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Al-Ahram Weekly
15 hours ago
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
INTERVIEW: Fashion, ethics and aesthetics - Laura Dayoub on reshaping the industry's narrative - Style - Life & Style
Fashion designer Laura Dayoub, 25, shares her thoughts on the ethics and aesthetics of fashion and the conversations she's been curating around these themes. Next month, Laura Dayoub will moderate the second episode of What Is Fashion?, a discussion series launched this spring by Diwan bookstores. Like the first episode—and those yet to come—the event will see Dayoub, who has worked in the heart of the glamorous fashion world, peel back the sheen to examine fashion as a social construct with responsibilities, consequences, and ethical implications. 'Glamour is inevitably part of fashion,' Dayoub told Ahram Online. 'But it's not just about glamour. It's always important to look at fashion from multiple angles.' With a bachelor's degree in media and communication from Loughborough University and a fashion design degree from the Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Dayoub understands both the mechanics of fashion and its broader cultural impact. 'It's not just about people,' she said. 'The environment, culture, and even the economy are all part of fashion's story.' For this reason, she argues, fashion must be considered beyond the glossy spreads of magazines—as a socio-economic framework that can and should generate opportunities. In the first episode of the series, Dayoub hosted Margarita Andrade, founder and chair of Threads of Hope, an initiative supporting around 400 migrant and refugee women in Egypt who work from home producing accessories. For Dayoub, ethics is a crucial part of the fashion conversation—the discussion's key theme is workers' rights. Andrade emphasized the need for enterprise managers to be sensitive and committed, using terms like 'support,' 'training,' 'safety,' and 'protection.' Dayoub wholeheartedly agreed. Ethical fashion, she said, benefits workers and offers them a stable present and the possibility of a better future. 'Whether a brand produces simple, local garments, haute couture, inexpensive accessories or fine jewellery—it's all the same,' she said. 'You have to see people and see through people.' Amid an ongoing debate about European brands outsourcing high-end production to countries with cheap labour, Dayoub stressed that the question of ethical fashion could no longer be ignored. 'If we overlook this element,' she warned, 'then ethical fashion becomes a very hard concept to define.' She also flagged other key concerns: environmental sensitivity, product sustainability, and the safety of materials used—particularly regarding toxicity and microplastics. 'There are many issues because the concept of ethical fashion is evolving rapidly and becoming more central.' The rise of fast fashion versus sustainable fashion has been a hot topic in recent years, fuelled by media reports on poor working conditions—even in the factories of well-known luxury brands. Long hours, low pay, and harsh conditions contrast the price tags on the final products. 'Today, being sustainable is considered fashionable,' Dayoub said. And this, she added, applies across the board—from small local labels to global conglomerates. Sustainability, she explained, is now deeply intertwined with environmental awareness, particularly as the climate crisis intensifies. It's also connected to growing concerns about health—especially regarding fabrics and dyes. 'People are starting to worry about what they're wearing—about chemicals and microplastics in their clothes.' For Dayoub, fashion is also tied to identity. Following trends too rigidly, she warned, can lead to a kind of 'cognitive distance' from one's sense of self. 'Being so haunted by what's in vogue can result in unintentional self-isolation,' she said. 'Designers, producers and consumers alike need to stay grounded in reality—not just follow what's trending on TikTok or Instagram.' She acknowledged that social media plays a powerful role in shaping fashion consumption. But she believes it can also be a space for cultivating wisdom and moderation. That's part of what inspired her collaboration with Diwan on the four-part What Is Fashion? series, which explores intersections between fashion and climate, health, and psychology. Interest in ethical, sustainable, and eco-conscious fashion is growing in Egypt, Dayoub said, echoing a global trend. And many new local brands are embracing this shift. 'Some people are really trying to push boundaries,' she said. She also pointed to the rise in boutique shopping and the popularity of pre-loved fashion online as possible offshoots of this broader movement towards sustainability and consumption moderation. She noted that fashion consumption is cyclical. After the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in what became known as 'dopamine dressing'—vibrant, mood-boosting styles. However, as economic uncertainty sets in globally, the focus is shifting again, with interest in modest fashion and minimalism rising. What's 'in', she said, is now about authenticity. 'People are leaning into their own style—choosing pieces that suit their personal aesthetics, rather than simply following whatever's trending through PR hauls or influencer unboxings.' 'Of course, some influence is inevitable,' she added. 'But what matters is that people make their own decisions.' Whether shopping on a tight budget or indulging in high-end labels, she insisted, fashion should ultimately be 'a matter of style.' Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
🔴 LIVE UPDATES: Trump will decide whether to attack Iran within a fortnight - White House - Region
Ahram Online provides live coverage of the unfolding military confrontation between Israel and Iran as the two sides wage deadly strikes against one another for a seventh day in a row. Related UN Security Council meets Friday to discuss Israel-Iran war, as Tel Aviv, Tehran conflict escalates - as it happened The US role in the Iran-Israel confrontation US intelligence disputes Israeli claims on Iran nuclear threat: CNN report Israel escalated its attack, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion', on Tehran six days after bombing residential and military areas in Iran, killing over 600 people and wounding over 1,200. As US President Donald Trump urged residents to evacuate—echoing Israeli calls for 330,000 people to leave central Tehran—the capital began to empty, with shops shuttered and traffic clogging westbound roads. In retaliation, Iran intensified its 'Operation True Promise III,' launching multiple waves of missiles into Israel causing extensive damage. Earlier Iranian strikes forced the shutdown of the Haifa oil refinery, other industrial facilities, and the local power plant. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel, with dozens more wounded. Israel has imposed a ban on live TV feed streaming, preventing networks from broadcasting images of incoming Iranian missiles and the damage caused by the strikes. As Trump weighs US involvement in the war, Iran says the Iranian nation 'is not one to surrender." 21:00 Abu Ali al-Askari, the spokesperson of the Iran-allied group Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, says if the US joins Israel in its assault, it will suffer severe consequences and lose the investments it was promised from Gulf states, Al Jazeera reported. 'There is no doubt that US bases in the region will resemble fields for hunting ducks, the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb will be closed and the oil ports in the Red Sea will stop, not to mention what will happen to its aircraft in the sky,' he said in a statement. 20:45 US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will decide whether to attack Iran within a fortnight, as Israel and its regional rival continued to trade fire for a seventh day. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in a statement read out by his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. "There is a great chance of negotiations that may or may not be held with Iran soon," said Leavitt. "No one should be surprised by President Trump's position on Iran. President Trump has given a lot of space and made a lot of effort to reach a diplomatic solution with Iran. The entire world agrees with Trump that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon," added Leavitt. 19:40 Donald Trump has denied a report in the Wall Street Journal that he has approved US plans to attack Iran, saying that the news outlet has 'no idea' what his thinking is concerning the Israel-Iran conflict. The Wall Street Journal reported late on Wednesday that Trump told senior aides a day earlier that he had approved attack plans but was delaying giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program. The report cited three anonymous officials. On Thursday, Trump responded to the report, posting on Truth Social: 'The Wall Street Journal has No Idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran!' 18:30 Citing sources, Reuters reported that US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has spoken on the phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi several times since the start of the Israel-Iran conflict on 13 June to find a diplomatic solution between the two sides. The sources said Araghchi told Witkoff that Iran would not return to the nuclear negotiations with the US until the Israeli attack on his country stops. Iran is ready to show flexibility in any nuclear talks if the US pressures Israel to halt its attack, Araghchi said, according to the sources. 18:15 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to act with restraint" in the military campaign against Iran. According to a source familiar with the details who spoke with Reuters news agency, the remarks were made during a phone call between the two yesterday. The Chancellor expressed his "principled support" for Israel's actions against Iran's nuclear program, but emphasized the importance of seeking diplomatic paths to resolve the conflict. 17:30 The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that Iran launched the 15th wave of missile attacks against military targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa. First responders walk outside a heavily-damaged building at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Ramat Gan in central Israel near Tel Aviv, on June 19, 2025. AFP "Our drone attack continues with more than 100 attack and suicide drones," said the Revolutionary Guard. "The effective and focused missile attacks on military targets will continue and gradually increase." 17:15 The Israeli army confirmed that "Iran used a multi-warhead missile" in its most recent attacks on Israel, "posing a new challenge to our defenses." This handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on June 19, 2025 , shows the funeral procession of two Iranian Red Crescent members who were killed the previous day during an Israeli strike in Tehran. 16:00 Iranian police announced the arrest of 24 people accused of spying for Israel, according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency. "Twenty-four individuals who were spying for the Zionist enemy offline and online, and who were... trying to disturb public opinion, and to tarnish and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were arrested," said police commander for west Tehran Kiumars Azizi. 15:32 Russia has warned the US again against entering the Israel-Iran conflict. US military interference would be 'a perilous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. Doctors wheel a patient to safety after a building at Soroka Hospital was struck by an Iranian missile in Beersheba in southern Israel on June 19, 2025. AFP 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far primarily held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. 