
Iran claims it has downed two Israeli jets - as it fires missiles in response to Friday's attacks
The Iranian army claims it has shot down two Israeli jets and that its response to Friday night's attacks on nuclear and military infrastructure has begun.
The reports emerged as smoke was seen rising from Tel Aviv as Iran launched missiles at the city.
Air raid sirens had been heard across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as the missiles neared Israel.
It comes as a reporter with the Iranian Tasnim news agency said missiles had been fired from Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran towards Israel.
The IRNA state news agency reported at least two Israeli jets had been shot down - with the fate of the pilots currently unknown.
The agency also said that the country's response to Israel's attacks on Friday had begun.
Israel launched a huge attack on Iran on Friday, which it says was aimed at degrading the country's nuclear ambitions and weakening its military.
Israel was able to target key facilities and kill top generals and scientists.
It said the barrage was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.
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BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Iran will consider diplomacy when Israeli aggression stops
Iran has said it will not resume talks over its nuclear programme while under attack, hours after Israel's defence minister warned of "prolonged" conflict against the Islamic of violence continued on Friday, as Iran fired another salvo of missiles at northern Israel, and Israel targeted dozens of sites in Iran. Israel's foreign minister, Eyal Zamir, said in a video address that his country should be ready for "ready for a prolonged campaign" and warned of "difficult days ahead."Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met with European diplomats in Geneva who urged him to revive diplomatic efforts with the US over Tehran's nuclear programme. But Araghchi said Iran was ready to consider diplomacy only once Israel's "aggression is stopped".He went on to say that Iran's nuclear programme was peaceful, and that Israel's attacks on it are a violation of international law, adding that Iran will continue to "exercise its legitimate right of self-defence"."I make it crystal clear that Iran's defence capabilities are non-negotiable," he said. Israel's ambassador to the UN accused Iran of having a "genocidal agenda" and posed an ongoing threat, adding that Israel would not stop targeting nuclear facilities until they were "dismantled". Trump: Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible US air strikes, suggesting that he could take a decision before the 14-day deadline he set on Thursday."I'm giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum," Trump told added that the aim was to "see whether or not people come to their senses."The US president was also dismissive of the talks between Araghchi and foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany and the EU."Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said that the US had provided "a short window of time" to resolve the crisis in the Middle East, which he said was "perilous and deadly serious". French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said "we invited the Iranian minister to consider negotiations with all sides, including the United States, without awaiting the cessation of strikes, which we also hope for".Barrot added that "can be no definitive solution through military means to the Iran nuclear problem" and warned that it was "dangerous to want to impose a regime change" in Iran. As the Geneva talks took place, the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran was hit by a new round of Iranian strikes with the Israeli military reporting an attack of 20 missiles targeting Israeli woman died of a heart attack, bringing the Israeli total since the conflict began to Israel Defense Forces said it attacked ballistic missile storage and launch sites in western the last week, Israeli air strikes have destroyed Iranian military facilities and weapons, and killed senior military commanders and nuclear health ministry said on Sunday that at least 224 people had been killed, but a human rights group put the unofficial death toll at 639 on has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the air strikes.


Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
‘She's wrong': Trump throws Tulsi Gabbard under the bus on Iran
Donald Trump has said that Tulsi Gabbard and the US intelligence community is 'wrong' about Iran's nuclear capabilities. The US president doubled down on his claim that his own government officials are mistaken about how close Iran is to building a nuclear bomb when challenged by a reporter on Friday. 'What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a nuclear weapon?', Mr Trump was asked outside Air Force One. 'Your intelligence community have said they have no evidence that they are at this point.' 'Well then my intelligence community is wrong,' Mr Trump responded, before asking: 'who in my intelligence community said that?' 'Your director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard,' the reporter replies, before the president retorts: 'She's wrong.' Mr Trump added: 'Within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months, they're going to be able to have a nuclear weapon. We can't let that happen.' In March, Ms Gabbard told Congress the intelligence community 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.' She also said the US was closely monitoring Iran's nuclear program, noting that the country's 'enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.' Its the second time Mr Trump has directly contradicted Ms Gabbard on the issue, with the US president saying on Thursday that he did not 'care what she thinks'. Speaking aboard Air Force One on his return from the G7 summit in Canada, Mr Trump told reporters: 'I think they were very close to having a weapon.' Ms Gabbard later told CNN that her comments had been taken out of context and that she was on 'the same page' as Mr Trump. General Erik Kurilla, who leads US forces in the Middle East, recently testified to Congress that Iran could produce enough nuclear material for 10 weapons in three weeks. However, he did not say how long it would take to assemble the pieces into a bomb. On Thursday, Mr Trump's press secretary said Iran could produce a nuclear bomb 'within weeks'. 'Let's be very clear, Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,' she said. 'All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon, which would of course pose an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the entire world.' A senior intelligence official said Mr Trump was right to be concerned because its uranium enrichment far exceeds what would be needed for domestic purposes. Another senior administration official said Iran was as close to having a nuclear weapon as it could be without having one. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. Mr Trump's contradiction of Ms Gabbard echoed his feuds with US spy leaders during his first term, when he viewed them as part of a 'deep state' that was undermining his agenda. Most notably, he sided with Vladimir Putin in 2018 when asked if Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election, saying Mr Putin was 'extremely strong and powerful in his denial.'


Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Trump's credibility gap and why Iran may want to take its chances in Israel conflict
After hours of talks, the ayatollah's chief diplomat emerged giving little away. All eyes were on Abbas Aragchi. Would he give ground in the face of Israel's fierce bombardment of his country? Yes, but only if Israel stops that bombardment which is not going to happen. Especially after a day when two of Israel's big cities suffered direct hits from Iranian missiles. The best that can be said for almost four hours of talks, is they happened and might again. There were no breakthroughs to report, no ground shifting on either side. The talks were flawed in concept from the beginning. The countries meeting Aragchi here are not involved in the conflict. Israel and America were absent. The US did send a message, via Britain's foreign secretary David Lammy. We want to talk but we're serious about getting involved with military force if you do not. But the UK was delivering an American ultimatum and threat of force it does not itself believe to be a good idea. Britain and its European partners want de-escalation and oppose any idea of Donald Trump and his military getting involved. Iran is embattled, beleaguered and bombarded. But if its government is worried, its calm and collected foreign minister was showing none of it. The Iranians know Trump may send in the bombers and bunker busters within two weeks, but do they believe him? The president for whom they coined the acronym 'Trump Always Chickens Out' has a credibility gap. And if he takes action that leads to a chain of events where Americans end up dying, he will be crucified for it by his own MAGA movement.