Israel-Iran war stretches into a second week without diplomatic breakthrough
Hours of talks aimed at de-escalating fighting between Israel and Iran failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough as the war entered its second week with a fresh round of strikes between the two adversaries.
European ministers and Iran's top diplomat met for four hours on Friday in Geneva, as President Donald Trump continued to weigh US military involvement and worries rose over potential strikes on nuclear reactors.
European officials expressed hope for future negotiations, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue while emphasising that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking.
'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes,' he told reporters.
Benjamin Netanyahu visits the site of the Weizmann Institute of Science, which was hit by missiles fired from Iran (Jack Guez/Pool Photo via AP)
No date was set for the next round of talks.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue 'for as long as it takes' to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear programme and arsenal of ballistic missiles.
Israel's top general echoed the warning, saying the Israeli military was ready 'for a prolonged campaign'.
But Mr Netanyahu's goal could be out of reach without US help. Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered to be out of reach to all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs.
Mr Trump said he would put off deciding whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran for up to two weeks.
The war between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists.
At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defences, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded.
Israel's defence minister said on Saturday it killed a commander in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the October 7 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the 20-month long war in Gaza.
Israel said Saeed Izadi was commander of the Palestine Corps for the Iranian Quds Force, an elite arm of the Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran, and that he was killed in an apartment in the city of Qom.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Belarus opposition leader Tikhanovsky freed from jail
A TOP BELARUS opposition leader, Sergei Tikhanovsky, has been released from jail after being pardoned, Belarusian human rights group Viasna said today. His wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who took over the opposition cause after his jailing, shared a video of him smiling and embracing her after his release with the caption: 'FREE'. She also said US officials played a role in brokering his release. My husband Siarhei is free! It's hard to describe the joy in my heart. Thank you, 🇺🇸 @POTUS , @SPE_Kellogg , @JohnPCoale , DAS Christopher W. Smith, @StateDept & our 🇪🇺 allies, for all your efforts. We're not done. 1150 political prisoners remain behind bars. All must be released. — Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) June 21, 2025 'It's hard to describe the joy in my heart,' she said in a post on X, thanking US President Donald Trump, US envoy Keith Kellogg and European allies. Tikhanovsky, 46, had been imprisoned for more than five years. Tikhanovsky planned to run against incumbent Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election, but was arrested and detained weeks before the vote. Advertisement His wife Svetlana – a political novice at the time of his arrest – took his place in the polls. He was sentenced in 2021 to 18 years in prison for 'organising riots' and 'inciting hatred' and then to 18 months extra for 'insubordination'. Belarus, ruled by Lukashenko since 1994, has outlawed all opposition movements and is the only European country to retain the death penalty as a punishment. There are more than 1,000 political prisoners in the country, according to Viasna. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski hailed Tikhanovsky's release from jail and thanked the United States for its role in securing his freedom. 'The free world needs you,' Sikorski wrote on X, addressing Tikhanovsky, before adding a message for his wife: 'My sincerest joy goes out to you Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and your entire family. Seeing you together again shows why years of struggle for freedom matter.' 'We will continue to strive to free the rest, including (Polish-Belarusian reporter Andrzej) Poczobut,' Sikorski said, before thanking US envoy Keith Kellogg for securing the 'release of 14 political prisoners in Belarus'.
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
US moves bombers to Pacific as Trump mulls attacking Iran
The US is moving B-2 stealth bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, two officials told Reuters, as President Donald Trump weighs whether the United States should take part in Israel's strikes against Iran. It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 14-ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts claim could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program, including Fordow. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to disclose any further details. One official said no forward orders had been given yet to move the bombers beyond Guam. They did not say how many B-2 bombers are being moved. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Experts and officials are closely watching to see whether the B-2 bombers will move forward to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Experts said that Diego Garcia is in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East from. The United States had B-2 bombers on Diego Garcia up until last month, when they were replaced with B-52 bombers. The Iranian President @drpezeshkian called me. I reiterated my firm demand: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be released. Their inhumane detention is unjust. I expect them to return to France. I also expressed my deep concern about Iran's nuclear program.… — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 21, 2025 Meanwhile, Israel claimed it had killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides in the more than week-long air war, while Iran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat. Israel claims Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran said its atomic program is only for peaceful purposes. However, Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Mr Trump has said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the US should bomb Iran for Israel, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said Israel said it had attacked Iran's Isfahan nuclear site for a second time after its air force announced it had also launched salvos against missile storage and launch sites in the centre of the country. The Israeli army later claimed it was striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran. Earlier this week, a large number of US tanker aircraft were moved to Europe and other military assets to the Middle East, including the deployment of more fighter jets. An aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific is also heading to the Middle East. Israel's attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. In Israel, 24 civilians have died in Iranian strikes, according to authorities. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that the military killed a veteran commander in the Quds force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm, in a strike in an apartment in Iran's Qom. The veteran commander killed was identified as Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force. Talks show little progress Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv where some critical Israeli military assets are also located. Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets, including missile production sites, a research body it claims was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the US "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva yesterday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. US President Donald Trump reiterated that he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Mr Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. 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," he said. The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Mr Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. "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 one," Mr Trump said. Hundreds of US citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a US State Department cable seen by journalists. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said his country was alarmed by reports that the US might join the war. Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes".