13:21 Israel's defence minister said that Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, 'can no longer be allowed to exist', following Iran's latest retaliatory attacks on Israeli territory. "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed," Israel Katz claimed. "He personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist", Katz told journalists. Katz's remarks also follow reports that Israel considered a targeted assassination of Khamenei just days earlier. According to major US news outlets, Israel had a brief window of opportunity to assassinate the Iranian Supreme Leader. Still, it was blocked from acting after the US President Donald Trump vetoed the move. During an interview with ABC News on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm the plan's existence, stating that targeting Khamenei would have 'ended the fight, not escalated it.' He described the Iranian leader as the principal force behind Tehran's military campaign against Israel. Israel has a long-established history of political assassinations in the region. Over the past decades, it has carried out targeted assassinations of political leaders in Palestine, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. 14:27 Dust and debris covered the floor of Iran's state-run broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), after an Israeli airstrike targeted its building in Tehran earlier this week. The broadcaster allowed reporters on Thursday to film the aftermath of an Israeli strike against its building in Tehran this week. Associated Press journalists saw the dust and debris filling an Iranian state television studio. The blast blew out its windows. Chairs sat singed. Israel conducted the strike against the building during a live broadcast there, an hour after it issued a public warning for the broader area of Tehran in which the building is located. Iranian officials have said three employees of the broadcaster were killed in the attack. The damaged headquarters of Iranian state television, struck by Israel, 19 June 2025. AP 13:00 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call, the Kremlin said, adding that both leaders called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. "Both sides adhere to identical approaches, strongly condemn Israel's actions," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, adding that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means. 12:45 The state-run IRNA news agency reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva on Friday for the meetings. IRNA said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union's top diplomat. 12:31 Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the US again to avoid getting directly involved in the conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel, saying in a statement that 'direct' role by the Americans would 'expand the conflict to the region.' 'We warn the criminal United States: any direct involvement in this war would lead to its expansion across the region and will result in severe and irreparable blows,' the paramilitary guard said in a statement carried by Iranian state TV. The warning echoes recent statements by other Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It comes as Trump has said he's not looking for a fight with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary. 12:22 Iran accused the UN nuclear watchdog of acting as a "partner" in what it described as Israel's "war of aggression". The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran of a lack of cooperation before the start of the Iran-Israel war. The IAEA's board of governors then adopted a resolution censuring Iran for "non-compliance" with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "You betrayed the non-proliferation regime; You've made IAEA a partner to this unjust war of aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on X, in a post addressed to the head of the agency, Rafael Grossi. Speaking to CNN, Grossi had said, "We did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' DG @rafaelmgrossi:'We did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' This is too late, Mr. Grossi: you obscured this truth in your absolutely biased report that was instrumentalize by E3/U.S. to craft a resolution with baseless… — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) June 19, 2025 12:00 IAEA confirms Iran's Arak heavy water research reactor was hit in a strike 'It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects,' said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. The IAEA said there was no information on whether the heavy water plant next to the reactor had been hit. This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Arak heavy water reactor in Iran on 15 February 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) 11:35 European diplomats said foreign ministers from key European powers, France, Germany, Britain, and the EU's top diplomat, aim to meet their Iranian counterparts for nuclear talks in Geneva on Friday. The three countries were involved in talks that led to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The deal curbed Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sanctions. The meeting being planned comes as European countries, supporting Israeli aggression against Iran, now call for de-escalation. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday praised Israel for being "courageous enough" to attack Iran's nuclear site, calling it the "dirty work" done for the West. The Iranian foreign ministry has summoned the German ambassador to Tehran following Merz's remarks. France is planning, along with European partners, to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said Wednesday. Macron ordered Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to draw up "an initiative with close European partners that would propose a demanding negotiated settlement to put an end to the conflict" in the coming days, it said, without giving details on the plan's nature. The UK government will have to sign off on the US using its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran. The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, chaired an emergency ministers' meeting to discuss the UK's response to the crisis, which No 10 says is prioritizing regional security and 'ongoing diplomatic efforts.' Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said the Tories would support the UK joining the fight against Iran if necessary. Still, the attorney general has warned Starmer that Britain's involvement in US attacks on Iran could be illegal. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Washington, DC for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 11:25 Iran said the main target of a missile attack that hit a hospital in southern Israel was an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility. "The main target of the attack was the Israeli Army Command and Intelligence Base (IDF C4I) and the Army Intelligence Camp in Gav-Yam Technology Park, located in the vicinity of the Soroka Hospital," state news agency IRNA said. It said the hospital was "exposed only to the blast wave" and that the military facility was the "direct and precise target." "In this operation, the regime's command and intelligence centre near a hospital was targeted with highly accurate and guided missiles," the force said in its statement, which was carried by state television. It also said that the corps had "previously warned" that Israel's airspace "was defenceless and there would be no safe place". Smoke rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Be'er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, 19 June 2025. AP 11:15 Iran's official news agency, IRNA, says Iran has reported the Israeli attack to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing Israel of "continuing its aggression and actions contrary to international laws that prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities". Nuclear sites, including the Arak heavy water reactor and the Natanz facility, were attacked by Israel overnight. This handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on 19 June 2025 shows members of their rescue teams clearing debris at a building destroyed during an Israeli attack in Tehran. The Iranian Red Crescent. AFP 11:20 A senior Kenyan official said foreign diplomatic missions must be protected by Iran and Israel after a strike on Tel Aviv's Ramat Gan area hit within several hundred metres of the East African country's embassy, Reuters reports. Korir Sing'Oei, the principal secretary at Kenya's foreign affairs ministry, said, "Foreign missions are inviolable under international law and must be excluded and protected from armed conflict at all times". 11:00 China said it opposed the "use of force" in response to a question about US President Donald Trump warning he was weighing a US military attack on Iran to help Israel. Beijing "opposes any act that... infringes upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations", foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing. 10:35 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 65 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency services. 10:30 Iran fired approximately 30 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday morning, Israeli media reported, according to the army assessments. Included in the targets were the military Soroka Hospital in southern Israel, as well as Holon in central Israel. Iranian missiles also struck the Israeli stock exchange building in Ramat Gan. The strike follows Israeli-linked cyberattacks that crippled Iran's banking system and destroyed tens of millions in digital assets. 🚨Iranian missile struck the Holon area of the Tel Aviv district. Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services announced that one person has been seriously injured in the attack, while more than two dozen others have been lightly — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 19, 2025 10:19 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a deal to end the fighting between Israel and Iran was possible, and that Israel's strikes on Iran had led to a "consolidation" of Iranian society around its leadership. "We see that today in Iran there is a consolidation of society around the country's political leadership," Putin told foreign journalists. "This is a delicate issue, and of course, we need to be very careful here, but in my opinion, a solution can be found," he added. Putin said such an agreement could guarantee both Israel's security and Iran's desire for a civilian nuclear programme. He added that he did "not even wish to discuss" the idea Israel might assassinate Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Putin said more than 200 Russian employees worked at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, which Russia's Rosatom built. "We agreed with the leadership of Israel that their security would be ensured," he said. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to rebuff Putin's earlier offer to mediate in the conflict, saying the Russian president should end his conflict in Ukraine first. Putin said at his press event that Iran hadn't asked for military help since Israel's assault. 10:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran would "pay a heavy price" after a missile hit a military hospital in Israel's south. Israel's army said that people were permitted to leave shelters in several parts of the country where they had been told to take cover after Iran launched a new barrage of missiles towards Israel. "Following the situational assessment, the Home Front Command published that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in several areas across the country," the military said. A military official added that "dozens of ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the last barrage from Iran". Massive destruction in Tel Aviv following Iran's launch of a wave of missiles on Israeli targets in central occupied Palestine. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 19, 2025 9:55 Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has said the army has been instructed to intensify strikes on strategically related targets in Tehran to eliminate what he claimed as a "threat" to Israel and destabilise the 'ayatollah regime', according to Reuters. 09:54 Israel's rescue service said that at least 47 people were injured in Iran's latest missile strikes, updating an earlier toll and reporting 18 more injured "while running to shelter". 09:50 Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, warned against targeting Iran's leadership and said that the Iran-Israel war could plunge the whole region into chaos. Any targeting of Iran's top leadership might spark "widespread chaos that would exacerbate the suffering of its people and severely harm everyone's interests." 09:41 A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said Israel killed at least 639 people in Iran, including 263 civilians. More than 1,300 have been wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, where at least 24 people died. Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile retaliation. AFP 09:31 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 32 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency service. 09:30 The Israeli army said it had struck Iran's Natanz nuclear site again, as well as an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak during overnight raids. Iranian state TV reported the attack on the Arak site, saying there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever.' Speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, an Iranian state television reporter said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor. Additionally, the Israeli air force "struck a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz", its army said, saying that around 40 Israeli air force jets had taken part in the overnight raids that saw "dozens" of sites hit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israeli forces had destroyed the principal uranium enrichment facility at the Natanz site. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Tuesday that there appeared to have been "direct impacts" on the underground part of the facility. Work on the Arak heavy-water research reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of a now-abandoned 2015 nuclear deal struck between Iran and world powers. Iran informed the IAEA of its plans to commission the reactor by 2026. The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research, and the site includes a heavy water production plant. 09:25 A ballistic Iranian missile has hit Soroka military hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, as Iran launched its latest wave of retaliatory airstrikes on the country. Unverified footage on social media showed people running through corridors filled with dust and debris, and doctors standing outside amid the building's wreckage. A spokesperson for the army hospital reported 'damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time.' The facility serves as the primary medical hub for the Negev region and treats Israeli civilians and mainly military personnel, including soldiers wounded during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Sirens sounded across the country earlier, and Israeli media reported that several loud blasts were also heard in central Israel, with several other direct hits reported. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 09:21 Donald Trump has approved attack plans for Iran but withheld the final order, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal reports Trump told senior aids he was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme first. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard that controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far primarily heavily damaged held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
🔴 LIVE UPDATES: Iran launches 15th wave of missile attacks against military targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa
Ahram Online provides live coverage of the unfolding military confrontation between Israel and Iran as the two sides wage deadly strikes against one another for a seventh day in a row. Related UN Security Council meets Friday to discuss Israel-Iran war, as Tel Aviv, Tehran conflict escalates - as it happened The US role in the Iran-Israel confrontation US intelligence disputes Israeli claims on Iran nuclear threat: CNN report Israel escalated its attack, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion', on Tehran six days after bombing residential and military areas in Iran, killing over 600 people and wounding over 1,200. As US President Donald Trump urged residents to evacuate—echoing Israeli calls for 330,000 people to leave central Tehran—the capital began to empty, with shops shuttered and traffic clogging westbound roads. In retaliation, Iran intensified its 'Operation True Promise III,' launching multiple waves of missiles into Israel causing extensive damage. Earlier Iranian strikes forced the shutdown of the Haifa oil refinery, other industrial facilities, and the local power plant. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel, with dozens more wounded. Israel has imposed a ban on live TV feed streaming, preventing networks from broadcasting images of incoming Iranian missiles and the damage caused by the strikes. As Trump weighs US involvement in the war, Iran says the Iranian nation 'is not one to surrender." 17:30 The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that Iran launched the 15th wave of missile attacks against military targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa. "Our drone attack continues with more than 100 attack and suicide drones," said the Revolutionary Guard. "The effective and focused missile attacks on military targets will continue and gradually increase." 17:15 The Israeli army confirmed that "Iran used a multi-warhead missile" in its most recent attacks on Israel, "posing a new challenge to our defenses." 16:00 Iranian police announced the arrest of 24 people accused of spying for Israel, according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency. "Twenty-four individuals who were spying for the Zionist enemy offline and online, and who were... trying to disturb public opinion, and to tarnish and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were arrested," said police commander for west Tehran Kiumars Azizi. 15:32 Russia has warned the US again against entering the Israel-Iran conflict. US military interference would be 'an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. Doctors wheel a patient to safety after a building at Soroka Hospital was struck by an Iranian missile in Beersheba in southern Israel on June 19, 2025. AFP 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far primarily held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. 13:21 Israel's defence minister said that Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, 'can no longer be allowed to exist', following Iran's latest retaliatory attacks on Israeli territory. "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed," Israel Katz claimed. "He personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist", Katz told journalists. Katz's remarks also follow reports that Israel considered a targeted assassination of Khamenei just days earlier. According to major US news outlets, Israel had a brief window of opportunity to assassinate the Iranian Supreme Leader. Still, it was blocked from acting after the US President Donald Trump vetoed the move. During an interview with ABC News on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm the plan's existence, stating that targeting Khamenei would have 'ended the fight, not escalated it.' He described the Iranian leader as the principal force behind Tehran's military campaign against Israel. Israel has a long-established history of political assassinations in the region. Over the past decades, it has carried out targeted assassinations of political leaders in Palestine, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. 14:27 Dust and debris covered the floor of Iran's state-run broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), after an Israeli airstrike targeted its building in Tehran earlier this week. The broadcaster allowed reporters on Thursday to film the aftermath of an Israeli strike against its building in Tehran this week. Associated Press journalists saw the dust and debris filling an Iranian state television studio. The blast blew out its windows. Chairs sat singed. Israel conducted the strike against the building during a live broadcast there, an hour after it issued a public warning for the broader area of Tehran in which the building is located. Iranian officials have said three employees of the broadcaster were killed in the attack. The damaged headquarters of Iranian state television, struck by Israel, 19 June 2025. AP 13:00 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call, the Kremlin said, adding that both leaders called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. "Both sides adhere to identical approaches, strongly condemn Israel's actions," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, adding that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means. 12:45 The state-run IRNA news agency reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva on Friday for the meetings. IRNA said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as the European Union's top diplomat. 12:31 Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the US again to avoid getting directly involved in the conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel, saying in a statement that 'direct' role by the Americans would 'expand the conflict to the region.' 'We warn the criminal United States: any direct involvement in this war would lead to its expansion across the region and will result in severe and irreparable blows,' the paramilitary guard said in a statement carried by Iranian state TV. The warning echoes recent statements by other Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It comes as Trump has said he's not looking for a fight with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary. 12:22 Iran accused the UN nuclear watchdog of acting as a "partner" in what it described as Israel's "war of aggression". The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran of a lack of cooperation prior to the start of the Iran-Israel war. The IAEA's board of governors then adopted a resolution censuring Iran for "non-compliance" with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "You betrayed the non-proliferation regime; You've made IAEA a partner to this unjust war of aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on X, in a post addressed to the head of the agency, Rafael Grossi. Speaking to CNN, Grossi had said, "we did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' DG @rafaelmgrossi:'We did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' This is too late, Mr. Grossi: you obscured this truth in your absolutely biased report that was instrumentalize by E3/U.S. to craft a resolution with baseless… — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) June 19, 2025 12:00 IAEA confirms Iran's Arak heavy water research reactor was hit in a strike 'It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects,' said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. The IAEA said there was no information on whether the heavy water plant next to the reactor had been hit. This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Arak heavy water reactor in Iran on 15 February 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) 11:35 European diplomats said foreign ministers from key European powers, France, Germany, Britain, and the EU's top diplomat, aim to meet their Iranian counterparts for nuclear talks in Geneva on Friday. The three countries were involved in talks that led to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The deal curbed Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sanctions. The meeting being planned comes as European countries, supporting Israeli aggression against Iran, now call for de-escalation. