Pentagon did not immediately elaborate on the operation. U.S. military leaders are scheduled to provide a briefing at 8 a.m. Eastern. The attack used bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant that is built deep into a mountain, a U.S. official said. The weapons are designed to penetrate the ground before exploding. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. In addition, U.S. submarines launched about 30 Tomahawk missiles, according to another U.S. official who also spoke on condition of anonymity. The International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on X that there has been 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after the strikes. 'The IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,' it said. The 'IAEA will provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available.' Trump's turn to strikes departs from some previous statements The strikes are a perilous decision for Trump, who won the White House on the promise of keeping America out of costly foreign conflicts and scoffed at the value of American interventionism. But Trump also vowed that he would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and he had initially hoped that the threat of force would bring the country's leaders to give up its nuclear program peacefully. For months, Trump said he was dedicated to a diplomatic push to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. And he twice — in April and again in late May — persuaded Netanyahu to hold off on military action against Iran and give diplomacy more time. After Israel began striking Iran, Trump went from publicly expressing hope that the moment could be a 'second chance' for Iran to make a deal to delivering explicit threats on Khamenei and making calls for Tehran's unconditional surrender. He has bristled at criticism from some of his MAGA faithful who have suggested that further U.S. involvement would be a betrayal to supporters who were drawn to his promise to end U.S. involvement in expensive and endless wars. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump's decision to attack in a video message directed at the American president. 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history,' he said. Netanyahu said the U.S. 'has done what no other country on earth could do.' The military showdown with Iran comes seven years after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-administration brokered agreement in 2018, calling it the 'worst deal ever.' Fears of a broader war U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the 'dangerous escalation' of American strikes. 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region and the world,' he said in a statement. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they would resume attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea if the Trump administration joined Israel's military campaign. The Houthis paused such attacks in May under a deal with the U.S. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the United States on Wednesday that strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will 'result in irreparable damage for them.' And Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei declared 'any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.' The Israeli military said Saturday it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war, while Iran's foreign minister warned before the U.S. attack that American military involvement 'would be very, very dangerous for everyone.' Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 865 people and wounded 3,396 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group said of those dead, it identified 363 civilians and 215 security force personnel. Trump's decision for direct U.S. military intervention comes after his administration made an unsuccessful two-month push — including with high-level, direct negotiations with the Iranians — aimed at persuading Tehran to curb its nuclear program. ___ Madhani reported from Morristown, N.J. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Iran, Lolita Baldor in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Samy Magdy in Cairo, contributed to this story. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

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After Trump attacks Iran, what experts and officials fear for the American homeland

In the wake of President Donald Trump's "massive precision strikes" on Iran, concerns have been raised both for Americans in the region and at home. A principal area of worry is cyberattacks by Iranian state actors, including targeting the banking system or energy grid. A recent Department of Homeland Security bulletin warned: "Iranian government-affiliated cyber actors will probably prioritize retaliatory attacks against Israeli targets in the short term but may target U.S. networks due to their perception of U.S. support for Israeli strikes." The bulletin urged domestic critical infrastructure entities to "immediately" assess and shore up their security. Such attacks have already infiltrated U.S. water and wastewater systems, according to the non-profit think tank Center for Internet Security, which briefed law enforcement on Friday. The Center was also concerned that Iran, in the wake of Israeli military strikes, might use "crude or escalatory tactics" or informal networks if its capabilities were degraded. "The likelihood of such attacks will increase if the U.S. strikes Iran or overtly provides military support to the Israeli air campaign," the group said. And the Center assessed that Iran's considerable network of proxy groups might be able to strike U.S. interests in the Middle East, though their capacity to strike the U.S. homeland was more limited. The groups, they assessed, while less sophisticated, could still disrupt public infrastructure and the private sector. On top of that was the fear of attacks by foreign nationals or American citizens inspired to strike the U.S. In 2018, the National Counterterrorism Center issued a report saying Iran-sponsored or Shia-inspired -- referring to one of the two major branches of Islam which is dominant in Iran -- terror on the U.S. homeland is unlikely, except if the U.S. were to attack Iran. "Given sustained bilateral U.S.-Iran tensions, the occurrence of such a catalyst could prompt Shia HVE [homegrown violent extremist] activity relatively quickly, underscoring the benefits of early engagement with Shia communities about indicators of HVE radicalization. Potential triggering events for such Shia HVE violence include U.S. military action against Iran." Iranian forces themselves have previously targeted American interests, hitting U.S. bases in the Middle East, for instance, after top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in an American airstrike in Iraq in 2020. Iranian nationals have also carried out major cyberattacks. An Iranian national pleaded guilty last month to helping orchestrate the 2019 Baltimore, Maryland, ransomware attack that caused tens of millions of dollars in damage and disrupted critical city services. While prosecutors did not allege Sina Gholinejad was directed in his activities by the Iranian government, in announcing the case they warned more broadly of Iranian government-backed hacking groups targeting U.S. critical infrastructure. And in the summer of last year, the Justice Department also separately charged a Pakistani man with ties to the Iranian government for allegedly seeking to carry out political assassinations. Authorities told ABC News that among Asif Merchant's targets were Trump and other current and former U.S. officials.