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Nuclear diplomacy stuck, Israel says it killed top Iran commander
Iran deems European proposals to curb its nuclear programme unrealistic and a hurdle to agreement, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday, while Israel said it killed a veteran Iranian commander during attacks by both sides. The more than week-long air war between longtime foes Israel and Iran continued with reports of strikes on an Iranian nuclear facility. The US was weighing whether to back Israel in the conflict while other powers urged de-escalation. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met British, French and German counterparts, plus the EU, on Friday in Geneva in search of a path back to diplomacy and a possible ceasefire. But proposals made by the European powers were "unrealistic", the senior Iranian official told Reuters, saying that insistence on them would not bring the agreement closer. "In any case, Iran will review the European proposals in Tehran and present its responses in the next meeting," the official said, adding that zero enrichment was a dead end and Tehran would not negotiate over its defensive capabilities. Israel launched attacks on June 13, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, while Iran says its atomic programme is only for peaceful purposes. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm, was killed in a strike on an apartment in the city of Qom. Calling his killing a "major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force", Katz said Izadi had financed and armed the Palestinian militant group Hamas ahead of its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. The Revolutionary Guards said five of its members died in attacks on Khorramabad, according to Iranian media. They did not mention Izadi, who was on US and British sanctions lists, but said Israel had also attacked a building in Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured. Israeli emergency teams work in an unpopulated building after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Haifa, Israel, Friday, June 20, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Baz Ratner HUNDREDS KILLED At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the health ministry. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile attacks, according to local authorities, in the worst conflict between the longtime enemies. At a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Araqchi said Israel's aggression, which he said had indications of US involvement, should stop so Iran can "come back to diplomacy". "It is obvious that I can't go to negotiations with the US when our people are under bombardment under the support of the US", he told reporters on the sidelines, before meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The top Iranian diplomat said US involvement in the conflict would be "very dangerous". Araqchi is set to visit Moscow, Iran's ally, on Monday. President Donald Trump has said he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Iran would be able to have a nuclear weapon "within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months", he said on Friday, adding: "We can't let that happen." Yet in March, Tulsi Gabbard, his national intelligence director, testified to Congress that the US intelligence community judged that Tehran was not working on a nuclear warhead. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop at the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of Iran's biggest, was hit - but added it contained no nuclear material. Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors expressed concerns to UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi about the safety of nuclear facilities close to their countries and "dangerous repercussions" of targeting them, Qatar state news agency said. Israel said it was attacking military infrastructure. Israeli emergency teams work in an unpopulated building after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Haifa, Israel, Friday, June 20, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Baz Ratner INTERCEPTIONS OVER TEL AVIV Early on Saturday, air raid sirens were triggered across parts of central Israel and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with missile interceptions visible over Tel Aviv and explosions echoing. There were no reports of casualties. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based rights organisation that tracks Iran, gave a higher death toll than Tehran, saying Israeli attacks have killed 639 people there. Those killed in Iran include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Israel said it also killed a second commander of the Guards' overseas arm, whom it identified as Benham Shariyari, during an overnight strike. Iran's health minister, Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, said Israel has attacked three hospitals during the conflict, killing two health workers and a child, and has targeted six ambulances, according to Fars. Asked about such reports, an Israeli military official said that only military targets were being struck, though there may have been collateral damage in some incidents. An Iranian missile hit a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Thursday. Turkey, Russia and China have demanded immediate de-escalation. Despite the downbeat assessment from the senior Iranian official, French President Emmanuel Macron said he and Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian agreed on a Saturday call to accelerate talks. Israel says it will not stop attacks until it dismantles Iran's nuclear programme and ballistic missile capabilities, which it views as an existential threat, saying this could take more than a few weeks. -Reuters
