Israel-Iran latest: Israel strikes Iran's largest nuclear research facility after huge explosion rocks Haifa
Iran and Israel launched a new round of strikes early Saturday, a day after Tehran ruled out nuclear talks while under threat and European powers continued efforts to revive diplomacy.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a wave of attacks on missile storage and launch sites across Iran. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz confirmed that among those killed was Saeed Izadi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, the overseas wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Iran's Fars news agency reported that Israel had targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of the country's largest, but said there was no leakage of hazardous material. Iranian media also reported an Israeli strike on a building in the city of Qom, where a 16-year-old was reportedly killed and two others injured.
Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump slammed the US intelligence Community's assessment of Iran's nuclear weapons program and claimed Tehran could produce a working weapon within a 'matter of weeks'.
At the United Nations Security Council on Friday, Israel's envoy Danny Danon declared the country would continue its military operations 'until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled.'
Watch: Russia's defence of Iran shows need to tighten sanctions, says Zelensky
21 June 2025 07:20
Experts say Israel's current strikes on Iran's nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, but warn any attack on the country's nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster.
Fears of a nuclear catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday after the Israeli military mistakenly announced a strike in Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear power station, only to say later that the announcement was a mistake.
Do Israeli attacks on Iran risk nuclear contamination?
Israel has said it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, while avoiding any nuclear disaster in the region
Shahana Yasmin21 June 2025 07:10
UN nuclear watchdog urges restraint as Israel strikes nuclear-linked sites in Iran
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned against any military action targeting Iran's nuclear reactors.
At an emergency UN Security Council meeting, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said: 'I want to make it absolutely and completely clear: In case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment. This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences could be most serious.'
So far, Israel has avoided targeting nuclear reactors, focusing instead on Iran's Natanz enrichment site, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, and the Arak heavy water facility.
While initial reports indicated no damage at Arak, the IAEA later confirmed 'key buildings at the facility were damaged,' though no radioactive material was present.
Shahana Yasmin21 June 2025 07:00
Israel says it killed Quds Force commander leading Palestine Corps
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that the military had killed Saeed Izadi, a senior commander in Iran's Quds Force, during a strike on an apartment in the city of Qom, according to Reuters.
Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps within the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was described as a veteran figure in Iran's regional operations.
Shahana Yasmin21 June 2025 06:47
Who's who in the secret group advising Trump on Iran - who has been left out of the planning?
President Donald Trump let it be known on Thursday that he will make a decision on whether to involve the U.S. in Israel's war with Iran within the next two weeks, as tensions over the question continue to divide conservatives.
The president, who signed off on attack plans on Tuesday but resisted giving the go-ahead, is reportedly taking soundings from a small coterie of trusted advisers while also throwing the conversation open to fellow world leaders, as well as allies such as the hawkish Republican senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
Keep reading:
Who's who in the secret group advising Trump on Iran
President Donald Trump is huddling with small circle of trusted advisers about whether to join Israeli military offensive
Joe Sommerlad21 June 2025 06:30
Israel vows to continue strikes until Iran's nuclear programme is dismantled
Israel pledged on Friday to keep up its military offensive against Iran until Tehran's nuclear capabilities are fully dismantled, Reuters reported.
'Though our homes, our families and our children are under threat, we will not stop,' Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the United Nations Security Council. 'Not until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled. Not until its war machine is disarmed. Not until our people and yours are safe.'
In response, Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, called on the Security Council to intervene to halt Israel's attacks.
'Israel apparently declared that it will continue this strike for as many days as it takes,' he said. 'We are alarmed by credible reports that the United States... may be joining this war.'
Shahana Yasmin21 June 2025 06:20
Iran faces near-total internet blackout amid conflict with Israel
As the war between Iran and Israel enters its second week, much of Iran remains in a near-total communication blackout, leaving millions unable to connect with the outside world or even with friends and family across the country.
According to internet monitoring group NetBlocks, Iran has been largely cut off from global internet access for more than 60 hours.
'The internet shutdown continues to severely limit the public's ability to express political viewpoints, communicate freely, and follow safety alerts amid ongoing conflict with Israel,' it said on X, formerly Twitter.
Shahana Yasmin21 June 2025 06:10
Do Israeli attacks on Iran risk nuclear contamination?
Do Israeli attacks on Iran risk nuclear contamination?
Israel has said it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, while avoiding any nuclear disaster in the region
Reuters21 June 2025 06:00
Ex-CIA chief warns US would trigger regional war by striking Iran
Former CIA director and defence secretary Leon Panetta has warned that any US military strike on Iran would almost certainly plunge the country into a wider regional war.
Panetta said the US made a 'terrible mistake' by invading Iraq two decades ago and urged US president Trump to heed the lessons of the past.
'It's a lesson that the president needs to learn, because if he goes in and attacks Iran, then there's no question that the United States would be in a regional war at that point,' Panetta told CNN, adding that Iran would inevitably retaliate.
'So make no mistake about it. It may be an airstrike, but it would definitely involve the United States in a war.'
Shahana Yasmin21 June 2025 05:50
Iran signals openness to diplomacy, but only if Israel halts attacks
Iran has said it is open to pursuing diplomatic talks with European nations, but only on the condition that Israel ends its military operations and those responsible are held to account.
Following a meeting in Geneva with European diplomats, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi expressed 'serious concern' over the failure of France, Germany, the UK, and the EU to condemn what he described as Israel's surprise strike and ongoing aggression against Iran. He warned that any assault on Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities would represent a severe violation of international law.
'I explicitly and clearly stated that Iran's defensive capabilities are not negotiable,' the minister said, reported the Associated Press. However, he added that Iran is ready to keep talking with the Europeans 'in the near future'.
His comments came as Israel's top military commander said the country was preparing for a potentially prolonged conflict.
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