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday praised Israel for being "courageous enough" to attack Iran's nuclear site, calling it the "dirty work" done for the West. The Iranian foreign ministry has summoned the German ambassador to Tehran following Merz's remarks. France is planning, along with European partners, to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said Wednesday. Macron ordered Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to draw up "an initiative with close European partners that would propose a demanding negotiated settlement to put an end to the conflict" in the coming days, it said, without giving details on the plan's nature. The UK government will have to sign off on the US using its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran. The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, chaired an emergency ministers' meeting to discuss the UK's response to the crisis, which No 10 says is prioritizing regional security and 'ongoing diplomatic efforts.' Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said the Tories would support the UK joining the fight against Iran if necessary. Still, the attorney general has warned Starmer that Britain's involvement in US attacks on Iran could be illegal. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Washington, DC for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 11:25 Iran said the main target of a missile attack that hit a hospital in southern Israel was an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility. "The main target of the attack was the Israeli Army Command and Intelligence Base (IDF C4I) and the Army Intelligence Camp in Gav-Yam Technology Park, located in the vicinity of the Soroka Hospital," state news agency IRNA said. It said the hospital was "exposed only to the blast wave" and that the military facility was the "direct and precise target." "In this operation, the regime's command and intelligence centre near a hospital was targeted with highly accurate and guided missiles," the force said in its statement, which was carried by state television. It also said that the corps had "previously warned" that Israel's airspace "was defenceless and there would be no safe place". Smoke rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Be'er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, 19 June 2025. AP 11:15 Iran's official news agency, IRNA, says Iran has reported the Israeli attack to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing Israel of "continuing its aggression and actions contrary to international laws that prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities". Nuclear sites, including the Arak heavy water reactor and the Natanz facility, were attacked by Israel overnight. This handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on 19 June 2025 shows members of their rescue teams clearing debris at a building destroyed during an Israeli attack in Tehran. The Iranian Red Crescent. AFP 11:20 A senior Kenyan official said foreign diplomatic missions must be protected by Iran and Israel after a strike on Tel Aviv's Ramat Gan area hit within several hundred metres of the East African country's embassy, Reuters reports. Korir Sing'Oei, the principal secretary at Kenya's foreign affairs ministry, said, "Foreign missions are inviolable under international law and must be excluded and protected from armed conflict at all times". 11:00 China said it opposed the "use of force" in response to a question about US President Donald Trump warning he was weighing a US military attack on Iran to help Israel. Beijing "opposes any act that... infringes upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations", foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing. 10:35 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 65 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency. 10:30 Iran fired approximately 30 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday morning, Israeli media reported, according to the army assessments. Included in the targets were the military Soroka Hospital in southern Israel, as well as Holon in central Israel. Iranian missiles also struck the Israeli stock exchange building in Ramat Gan. The strike follows Israeli-linked cyberattacks that crippled Iran's banking system and destroyed tens of millions in digital assets. 🚨Iranian missile struck the Holon area of Tel Aviv district. Israeli's Magen David Adom emergency services announced that one person has been seriously injured in the attack, while more than two dozen others have been lightly — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 19, 2025 10:19 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a deal to end the fighting between Israel and Iran was possible, and that Israel's strikes on Iran had led to a "consolidation" of Iranian society around its leadership. "We see that today in Iran there is a consolidation of society around the country's political leadership," Putin told foreign journalists. "This is a delicate issue, and of course, we need to be very careful here, but in my opinion, a solution can be found," he added. Putin said such an agreement could guarantee both Israel's security and Iran's desire for a civilian nuclear programme. He added that he did "not even wish to discuss" the idea Israel might assassinate Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Putin said more than 200 Russian employees worked at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, which Russia's Rosatom built. "We agreed with the leadership of Israel that their security would be ensured," he said. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to rebuff Putin's earlier offer to mediate in the conflict, saying the Russian president should end his conflict in Ukraine first. Putin said at his press event that Iran hadn't asked for military help since Israel's assault. 10:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran would "pay a heavy price" after a missile hit a military hospital in Israel's south. Israel's army said that people were permitted to leave shelters in several parts of the country where they had been told to take cover after Iran launched a new barrage of missiles towards Israel. "Following the situational assessment, the Home Front Command published that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in several areas across the country," the military said. A military official added that "dozens of ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the last barrage from Iran". Massive destruction in Tel Aviv following Iran's launch of a wave of missiles on Israeli targets in central occupied Palestine. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 19, 2025 9:55 Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has said the army has been instructed to intensify strikes on strategically related targets in Tehran to eliminate what he claimed as a "threat" to Israel and destabilise the 'ayatollah regime', according to Reuters. 09:54 Israel's rescue service said that at least 47 people were injured in Iran's latest missile strikes, updating an earlier toll and reporting 18 more injured "while running to shelter". 09:50 Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, warned against targeting Iran's leadership and said that the Iran-Israel war could plunge the whole region into chaos. Any targeting of Iran's top leadership might spark "widespread chaos that would exacerbate the suffering of its people and severely harm everyone's interests." 09:41 A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said Israel killed at least 639 people in Iran, including 263 civilians. More than 1,300 have been wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, where at least 24 people died. Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile retaliation. AFP 09:31 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 32 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency service. 09:30 The Israeli army said it had struck Iran's Natanz nuclear site again, as well as an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak during overnight raids. Iranian state TV reported the attack on the Arak site, saying there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever.' Speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, an Iranian state television reporter said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor. Additionally, the Israeli air force "struck a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz", its army said, saying that around 40 Israeli air force jets had taken part in the overnight raids that saw "dozens" of sites hit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israeli forces had destroyed the principal uranium enrichment facility at the Natanz site. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Tuesday that there appeared to have been "direct impacts" on the underground part of the facility. Work on the Arak heavy-water research reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of a now-abandoned 2015 nuclear deal struck between Iran and world powers. Iran informed the IAEA of its plans to commission the reactor by 2026. The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research, and the site includes a heavy water production plant. 09:25 A ballistic Iranian missile has hit Soroka military hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, as Iran launched its latest wave of retaliatory airstrikes on the country. Unverified footage on social media showed people running through corridors filled with dust and debris, and doctors standing outside amid the building's wreckage. A spokesperson for the army hospital reported 'damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time.' The facility serves as the main medical hub for the Negev region and treats Israeli civilians and mainly military personnel, including soldiers wounded during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Sirens sounded across the country earlier, and Israeli media reported that several loud blasts were also heard in central Israel, with several other direct hits reported. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 09:21 Donald Trump has approved attack plans for Iran but withheld the final order, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal reports Trump told senior aids he was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme first. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far largely held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
19 hours ago
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🔴 LIVE UPDATES: Advanced Iranian missiles damage sites in Tel Aviv and south Israel - Region
