Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates: Speculation continues to grow over US involvement; Iranian Foreign Minister says US ‘partner to Israeli crime'

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What you need to know this morning
Good morning. Welcome to our ongoing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East as the Israel-Iran war enters its second week.
Here's a quick overview of the latest events:
Israel and Iran launched more missile strikes overnight Australian time, with Israel bombing sites across Iran, including in the capital Tehran and at Rasht on the Caspian Sea. Iranian missiles struck Beersheba and the port city of Haifa.
Iran says it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while it's under attack by Israel.
Israel's envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, told the UN Security Council his country would not stop its attacks 'until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled'.
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined demands for Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program and come to the negotiating table within the two-week deadline set by Trump.
Australia shut its embassy in Tehran, and sent defence personnel and assets to the region to help evacuate Australians.
Earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump said he would decide whether the US would join military action against Iran within two weeks.
6.16am
Israel, Iran trade strikes amid new EU diplomatic efforts
Iran said it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the US considers whether to get involved in the conflict.
A week into its campaign, Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran.
The Israeli military later said they had struck surface-to-air missile batteries in southwestern Iran as part of efforts to achieve air superiority over the country. Explosions were heard in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province and at least four people there were killed, IRNA news agency reported.
At least five people were injured when Israel hit a five-storey building in Tehran housing a bakery and a hairdresser's, Fars news agency reported.
Iran fired missiles at Beersheba in southern Israel and Haifa in the north, causing damage to an Ottoman-era mosque, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. A foreign ministry video also showed extensive damage to a nearby high-rise building that houses a branch of Israel's Interior Ministry. Haifa is home to Israel's busiest seaport and a naval base.
Fars news agency quoted an Iranian military spokesman as saying Tehran's missile and drone attacks on Friday had used long-range and ultra-heavy missiles against military sites, defence industries and command and control centres.
About 20 missiles were fired in those latest Iranian strikes, an Israeli military official said, and at least two people were hurt, according to the Israeli ambulance service.

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Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Remember Chernobyl? Remember Fukushima? So, is bombing Iran's nuclear facilities really such a good idea? Concern is growing across the Middle East that the fallout of Israel's assault on Iran will not just be political, economic and potentially military. They're anxiously watching for spikes in radiation. Qatar's energy ministry has announced it has enhanced its monitoring activities and is working with neighbouring states to plan for any necessary response. 'We have to emphasise, when we are talking about the waters of the Gulf, it's the main source of water for all of us here in the region,' foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told media this week. 'The international community has to make it very clear that any targeting of nuclear facilities, any targeting of fuel or energy facilities in this region, would have ramifications that are unknown to us in the Gulf.' 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The forest surrounding the wreck of the Soviet-era Chornobyl power plant is expected to remain unsafe for human habitation for at least 22,000 years. And the clean-up of Japan's Fukushima isn't likely to be completed before the mid-2050s. So what about Iran's bombed nuclear facilities? Only reactors have the highly radioactive fuel rods needed to turn water into the superheated steam that drives generators to produce electricity. Picture: Open Source Centre Picture: Open Source Centre So far, Iran's reactors at Bushehr and Tehran have been spared from attack. Its uranium enrichment and heavy water manufacturing plants, however, have not. Uranium enrichment involves powerful centrifuges. These spin uranium yellowcake, as dug out of the ground, into powders and gas. And the spinning separates these materials into their component isotopes (atomic elements) according to their weight. Weapons-grade enrichment demands concentrations of the isotope U-235 of more than 90 per cent. Nuclear fuel only needs between 3 and 5 per cent. Iran is alleged to have amassed 400kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent U-235. And the effort needed to take that to 90 per cent represents only a fortnight inside the centrifuges. Even then, the material is not suitable for weapons. The gas and powders must be turned into a metal. Only then can it be machined into devices capable of triggering a nuclear detonation. So, the most significant risk of bombing processing sites such as Natanz is the release of uranium hexafluoride gas. The main aboveground facilities at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility. This June 15 satellite photo reveals the extent of damage from Israel's weekend air raids. Picture: Maxar / Institute for Science and International Security This mountain at Natanz is believed to contain Iran's main uranium enrichment plant, capable of producing radioactive materials suitable for use in nuclear weapons. Picture: Institute for Science and International Security 'It's a big, heavy gas molecule,' says University of Alabama at Birmingham physicist Emily Caffrey. 'It's likely not going to travel super-far.' That means any escape from sites such as Fordow will likely only contaminate the immediate area. But the attack on the Arak reactor, some 250km southwest of Tehran, could potentially have produced more severe contamination. Heavy water is used for medical processes and nuclear research. And while not radioactive itself, the process of making it can produce deadly plutonium and deuterium. Both can be used in nuclear weapons. Picture: Airbus Defence and Space Picture: Airbus Defence and Space Long term threat 'We have nothing to be concerned about right now, but obviously prolonged escalation will have unpredictable consequences,' warns Qatar's al-Ansari. Assessment of satellite photos reveals most of the above-ground structures at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility have been destroyed. But the sites associated with the deep underground caverns holding the vital centrifuges appear untouched. That, according to analysts, does not mean they're undamaged. Sudden interruption to the power control could send the centrifuges spinning out of control. And shockwaves from nearby blasts could topple them from their mountings. The similar Fordow bunker facility does not yet appear to have been hit. But it is believed to be where most of the highly enriched, 60 per cent U-235 material is located. 'There's not a significant, dire health threat if those materials got released to the environment,' Union of Concerned Scientists spokesman Edwin Lymann told US public media. The kinds of uranium isotopes found within these facilities 'are at the low end of hazard with regard to radioactive materials,' he added. The IAEA agrees. To a point. Picture: Institute for Science and International Security Picture: Maxar 'The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if Uranium is inhaled or ingested,' Director Grossi states. 'However, this risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory protection devices while inside the affected facilities. The main concern inside the facility is the chemical toxicity of the Uranium Hexafluoride and the Fluoride compounds generated at the contact with water.' Uranium hexafloride can combine with moisture in the air to create hydrofluoric acid. This is highly corrosive and is used in glass etching and electronics manufacturing. But it can enter the human body through the skin, eyes or inhalation. 'That is an acutely hazardous material that can harm or kill people,' Lyman explains. Once in the body, it interferes with the nervous system and burns soft tissues. But not all of Israel's targets are limited to Uranium Hexafluoride. Images of the heavy water facility at Arak show its central reactor structure has been hit. And analysts say four other nuclear sites, mostly associated with turning the enriched uranium into a metal, have been targeted. This potentially means long-lived, highly radioactive fragments are scattered among the debris. Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer Originally published as If Iran's bunkers are busted, what might escape?