Iranian missile strikes hit Israeli hospital – DW – 06/19/2025
06/19/2025
June 19, 2025 Israeli strike hits area near Iran's Khondab nuclear facility
An area near the heavy-water research reactor in Khondab, a key site in Iran's nuclear program, was struck by Israeli forces, according to a report by the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) on Thursday.
ISNA said that officials had evacuated the facility before the attack and emphasized that there was no radiation risk.
The reactor, formerly known as Arak, is still under construction. Iran has informed the UN nuclear watchdog that it plans to begin operating the facility next year.
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DW
36 minutes ago
- DW
Israeli strikes mean new peril for Afghan refugees in Iran – DW – 06/19/2025
As Israeli strikes intensify, Afghan refugees in Iran find themselves in danger once again — stuck in a country that is no longer safe with no way to return home. The impact of the conflict between Iran and Israel is being felt by Afghans both inside their homeland and across the border in Iran. The fighting is exacerbating the already dire conditions in Afghanistan, where prices for Iranian imports have surged. Meanwhile, millions of Afghans who once fled to Iran in search of safety are now facing renewed uncertainty and pressure from officials as the armed conflict escalates. "We have no place to live," Afghan refugee Rahela Rasa told DW. "Our freedom of movement has been stripped from us," Rasa said. "We're harassed, insulted and abused." Afghans' lives go from bad to worse The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals reside in Iran. Other sources suggest that the number could be much higher. Iran had taken steps to deport thousands of Afghans in recent years. However, Afghans continue to arrive, seeking employment or refuge from the Taliban regime. In the years following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have dismantled the media and civil society, targeted former security personnel and imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, banning them from work and education. Conditions have also deteriorated for Afghans living in Iran. The refugees are only allowed to buy food at highly inflated prices and are banned from leaving Tehran. Tehran gridlocked as thousands try to flee Israeli strikes To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A refugee told DW that she couldn't buy formula for her baby. "Everywhere I go, they refuse to sell it to me because I don't have proper documents," she said, requesting anonymity. 'My heart is broken' With Afghans in Iran seeing bombs flying overhead, their new country no longer offers even a semblance of safety. And some of them have already been kiled in strikes. DW spoke to Abdul Ghani from Afghanistan's Ghor province, whose 18-year-old son Abdul Wali recently completed school and moved to Iran to support his family. "On Monday, I spoke to my son and asked him to send us some money," Ghani said. "Last night, his employer called to inform me he had been killed in an attack." "My heart is broken," Ghani said. "My son is gone." No way home for many Afghans Returning to Afghanistan is not a viable option for most Afghan refugees, who fear persecution under the Taliban regime. A former member of Afghanistan's security forces, speaking anonymously, said he lived in constant fear. "We cannot return to Afghanistan," he said. "The Taliban would prosecute us." Mohammad Omar Dawoodzai, former Afghan interior minister and ambassador to Iran under the previous government, told DW that the international community must act to protect former officials and civil servants who may be forced to return to Afghanistan if the Israel-Iran conflict drags on. Fear deepens in Tehran as Israel targets Iran's capital To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "I am particularly concerned about former military and government employees who fled to Iran after the Taliban takeover," Dawoodzai said. "The international community must hold the Taliban accountable and ensure returnees are not subjected to persecution." Migrant advocate urges refugees to stay put Human-smuggling networks appear to be exploiting the desperation of Afghan refugees. Rumors have circulated suggesting that Turkey has opened its borders for passage. But Ali Reza Karimi, a migrant rights advocate, dismissed the claims of open borders as false information spread by smugglers. Flights are suspended, and, he said, Turkey's border is only open to Iranian citizens and travelers with valid passports and visas and remains closed to Afghan migrants. Karimi urged Afghan refugees not to fall for the smugglers' lies or walk into their traps. "I've been informed that smugglers are telling refugees to head toward Turkey, claiming the borders are open," Dawoodzai said. "This creates yet another tragedy. They go there only to find the borders closed." Dawoodzai urged Afghan refugees in Iran to stay where they are for now, if possible. "As much as they can, our people should remain where they are and wait patiently. And if, for any reason, they are forced to move, they should head toward the Afghan border — not Turkey," he stated. Edited by: Darko Janjevic
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
Russia Warns US Against 'Military Intervention' In Iran-Israel War
Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday warned the United States not to take military action against Iran, amid speculation over whether Washington will enter the war alongside Israel. Moscow issued its warning after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a phone call condemned Israeli attacks on Iran and urged a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Israel launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran last week, to which Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks. US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he was considering whether to join Israel's strikes. "I may do it, I may not do it," he said. Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: "We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation." Any US military action "would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences", she added. Earlier on Thursday, following the leaders' call, the Kremlin said Putin and Xi "strongly condemn Israel's actions". Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities "should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means". Xi told Putin that a ceasefire was the "top priority" and urged Israel to halt its attacks, Chinese state media reported. "Promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority. Armed force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes," Xi said, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. "Parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war," he added. Putin is pitching himself as a mediator between the warring sides. Russia is close to Iran, having boosted military ties amid its offensive on Ukraine, but also strives for good relations with Israel. Last week, Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering himself as a peacemaker. The Kremlin said that Xi had spoken "in favour of such mediation, since he believes that it could serve to de-escalate the current situation", Ushakov said. But Western leaders, including US President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron have pushed back against the idea of Putin trying to mediate the conflict amid his own Ukraine offensive. "He actually offered to help mediate, I said: 'do me a favour, mediate your own'," Trump told reporters on Wednesday about Putin's efforts. "Let's mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later."