Ahram Online provides live coverage of the unfolding military confrontation between Israel and Iran as the two sides wage deadly strikes against one another for a seventh day in a row. Related UN Security Council meets Friday to discuss Israel-Iran war, as Tel Aviv, Tehran conflict escalates - as it happened The US role in the Iran-Israel confrontation US intelligence disputes Israeli claims on Iran nuclear threat: CNN report Israel escalated its attack, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion', on Tehran six days after bombing residential and military areas in Iran, killing over 600 people and wounding over 1,200. As US President Donald Trump urged residents to evacuate—echoing Israeli calls for 330,000 people to leave central Tehran—the capital began to empty, with shops shuttered and traffic clogging westbound roads. In retaliation, Iran intensified its 'Operation True Promise III,' launching multiple waves of missiles into Israel causing extensive damage. Earlier Iranian strikes forced the shutdown of the Haifa oil refinery, other industrial facilities, and the local power plant. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel, with dozens more wounded. Israel has imposed a ban on live TV feed streaming, preventing networks from broadcasting images of incoming Iranian missiles and the damage caused by the strikes. As Trump weighs US involvement in the war, Iran says the Iranian nation 'is not one to surrender." 16:00 Iranian police announced the arrest of 24 people accused of spying for Israel, according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency. "Twenty-four individuals who were spying for the Zionist enemy offline and online, and who were... trying to disturb public opinion, and to tarnish and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were arrested," said police commander for west Tehran Kiumars Azizi. 15:32 Russia has warned the US again against entering the Israel-Iran conflict. US military interference would be 'an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far primarily held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. 13:21 Israel's defence minister said that Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, 'can no longer be allowed to exist', following Iran's latest retaliatory attacks on Israeli territory. "Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed," Israel Katz claimed. "He personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist", Katz told journalists. Katz's remarks also follow reports that Israel considered a targeted assassination of Khamenei just days earlier. According to major US news outlets, Israel had a brief window of opportunity to assassinate the Iranian Supreme Leader. Still, it was blocked from acting after the US President Donald Trump vetoed the move. During an interview with ABC News on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to confirm the plan's existence, stating that targeting Khamenei would have 'ended the fight, not escalated it.' He described the Iranian leader as the principal force behind Tehran's military campaign against Israel. Israel has a long-established history of political assassinations in the region. Over the past decades, it has carried out targeted assassinations of political leaders in Palestine, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. 14:27 Dust and debris covered the floor of Iran's state-run broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), after an Israeli airstrike targeted its building in Tehran earlier this week. The broadcaster allowed reporters on Thursday to film the aftermath of an Israeli strike against its building in Tehran this week. Associated Press journalists saw the dust and debris filling an Iranian state television studio. The blast blew out its windows. Chairs sat singed. Israel conducted the strike against the building during a live broadcast there, an hour after it issued a public warning for the broader area of Tehran in which the building is located. Iranian officials have said three employees of the broadcaster were killed in the attack. The damaged headquarters of Iranian state television, struck by Israel, 19 June 2025. AP 13:00 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call, the Kremlin said, adding that both leaders called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. "Both sides adhere to identical approaches, strongly condemn Israel's actions," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, adding that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means. 12:45 The state-run IRNA news agency reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva on Friday for the meetings. IRNA said the meeting would include foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as the European Union's top diplomat. 12:31 Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the US again to avoid getting directly involved in the conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel, saying in a statement that 'direct' role by the Americans would 'expand the conflict to the region.' 'We warn the criminal United States: any direct involvement in this war would lead to its expansion across the region and will result in severe and irreparable blows,' the paramilitary guard said in a statement carried by Iranian state TV. The warning echoes recent statements by other Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It comes as Trump has said he's not looking for a fight with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary. 12:22 Iran accused the UN nuclear watchdog of acting as a "partner" in what it described as Israel's "war of aggression". The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran of a lack of cooperation prior to the start of the Iran-Israel war. The IAEA's board of governors then adopted a resolution censuring Iran for "non-compliance" with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. "You betrayed the non-proliferation regime; You've made IAEA a partner to this unjust war of aggression," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on X, in a post addressed to the head of the agency, Rafael Grossi. Speaking to CNN, Grossi had said, "we did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' DG @rafaelmgrossi:'We did not have any evidence of a systematic effort [by Iran] to move into a nuclear weapon.' This is too late, Mr. Grossi: you obscured this truth in your absolutely biased report that was instrumentalize by E3/U.S. to craft a resolution with baseless… — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) June 19, 2025 12:00 IAEA confirms Iran's Arak heavy water research reactor was hit in a strike 'It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects,' said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. The IAEA said there was no information on whether the heavy water plant next to the reactor had been hit. This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Arak heavy water reactor in Iran on 15 February 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) 11:35 European diplomats said foreign ministers from key European powers, France, Germany, Britain, and the EU's top diplomat, aim to meet their Iranian counterparts for nuclear talks in Geneva on Friday. The three countries were involved in talks that led to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The deal curbed Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sanctions. The meeting being planned comes as European countries, supporting Israeli aggression against Iran, now call for de-escalation. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday praised Israel for being "courageous enough" to attack Iran's nuclear site, calling it the "dirty work" done for the West. The Iranian foreign ministry has summoned the German ambassador to Tehran following Merz's remarks. France is planning, along with European partners, to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said Wednesday. Macron ordered Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to draw up "an initiative with close European partners that would propose a demanding negotiated settlement to put an end to the conflict" in the coming days, it said, without giving details on the plan's nature. The UK government will have to sign off on the US using its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran. The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, chaired an emergency ministers' meeting to discuss the UK's response to the crisis, which No 10 says is prioritizing regional security and 'ongoing diplomatic efforts.' Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said the Tories would support the UK joining the fight against Iran if necessary. Still, the attorney general has warned Starmer that Britain's involvement in US attacks on Iran could be illegal. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Washington, DC for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 11:25 Iran said the main target of a missile attack that hit a hospital in southern Israel was an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility. "The main target of the attack was the Israeli Army Command and Intelligence Base (IDF C4I) and the Army Intelligence Camp in Gav-Yam Technology Park, located in the vicinity of the Soroka Hospital," state news agency IRNA said. It said the hospital was "exposed only to the blast wave" and that the military facility was the "direct and precise target." "In this operation, the regime's command and intelligence centre near a hospital was targeted with highly accurate and guided missiles," the force said in its statement, which was carried by state television. It also said that the corps had "previously warned" that Israel's airspace "was defenceless and there would be no safe place". Smoke rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Be'er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, 19 June 2025. AP 11:15 Iran's official news agency, IRNA, says Iran has reported the Israeli attack to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing Israel of "continuing its aggression and actions contrary to international laws that prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities". Nuclear sites, including the Arak heavy water reactor and the Natanz facility, were attacked by Israel overnight. This handout picture provided by the Iranian Red Crescent on 19 June 2025 shows members of their rescue teams clearing debris at a building destroyed during an Israeli attack in Tehran. The Iranian Red Crescent. AFP 11:20 A senior Kenyan official said foreign diplomatic missions must be protected by Iran and Israel after a strike on Tel Aviv's Ramat Gan area hit within several hundred metres of the East African country's embassy, Reuters reports. Korir Sing'Oei, the principal secretary at Kenya's foreign affairs ministry, said, "Foreign missions are inviolable under international law and must be excluded and protected from armed conflict at all times". 11:00 China said it opposed the "use of force" in response to a question about US President Donald Trump warning he was weighing a US military attack on Iran to help Israel. Beijing "opposes any act that... infringes upon the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations", foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing. 10:35 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 65 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency. 10:30 Iran fired approximately 30 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday morning, Israeli media reported, according to the army assessments. Included in the targets were the military Soroka Hospital in southern Israel, as well as Holon in central Israel. Iranian missiles also struck the Israeli stock exchange building in Ramat Gan. The strike follows Israeli-linked cyberattacks that crippled Iran's banking system and destroyed tens of millions in digital assets. 