Israel v Iran LIVE: Tehran in chaos after blitz with gridlocked roads & ‘car bombs' as Trump says US may ‘get involved'
Tehran appears to be under heavy Israeli bombardment
The Israeli airstrikes this morning appear to have dealt a heavy blow to the Iranian capital.
Many buildings were destroyed in various areas of Tehran.
The Israeli air force reportedly targeted Iran's Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the Ministry of Oil.
An Aircraft Repair Centre near Ekbatan and Valiasr Square were also targeted.
Local media reports that heavy damage was caused to urban infrastructure in the country.
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Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
Israel-Iran battle escalates, will be high on agenda as world leaders meet
TEL AVIV/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - Israel and Iran kept up their attacks, killing and wounding civilians and raising concern among world leaders meeting in Canada this week that the biggest battle between the two old enemies could lead to a broader regional conflict. The Iranian death toll in four days of Israeli strikes, carried out with the declared aim of wiping out Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, had reached at least 224, with 90% of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said. At least 10 people in Israel, including children, have been killed so far, according to authorities there. Group of Seven leaders began gathering in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday with the Israel-Iran conflict expected to be a top priority. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his goals for the summit include for Iran to not develop or possess nuclear weapons, ensuring Israel's right to defend itself, avoiding escalation of the conflict and creating room for diplomacy. "This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit," Merz told reporters. Before leaving for the summit on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked what he was doing to de-escalate the situation. "I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal," he told reporters. "Sometimes they have to fight it out." Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday. Explosions shook Tel Aviv on Sunday during Iran's first daylight missile attack since Israel's strike on Friday. Shortly after nightfall, Iranian missiles hit a residential street in Haifa, a mixed Jewish-Arab city, and in Israel's south. In Bat Yam, a city near Tel Aviv, residents braced on Sunday evening for another sleepless night after an overnight strike on an apartment tower. "It's very dreadful. It's not fun. People are losing their lives and their homes," said Shem, 29. Images from Tehran showed the night sky lit up by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes against Iran's oil and gas sector - raising the stakes for the global economy and the functioning of the Iranian state. Brent crude futures were up $1.17, or 1.6%, to $75.39 a barrel by 0015 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained $1.11, or 1.6%, to $74.14. They had surged more than $4 earlier in the session. In Washington, two U.S. officials told Reuters that Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When asked about the Reuters report, Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that." "We do what we need to do," he told Fox's "Special Report With Bret Baier." Israel began the assault with a surprise attack on Friday that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and says the campaign will escalate in coming days. The intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy were killed in attacks on Tehran on Sunday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said. Iran has vowed to "open the gates of hell" in retaliation. Trump has lauded Israel's offensive while denying Iranian allegations that the U.S. has taken part and warning Tehran not to widen its retaliation to include U.S. targets. Two U.S. officials said on Friday the U.S. military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel. The U.S. president has repeatedly said Iran could end the war by agreeing to tough restrictions on its nuclear program, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but which Western countries and the IAEA nuclear watchdog say could be used to make an atomic bomb. The latest round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S., due on Sunday, was scrapped after Tehran said it would not negotiate while under Israeli attack.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Almost 10,000 gender certificates granted amid rise in Gen Z applications
Almost 10,000 gender recognition certificates (GRCs) have been granted in the UK since their introduction two decades ago, with an increasing proportion going to young adults, analysis shows. Some 1,169 GRCs were issued in the year to March 2025, more than three times the number in 2019/20, when it stood at just 364. It is also the highest annual total since 2005/06, which was the first full year that the scheme – which allows a person's acquired gender to be recognised legally in the country – was in operation. The surge is likely to reflect recent changes in the certification process, including a big cut in fees, combined with more applications from young people. Nearly a quarter (24%) of certificates granted in the latest year were for people born since 2000 – loosely known as Generation Z – and 68% were for those born since 1990, up from 4% and 41% respectively in 2019/20. The analysis has been compiled by the PA news agency using data published by the Ministry of Justice, which shows a total of 9,633 GRCs had been granted in the UK up to March 2025. The findings come after the Supreme Court's ruling in April on the definition of sex, which followed a dispute centred on whether someone with a GRC recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act. In a long-awaited judgment, the court confirmed the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. This means transgender women with a GRC can be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. In the wake of the ruling the boss of Britain's equalities regulator suggested that while it does not mean GRCs are 'worthless', their 'efficacy' could be re-examined. Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) told BBC Radio 4's Today programme in the days after the ruling: 'I think the next stage of litigation may well be tests as to the efficacy of the GRC, and or other areas.' Asked about whether she thinks GRCs are now 'worthless', she replied: 'We don't believe they are. We think they're quite important.' Government advice on how to apply for a GRC states that the Supreme Court ruling does not affect the application process, but advises people to contact the EHRC if they have questions. The Gender Recognition Act came into effect on April 4 2005, giving adults the right legally to change the gender that was recorded on their birth certificate. This is done by applying for a GRC, a document that shows a person has satisfied the criteria for changing their legal gender. Applications are made to the Gender Recognition Panel, a body of legal and medical experts, who issue a certificate only if the application meets the necessary criteria. GRC applications hit a record 1,517 in 2024/25, up from 1,397 the previous year and 443 in 2019/20. The application fee for a certificate was cut in May 2021 from £140 to £5, while there was a switch to online applications in July 2022. A GRC is granted if the applicant has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria; has lived in the acquired gender for at least two years, and intends to live in that gender for the rest of their life. PA analysis shows the age of those receiving GRCs has changed considerably over the past decade. Some 63% of certificates issued in 2014/15 went to people born before 1980 – but by 2024/25 this had dropped sharply to just 17%. By contrast, people born from 1980 onwards accounted for 83% of certificates in the most recent year, up from 37% a decade earlier. More recently, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of certificates going to people born since 2000, up from 4% in 2019/20 to 24% in 2024/25. The age group currently responsible for the biggest proportion is people born in the 1990s, who accounted for 45% of the total in the year to March 2025. The balance in applications between males and females has also changed over time. In 2005/06, the first full year that certificates were available, more than three-quarters (77%) were granted to people whose sex at birth was male, with just under a quarter (23%) going to those who were female. By 2015/16 the gap between these percentages had narrowed at 67% and 33%, and in 2023/24 the figures were almost equal, at 52% for males and 48% for females. In the most recent year of 2024/25, the gap widened slightly with 55% of certificates granted to people whose sex at birth was male and 45% for those who were female. Nearly one in 10 people receiving certificates in the year to March 2025 were part of a married couple – a proportion that has been relatively stable since the law was changed in 2014 to allow some applicants to remain married while obtaining gender recognition. Of the 1,169 certificates granted in 2024/25, 109 (9%) were for married applicants with the vast majority – 1,033 (88%) – for people who were single, while 27 were recorded as 'other/unknown'.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Israel-Iran conflict set to dominate as world leaders gather for G7
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran is likely to be high on the agenda as world leaders gather in Canada on Monday. Sir Keir Starmer said that the G7 meeting in Alberta would provide an opportunity for allies to make the case for de-escalation in the 'fast moving' situation in the Middle East, with Donald Trump among those set to attend. Leaders have been urging calm in recent days since Israel first launched strikes against Iran before the weekend, with Sir Keir having held calls with Mr Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz among others. Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire on Sunday, as the Iranian health ministry said that 224 people have been killed since the conflict ignited on Friday. Israel's attacks have killed a number of Tehran's top generals, as the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, said intelligence chief General Mohammad Kazemi and two other generals were the latest killed. The UK Government updated its travel guidance to advise against all travel to Israel on Sunday amid the continuing blows. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office website warns that 'travel insurance could be invalidated' if people travel against the advice, and described the current status as a 'fast-moving situation that poses significant risks'. Asked about reports that ministers have drawn up contingency plans to evacuate British nationals from Israel, a Number 10 spokesman said on Sunday: 'We always monitor the situation closely and we keep contingency plans, as you'd expect, under constant review.' The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Mr Trump in recent days vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr Trump said on Sunday that 'Iran and Israel should make a deal'. 'We will have peace soon between Israel and Iran,' he posted on his TruthSocial platform. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place.' He also told ABC News that 'it's possible we could get involved' in the conflict. A planned sixth round of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme did not take place on Sunday. 'We remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon,' a senior US official said. The UK has been calling for de-escalation, and Sir Keir confirmed on Saturday that more RAF jets would be sent to the region for 'contingency support'. Earlier on Sunday, Rachel Reeves said that the decision to send the planes ' does not mean that we are at war'. 'We do have important assets in the region and it is right that we send jets to protect them and that's what we've done. 'It's a precautionary move,' she told Sky News. Oil prices surged surged on Friday after Israel's initial strikes against Iran's nuclear programme, sparking fears of increasing prices in the UK. The Chancellor told the BBC that there is 'no complacency' from the Treasury on the issue and 'we're obviously, monitoring this very closely as a government'. An Iranian health ministry spokesman said on social media that as well as the 224 fatalities, 1,277 other people were admitted to hospital. He asserted that more than 90% of the casualties were civilians.