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Relieved Pakistanis Recall 'Horrifying Nights' As Israel, Iran Trade Strikes
Mohammad Hassan anxiously returned to Pakistan from neighbouring Iran this week after witnessing drones, missiles, and explosions tear through Tehran's sky during what he called long, "horrifying nights". The 35-year-old University of Tehran student is one of about 3,000 Pakistanis who, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have returned home since Israel launched its aerial war against its long-time enemy last week. Governments around the world are scrambling to evacuate their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling conflict as Israel and Iran trade missile and drone strikes. "I was in the city centre where most of the strikes took place and even one of the student dormitories was attacked and luckily no one was dead, but students were injured," Hassan said. There are more than 500 Pakistani students at his university alone, he said, all of them on their way "back home". "Those days and nights were very horrifying... hearing sirens, the wailing, the danger of being hit by missiles. As one peeped out the window in the night, you could see drones, missiles with fire tails," he told AFP. Pakistan and Iran have a shaky diplomatic relationship. They bombed each other's territory little more than a year ago, both claiming to target rebels using their neighbour's land to launch attacks. Yet they have never suspended trade, tourism and academic ties. Iranian consulates across Pakistan have stepped up efforts to promote their universities. Between 25 million and 35 million Pakistani Shiite Muslims also hope to make at least one pilgrimage in their lifetime to holy sites in Iran, foremost among them the sacred city of Qom. Mohammad Khalil, a 41-year-old petroleum engineer, left Tehran three days ago, the capital of the Islamic Republic looking like a ghost town as residents sheltered indoors and families fled. "In the last two days, I saw people moving out of the city in different vehicles with necessary commodities," Khalil said. Abdul Ghani Khan sells medical equipment in his hometown of Peshawar in northwest Pakistan and travels to Iran regularly for supplies. He had been in Tehran for a week when the first Israeli missiles fell on Friday. Iran and Israel have traded heavy missile fire in the days since, raising fears of a wider regional conflict. Pakistan is in a difficult position as the only Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons. It, like Iran, does not recognise Israel but is also a major ally of the United States. Khan had to make the journey home by road because the airspace is now closed. Pakistan has also shut its border crossings with Iran to all except Pakistanis wanting to return home. "We saw drones, red lights of anti-aircraft guns and I spotted one building catch fire," Khan said. Mohammad Asif, a lawyer from Lahore in Pakistan's east, heard about the air strikes while on a pilgrimage in Qom. He wasn't initially afraid and continued his pilgrimage to Mashhad in Iran's northeast, home to the golden-domed Imam Reza shrine. That was until Israeli strikes hit the airport in Mashhad, nearly 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the Pakistani border. Samreen Ali was also in Mashhad but, like Asif, cut her trip short and returned with her husband and 15-year-old son. She was praying in a mosque in Mashhad when Israel struck the city. Ali said she had visited Iran nine times before on pilgrimages and never imagined witnessing war there. "I was offering prayer when I heard two explosions," she told AFP. She then noticed she wasn't receiving messages on her phone and assumed that "communication was being restricted... because of the war". Syed Saqib, 46, was in Qom and had to travel 500 kilometres (310 miles) by bus southeast to Yazd. "We had to take alternative routes, spend an entire night waiting at a bus terminal," Saqib said. They then boarded buses to Zahedan, a city near the border with Pakistan's Balochistan province. A relieved Saqib recalled making the border crossing at Taftan, surrounded by families carrying heavy luggage. Pakistan and Iran have a shaky diplomatic relationship but have never suspended trade, tourism or academic ties AFP Samreen Ali was praying in a mosque in Mashhad in Iran when Israeli strikes hit the city, so she decided to cut her trip short and return to Pakistan with her husband and son AFP