🚨Iranian missile struck the Holon area of Tel Aviv district. Israeli's Magen David Adom emergency services announced that one person has been seriously injured in the attack, while more than two dozen others have been lightly — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 19, 2025 10:19 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a deal to end the fighting between Israel and Iran was possible, and that Israel's strikes on Iran had led to a "consolidation" of Iranian society around its leadership. "We see that today in Iran there is a consolidation of society around the country's political leadership," Putin told foreign journalists. "This is a delicate issue, and of course, we need to be very careful here, but in my opinion, a solution can be found," he added. Putin said such an agreement could guarantee both Israel's security and Iran's desire for a civilian nuclear programme. He added that he did "not even wish to discuss" the idea Israel might assassinate Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Putin said more than 200 Russian employees worked at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, which Russia's Rosatom built. "We agreed with the leadership of Israel that their security would be ensured," he said. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to rebuff Putin's earlier offer to mediate in the conflict, saying the Russian president should end his conflict in Ukraine first. Putin said at his press event that Iran hadn't asked for military help since Israel's assault. 10:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran would "pay a heavy price" after a missile hit a military hospital in Israel's south. Israel's army said that people were permitted to leave shelters in several parts of the country where they had been told to take cover after Iran launched a new barrage of missiles towards Israel. "Following the situational assessment, the Home Front Command published that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in several areas across the country," the military said. A military official added that "dozens of ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the last barrage from Iran". Massive destruction in Tel Aviv following Iran's launch of a wave of missiles on Israeli targets in central occupied Palestine. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 19, 2025 9:55 Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has said the army has been instructed to intensify strikes on strategically related targets in Tehran to eliminate what he claimed as a "threat" to Israel and destabilise the 'ayatollah regime', according to Reuters. 09:54 Israel's rescue service said that at least 47 people were injured in Iran's latest missile strikes, updating an earlier toll and reporting 18 more injured "while running to shelter". 09:50 Iraq's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, warned against targeting Iran's leadership and said that the Iran-Israel war could plunge the whole region into chaos. Any targeting of Iran's top leadership might spark "widespread chaos that would exacerbate the suffering of its people and severely harm everyone's interests." 09:41 A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said Israel killed at least 639 people in Iran, including 263 civilians. More than 1,300 have been wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, where at least 24 people died. Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile retaliation. AFP 09:31 Paramedics in Israel are treating at least 32 people for injuries after Iran's latest round of strikes, according to Israel's emergency service. 09:30 The Israeli army said it had struck Iran's Natanz nuclear site again, as well as an "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak during overnight raids. Iranian state TV reported the attack on the Arak site, saying there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever.' Speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, an Iranian state television reporter said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor. Additionally, the Israeli air force "struck a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz", its army said, saying that around 40 Israeli air force jets had taken part in the overnight raids that saw "dozens" of sites hit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israeli forces had destroyed the principal uranium enrichment facility at the Natanz site. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported Tuesday that there appeared to have been "direct impacts" on the underground part of the facility. Work on the Arak heavy-water research reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of a now-abandoned 2015 nuclear deal struck between Iran and world powers. Iran informed the IAEA of its plans to commission the reactor by 2026. The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research, and the site includes a heavy water production plant. 09:25 A ballistic Iranian missile has hit Soroka military hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, as Iran launched its latest wave of retaliatory airstrikes on the country. Unverified footage on social media showed people running through corridors filled with dust and debris, and doctors standing outside amid the building's wreckage. A spokesperson for the army hospital reported 'damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time.' The facility serves as the main medical hub for the Negev region and treats Israeli civilians and mainly military personnel, including soldiers wounded during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Sirens sounded across the country earlier, and Israeli media reported that several loud blasts were also heard in central Israel, with several other direct hits reported. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 09:21 Donald Trump has approved attack plans for Iran but withheld the final order, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal reports Trump told senior aids he was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear programme first. 15:30 At least 240 people were wounded by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Health Ministry, AP reported. Four individuals have been seriously wounded, the Ministry said. 15:21 Iran's supreme leader has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Karami as the new ground forces commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that controls Iran's ballistic missiles, after Israeli strikes last week assassinated several high-ranking military officials in Tehran, as reported by AP. Karami is replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was appointed last week to become the new commander of the Guard following the killing of Hossein Salami. 15:10 Iraqi militant group Harakat al-Nujab threatened to attack U.S. citizens if Israel targets Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 'No soldier, diplomat, or even a bearer of your nationality in our region will be safe. All your direct and indirect interests will become legitimate targets for us, as long as we draw breath in this vile world,' the statement said. Iraqi militias have thus far largely held their fire in the conflict, although three drones launched at the Ain al-Asad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq were reportedly shot down on Friday, after Israel began its barrage of strikes on Iran. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on the base. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
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a day ago
- Politics
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UN Security Council meets Friday to discuss Israel-Iran war, as Tel Aviv, Tehran conflict escalates - as it happened - Region
Ahram Online provides live coverage of the unfolding military confrontation between Israel and Iran as the two sides wage deadly strikes against one another for a sixth day. Related The US role in the Iran-Israel confrontation A Gulf wary of escalation The Middle East in flames Israel escalated its attack, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion', on Tehran six days after bombing residential and military areas in Iran, killing over 200 people and wounding over 1,200. As US President Donald Trump urged residents to evacuate—echoing Israeli calls for 330,000 people to leave central Tehran—the capital began to empty, with shops shuttered and traffic clogging westbound roads. In retaliation, Iran intensified its 'Operation True Promise III,' launching multiple waves of missiles into central Israel, where large explosions were reported overnight and air raid sirens wailed throughout the night. Earlier Iranian strikes forced the shutdown of the Haifa oil refinery, other industrial facilities, and the local power plant. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel, with hundreds more wounded. Meanwhile, Israel has imposed a ban on live TV feed streaming, preventing networks from broadcasting images of incoming Iranian missiles and the damage caused by the strikes. As Trump weighs US involvement in the war, Iran says the Iranian nation 'is not one to surrender." 22:50 Iran's mission to the UN has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday morning to discuss the Israel attacks. The UN will discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, council president Guyana said. Diplomatic sources say Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria have backed Iran's call. 22:10 Trump says not yet made decision on whether to attack Iran. He said 'you may have to fight' to prevent Iran from getting nukes He has insisted that he doesn't want the US to get involved in a war with Iran, and he's insisted that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. He conceded that he may not be able to have it both ways. 'I'm not looking to fight. But if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do,' he said. At another point, Trump said 'you may have to fight.' 22:12 Iran's foreign ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents US interests in the Islamic republic, over recent remarks by President Donald Trump. "Following the irresponsible and threatening statements of the American president, the Swiss ambassador, as the guardian of this country's interests in Tehran, was summoned to the ministry of foreign affairs," state TV reported, without elaborating. 22:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his "support in defending Israel's skies". The US has said it is not directly involved in Israel's campaign, but it is a key supplier of missiles and technology for its ally's sophisticated air defences systems. Reports have also said that American military assets Tel Aviv, including a Navy destroyer, have helped shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles. "I want to thank President Trump, a great friend of the state of Israel," Netanyahu said in a televised statement. 21:26 IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency says Iran today fired a Sajil MRBM for the first time. The missile has 2,500 kilometres range, and Iranians appear to be firing from further away as shorter-range bases in western Iran are pinned down. Sajil is also a good candidate for future nuclear weaponization. 20:19 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against "additional military interventions" in the Middle East. "Any additional military interventions could have enormous consequences, not only for those involved, but for the whole region and for international peace and security at large," Guterres said in a statement. 20:00 Egypt's foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in a phone call to discuss efforts to contain rising tensions. According to Egypt's foreign ministry, Abdelatty stressed the need to prevent further destabilization and warned of the broader risks to regional security. He reiterated Cairo's position that diplomatic and political solutions remain the only viable path forward, calling for an immediate ceasefire and a return to nuclear negotiations with Tehran. China's foreign ministry echoed the concern, with Wang reportedly describing the situation as nearing a tipping point. 'The [situation] may get out of control ... and the region could slide into an abyss,' he told Abdelatty, adding that Israel's actions in recent days had 'suddenly' intensified tensions. 19:41 Iran has fired a new missile salvo at Israel. Tehran said it launched hypersonic missiles. The Fattah hypersonic missiles "have successfully penetrated the Israeli regime's defenses," state TV reported. Israel's army said that it had detected new missiles launched from Iran and that defensive systems were operating to intercept the threat. A missile is fired from Iran toward Israel. AFP 19:37 Iran issued an evacuation warning for the residents of the Israeli city of Haifa, state television reported. "A few minutes ago, an evacuation notice was issued to Zionist settlers in Haifa to protect them from Iranian missile attacks," state TV said. It showed an image of the targeted area accompanied by Hebrew text saying: "Please leave the reported area immediately -- in the next few hours, armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will operate in this area... to attack the military infrastructure of the Zionist regime." 19:22 Iran's Foreign Ministry denied sending a delegation to Oman for new negotiations, contradicting reports that an Iranian government plane carrying negotiators had landed in Muscat. Reuters cited sources saying the aircraft departed from Tehran and arrived in Oman despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes and a regional airspace lockdown prompted by the conflict. The sixth round of US–Iran nuclear talks, initially scheduled for 15 June in Oman, has collapsed following the Israel attack on Iran on Friday. File Photo: The Foreign Ministry of Islamic Republic of Iran building. Photo courtesy of Isranian foreign ministry. 19:05 The US ambassador to Israel announced plans for evacuating Americans by air and sea. The embassy is "working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures" for "American citizens wanting to leave Israel," Ambassador Mike Huckabee posted on X. Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel- US Embassy in Israel @usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures. You must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) ( You will be alerted w/ updates. — Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 18, 2025 18:32 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 'Iran fulfilled the deal. The US tore it up. Trump walked away—yet Europe demanded Iran stay loyal. Why the hell should Iran comply with a deal the West abandoned?' US President Donald Trump said that he spoke with Putin over the phone and that he rejected Moscow's offer to mediate Israel-Iran talks. Putin "actually offered to help mediate. I said do me a favor, mediate your own.... I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later," Trump said. 🚨🚨⚡ President vladimir Putin drops the truth bomb: 'Iran fulfilled the deal. The U.S. tore it up. Trump walked away—yet Europe demanded Iran stay loyal. Why the hell should Iran comply with a deal the West abandoned?' -: A brutal reminder of who really broke the agreement. — RussiaNews 🇷🇺 (@mog_russEN) June 18, 2025 18:21 An Iranian negotiation delegation has landed in Oman, Reuters reported, as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to ease rising tensions amid the Israeli attacks. According to Iranian and regional sources, Tehran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman to mediate with US President Donald Trump to pressure Tel Aviv into agreeing to an immediate ceasefire, offering flexibility in nuclear talks in return. Sources revealed that Gulf leaders and diplomats held intense consultations over the weekend with Tehran, Washington, and other parties, aiming to contain the escalation and prevent the conflict between Iran and 'Israel' from spiraling further. One Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran is willing to show flexibility in its nuclear negotiations if a ceasefire is achieved. In contrast, a Gulf source expressed deep concern over the risk of the conflict spinning out of control. Trump claimed that Iran still wants to negotiate with the US and even proposed sending a delegation to the White House but that it was getting "very late" for talks and he might soon authorize strikes on Iran's nuclear program. 18:20 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that the Pentagon was providing possible options to Donald Trump as he decides next steps on Iran but would not say whether the military was planning to assist with Israeli attacks, according to AP news agency. Hegseth was on Capitol Hill for the last of his series of often combative hearings before lawmakers. In questioning before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth said 'maximum force protection" was being provided for US troops in the Middle East and that it is Trump's decision whether to provide Israel a 'bunker buster" bomb to strike at the core of Iran's nuclear program, which would require US pilots flying a B-2 stealth bomber. He would not indicate what the US may do next. The US has shifted significant numbers of refueling tankers and fighter aircraft to position them to respond to the escalating conflict, such as supporting possible evacuations or airstrikes. 18:13 As it has repeatedly been doing in Gaza, Israel targeted a humanitarian facility on Wednesday, striking a building belonging to the Iranian Red Crescent Society in Tehran, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA. 18:00 'We did not have any proof of a systematic effort to move in Iran into a nuclear weapon,' the IAEA Director-General said in an interview with Christiane Amanpour on CNN. However, he drafted the Agency's recent report vaguely and questionably, helping Israel to use it as a pretext for its illegal aggression against Iran. 'We did not have any proof of a systematic effort to move into a nuclear weapon.' @iaeaorg Director General affirms his agency's findings about Iran's nuclear program. — Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) June 17, 2025 CNN has compiled a series of clips showing Israeli PM Netanyahu warning since 1996 that Iran is close to developing a nuclear weapon within months. Iran: Weeks away from having nuclear weapons since 1995 — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 17, 2025 17:22 Asked if the US was moving closer to engaging in the Israeli attack on Iran and striking Iranian nuclear facilities, US President Donald Trump said: 'I can't say that… You don't seriously think I'm going to answer that question.' He has been speaking to reporters on the lawns of the White House. 'You don't know that I'm going to even do it. You don't know. I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do,' he said. 'I can tell you this – Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate. And I said, 'Why didn't you negotiate with me before – all this death and destruction'. Why didn't you negotiate? I said to the people, 'why didn't you negotiate with me two weeks ago? You could have done fine. You would have had a country'.' 16:43 The Israeli army said public safety guidelines that have mandated school closures, among other restrictions, would ease in some areas from 6pm on Wednesday. Parts of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and West Bank, in addition to Israeli communities near Gaza and in Eilat in Israel's south, would be changed from "essential activity" to "limited activity" or "partial activity," the army said. 16:42 UK withdraws family members of its diplomatic staff in Israel have been withdrawn as Iran and Israel continue to exchange fire, Britain's foreign ministry said. The Foreign Office said relatives of staff working at the UK embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem were withdrawn "as a precautionary measure," adding that staff at the mission remain. 16:23 Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that air force jets had destroyed Iran's "internal security headquarters" after the army announced it was striking Tehran. 16:15 Iran's state TV airs footage of an Israeli Hermes drone shot down in Iran's central Isfahan province. In the video, a reporter stands before a drone that crashed into the ground and sustained heavy damage. The Israel Defense Forces said that a surface-to-air missile had been fired towards an Israeli Air Force drone and that the drone then 'fell in Iran.' Iran's Army downs Israel's ultra-advanced Hermes drone over Isfahan — IRIB news footage — RT (@RT_com) June 18, 2025 16:07 US President Donald Trump is facing a critical decision between taking 'a diplomatic off ramp' or 'a war of choice,' Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN. 'Leaders always have a choice in these moments,' she said. 'Trump has, in the past, stepped back from the brink of war with Iran, he has the ability to do so again.' Geranmayeh added that 'Iran will view this as a declaration of war,' if Trump decides to strike its nuclear facilities. 'Once you open up this Pandora's box, we have no idea where things go,' Geranmayeh said, adding that the conflict would 'most likely consume the rest of President Trump's presidency.' For Iran, she added, 'surrender is not an option.' 'It also knows it is not going to win militarily, but it's trying to ensure that there are only losers here,' Geranmayeh said. 15:55 The leaders of Russia and the United Arab Emirates warned of "extremely negative consequences" from the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, as President Vladimir Putin pushed himself as a possible mediator. In a phone call with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Putin "confirmed Russia's readiness to provide mediation assistance to promote dialogue between the parties to the conflict," the Kremlin said in a statement. The two leaders "expressed deep concern over the continuing escalation of the Iranian-Israeli conflict, which could have extremely negative consequences for the entire region," Moscow added. Putin has held phone calls with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering his role as a peacemaker. 15:45 Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Iran to resume talks over its nuclear programme as the conflict between Israel and the Islamic Republic raged. Wadephul said he had delivered the message to his Iranian counterpart in a phone call on Monday, together with the French and British foreign ministers and the European Union's chief diplomat. "We, the E3 states, remain ready to negotiate a solution," Wadephul said, with reference to the European grouping of Britain, France and Germany. "Iran must now act urgently," he said, calling for "verifiable and confidence-building measures", such as a commitment from the government in Tehran not to pursue nuclear weapons capabilities. "It is never too late to come to the negotiating table if you come with honest intentions," Wadephul said in a press conference alongside the Jordanian foreign minister. 15:30 Multiple explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Wednesday, AFP journalists said, and black smoke rose in the east. The series of blasts was heard shortly before 3:30 pm (1200 GMT), on the sixth day of the most intense exchange of fire between arch-foes Iran and Israel. 15:00 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday Iran had the "legitimate" right to defend itself in the face of Israel's ongoing bombing campaign, now in its sixth day. "It is a very natural, legitimate and legal right for Iran to defend itself against Israel's thuggery and state terrorism," the Turkish leader said, a day after referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "the biggest threat to the security of the region". The long-range blitz began early Friday, when Israel launched a massive bombing campaign that prompted Iran to hit back with missiles and drones, including hypersonic missiles. "These attacks were organised while the Iranian nuclear negotiations were taking place," Erdogan said. "Israel, which possesses nuclear weapons and does not recognise any international rules.. did not wait for the negotiations to end, but carried out a terrorist act without waiting for the result," he added. "We are closely following Israel's terrorist attacks on Iran. All our institutions are on high alert regarding the possible effects of these attacks on Turkey," Erdogan said. "We are making preparations for every kind of scenario," he said. "Nobody should dare to test us." On Monday, Erdogan said he had ordered the defence industry to increase production of medium and long-range missiles to "increase its level of deterrence" in light of the air war between Israel and Iran. 14:20 Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said the Iranian armed forces, backed by the people and the authorities in the state, are ready to defend the homeland. In a televised message to the nation on Wednesday, Khamenei said that "Iran would not forgive the Zionist entity for violating its airspace and would not forget the blood of our martyrs." In an address to the nation, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected President Trump's call for surrender in the conflict with Israel, and warned any US strikes on Iran will have 'irreparable consequences.' — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 18, 2025 Khamenei stated that Iran would neither accept peace nor war imposed upon it, addressing the United States with the warning: 'They must know that Iran will not surrender, and any American attack will have dire, irreparable consequences.' He emphasized that the Iranian people remain steadfast in the face of the war being waged against them, reiterating that the country will not accept any externally imposed peace or conflict. He added that the Iranian people will not yield to diktats from any party. Referring to the US threats, Khamenei said, 'Those who know Iran's history understand that Iranians do not respond well to the language of threats.' He further cautioned Israel, stating that it had made a 'grave mistake' by attacking Iran and stressing that Tel Aviv 'will face the consequences of its actions.' 14:00 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that direct US military assistance to Israel could radically destabilise the situation in the Middle East. In separate comments, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, was quoted as saying that the situation between Iran and Israel was now critical, as reported by Reuters. Ryabkov warned the US against direct military assistance to Israel or even considering such "speculative options," according to Russia's Interfax news agency. "This would be a step that would radically destabilise the entire situation. " 13:10 The UN nuclear watchdog said Israeli strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme near Tehran. The strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday. In another strike on a site in Tehran, "one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested", the agency added in a post on X. 12:45 Iranian state television says it will broadcast a message from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a few minutes. 11:45 The airport authority said that the first aircraft bringing home Israelis stranded abroad by flight cancellations resulting from the conflict with Iran landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday. This picture shows the empty departure hall at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. AFP "Just a short while ago, the first flight of Operation Safe Return landed at Ben Gurion Airport," a statement said, adding that the flight had been operated by national carrier El Al and brought Israelis home from Larnaca in Cyprus. Transport Minister Miri Regev said Tuesday that between 100,000 and 150,000 Israelis were stuck abroad, as Israel and Iran traded deadly fire in their most intense confrontation ever. The ministry said all of Israel's commercial aircraft had been sent abroad to avoid them during the air war with Iran. After suspending flights last week, El Al said it was "preparing rescue flights" starting Wednesday with planes departing from Larnaca, Athens, Rome, Milan, and Paris. The low-cost Israeli airline Arkia also announced special flights this week to repatriate Israelis. A statement from the airport authority said Wednesday that the return operation "is being managed in stages based on the level of risk and current security assessments, with a strong emphasis on the safety of passengers, aircrew, and aircraft. " It urged the public not to go to Ben Gurion Airport to greet arriving passengers or order taxis to pick them up from the airport due to "the current security situation". After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched a surprise air campaign against Iran on Friday. 11:15 The foreign ministry said Wednesday that Greece has repatriated 105 of its citizens and foreign nationals from Israel. The people repatriated were transported to Athens from Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, onboard C-130 and C-27 Greek air force planes,' it said in a statement, AFP reports. File Photo: Sharm El-Sheik International Airport terminal 2. Photo courtesy of Sharm El-Sheik Airport website. Along with Greek citizens and their families, other people on the flight included citizens of Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States, it said. 10:50 Israeli authorities say no people have been reported killed or injured in Israel from the latest overnight volleys of missiles from Iran, despite some damage. An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man inspects the damage at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv. AFP The Israeli government says that approximately 400 ballistic missiles have been fired by Iran since Israel began its attack last Friday, with hundreds of drones also launched. The Israeli authorities say that since last Friday, there have been around 40 impact sites across the country, 3,800 people evacuated, 24 people killed, and more than 800 injured, according to a BBC report. There have been nearly 16,000 claims related to structural damage and more than 1,000 for damage to vehicles. Israel's Iron Dome air defence shield costs $250m (£186m) daily. A report in the Washington Post quotes a source briefed on US and Israeli intelligence, who says that without resupplies or greater involvement by US forces, Israel may only be able to maintain it for another 10 or 12 days if Iran maintains steady attacks. 10:30 Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed on Wednesday that his country would show 'no mercy' towards Israel's rulers, AFP reports. 'We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy,' Khamenei posted on X. On Tuesday, Donald Trump boasted that the United States could easily assassinate Khamenei if it wanted. U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters on board Air Force One after leaving early from the G7 Leaders' Summit on June 16, 2025 in Calgary. AFP 10:15 Many Iranians reacted with fear and dismay at Donald Trump's instruction to "immediately evacuate Tehran", according to a BBC report on Tuesday evening. The capital's almost 10 million residents have now been left to decide whether to shelter in their homes, bracing themselves for what could come next, or attempt to join the heavy traffic leaving the country's capital. Many who decide to leave Tehran post images of their homes online, a poignant trend in Persian-language social media for those leaving their city behind. BBC Persian and other BBC correspondents said they have received messages from affected people. They have also conducted interviews and monitored social media to gather people's stories. Some Iranians had already decided to leave well before Israel issued the first evacuation order for parts of Tehran on Monday. "Many more Iranians living in Tehran have decided to leave since Monday, braving traffic jams of up to 14 hours and fuel queues to flee - unsure if their homes will still be standing when they return." According to the BBC report, some residents have decided to stay put because of elderly parents, young children, pets, medical needs, or a lack of options. This handout picture released by the Iranian Red Crescent on June 17, 2025 shows members of their rescue teams searching the debris inside a buidling in Tehran, targeted by Israeli strikes. Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire for a fifth consecutive day on June 17, with the Israeli military saying in a statement it targeted multiple missile and drone sites in western Iran, including infrastructure, launchers, and storage facilities. AFP 09:45 The US Embassy in Jerusalem will be shut from Wednesday through Friday due to the security situation in the region and to comply with Israeli guidance, the US State Department said. A road sign shows the way towards the US embassy in Jerusalem on April 19, 2024. AFP 'Given the security situation and in compliance with Israel Home Front Command guidance, the US Embassy in Jerusalem will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday, June 18) through Friday (June 20). This includes the Consular Sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,' the State Department said on X. 09:30 Iran said it had detained five suspected agents of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency on charges of tarnishing the country's image online, Iranian news agencies reported. "These mercenaries sought to sow fear among the public and tarnish the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran through their calculated activities online," the Tasnim and ISNA news agencies quoted a statement from the Revolutionary Guards as saying. They added that the arrests had been made in western Iran. 09:15 Iran said early Wednesday to have fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the archfoes, hours after Donald Trump demanded the Islamic Republic's "unconditional surrender". The US president insists Washington has played no part in ally Israel's bombing attack, but also warned Iran that his patience is wearing thin as the conflict enters a sixth day. Israeli warplanes targeted the Iranian capital before dawn Wednesday after the military issued a warning on social media for civilians in an area known as District 18 to evacuate. Iranian state media reported explosions ricocheting in Tehran's Piroozi, Sabalan, and Sayyad areas. In retaliation, Iran told residents of Tel Aviv to prepare for an attack, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying its hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles were "repeatedly shaking the shelters" in the commercial hub. "The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles" was carried out, the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television. Hypersonic missiles travel more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept. Iran also sent a "swarm of drones" towards Israel, where the army said it intercepted two over the Dead Sea area. 09:00 Israel's military said Wednesday it struck an Iranian centrifuge production facility and multiple weapons manufacturing sites, in the latest round of strikes between the archfoes. This handout satellite image released by Planet Labs on June 15, 2025, shows new vehicle tracks and dirt piles over underground centrifuge buildings at Natanz enrichment facility, southeast of Tehran after airstrikes on June 15, 2025. AFP "More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," an Israeli army statement said. "As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted." "During the wave of attacks, several weapons manufacturing sites were struck, including facilities for producing raw materials and components used to assemble surface-to-surface missiles," it added. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
