Iran's intelligence chief killed in Israeli strike
Iran's intelligence chief has been killed in an Israeli strike on Tehran on Sunday.
Mohammed Kazemi, the head of intelligence for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed alongside Hassan Mohaqiq, his deputy, and Mohsen Bagheri, a third intelligence officer, during an attack on the capital.
Benjamin Netanyahu announced the deaths in an interview with Fox News, saying: 'Moments ago, I can tell you, we got their chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran.' His claims were confirmed by Iranian state media a short while later.
This latest attack on the top brass of the Iranian military comes just days after Israel wiped out four other high-ranking military officials and several nuclear scientists.
Mr Netanyahu has maintained that Israel's offensive against Iran is a 'pre-emptive strike', intended to dismantle a covert programme dedicated to building a nuclear bomb.
He also claimed in the Fox News interview that Israel had destroyed Iran's primary Natanz nuclear enrichment site.
The nuclear facility in Natanz was capable of enriching uranium in centrifuges up to 60 per cent, just under the purity required to build a nuclear weapon.
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Rockets have fallen in Tel Aviv and damaged buildings, as Israel's defence systems worked to intercept Iran's strikes early on Monday.
No injuries have been reported so far.
Loud explosions were also heard in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, outside Haifa, an AFP journalist saw fires break out amid Iran's missile barrage.
Iran has launched a fresh wave of missiles towards Israel, the IDF has revealed.
'The defence systems are working to intercept the threat,' it said in a post on X on Monday.
The IDF on Monday ordered residents throughout the country to 'continue to remain in close proximity to the protected areas'.
'Movement in the area should be reduced and large gatherings should be avoided,' the post on X read.
Donald Trump is hopeful of Israel and Iran reaching a ceasefire agreement, but said sometimes countries 'have to fight it out' first.
Talking to reporters before departing for the G7 summit in Canada, Mr Trump said the US would continue to support Israel but declined to say if he had asked Benjamin Netanyahu to pause strikes.
'We get along very well and I think we have great respect for each other,' he said, referring to Mr Netanyahu.
Mr Trump said he believes there is a good chance of a ceasefire deal being agreed at some stage.
'Sometimes they have to fight it out ... we'll see what happens,' he said.
The Israeli military said early on Monday that it was striking surface-to-surface missile sites in Iran.
'The IDF is currently striking surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran,' Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Nadav Shoshani wrote on X.
'We are operating against this threat in our skies and in Iranian skies.'
Credit: YouTube/IDF Updates
Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under attack.
An official, who spoke anonymously to Reuters, said: 'The Iranians informed Qatari and Omani mediators that they will only pursue serious negotiations once Iran has completed its response to the Israeli pre-emptive strikes.'
Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel destroyed Iran's primary nuclear enrichment site.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, the Israeli prime minister said: 'We've destroyed the main facility in Natanz. That's the main enrichment facility.'
Israel launched missiles against Iran on Friday night, striking key nuclear sites, including the Natanz uranium facility in northern Iran, and plants in both Fordow and Isfahan.
Mr Netanyahu has maintained that Israel's attack on Iran was a 'pre-emptive strike', intended to dismantle a covert operation dedicated to building a nuclear bomb.
The nuclear facility in Natanz was capable of enriching uranium in centrifuges up to 60 per cent, just under the purity required to build a nuclear weapon.
At least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have also been killed since the Israeli bombardment began three days ago, according to two sources in the Gulf.
Iran's counterattack will ensure that Israel will 'no longer be habitable', a senior military official has said.
Colonel Reza Sayyad, a spokesman for the Iranian armed forces, warned of a 'devastating response' to Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic.
He said: 'The scale of the devastating response by Iran's brave fighters will certainly encompass all parts of the occupied territories (Israel).'
'Leave the occupied territories because they will certainly no longer be habitable in the future,' and shelters will 'not guarantee security', he added in an address broadcast on state television.
Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate the Iranian supreme leader, US officials have claimed.
The US president opposed an operation to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two officials told Reuters.
One of the officials said: 'Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we're not even talking about going after the political leadership.'Asked about the reports of Mr Trump's veto during a Fox News interview, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said: 'There are so many false reports about conversations that never happened — I'm not going to get into it.'
There have been conflicting accounts about whether Mr Trump gave the green light to begin attacking Iran on Friday. He was told about the operation earlier in the week.Mr Trump on Sunday called for a deal to be made between Israel and Iran, writing on his Truth Social platform: 'We will have peace, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings are now taking place.'
EU foreign ministers will meet by video link on Tuesday to discuss 'possible next steps' in de-escalating the conflict.
Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative, has convened a virtual meeting of foreign affairs ministers 'in light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East', an official said.
The emergency call was organised as Iran and Israel broadened exchanges of missile and drone strikes against one another.
The EU ministers' meeting 'will provide an opportunity for an exchange of views, coordination on diplomatic outreach to Tel Aviv and Tehran, and possible next steps,' the official from Ms Kallas's office said.
The IDF has shared footage of a strike on a surface-to-air missile launcher in Tehran as the conflict enters its third day.
Two people were injured in an Iranian strike on the town of Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, according to emergency services. Both individuals received only minor shrapnel injuries, they said.
Police reported that properties in the area were also damaged during the attack.
Two people have received minor shrapnel injuries following an Iranian strike on the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
The Israeli emergency services are yet to report any further injuries after the latest barrage.
Benjamin Netanyahu said the US president knew of Israel's intended attack on Iran ahead of time.
The Israeli prime minister said in an interview with Fox News today: 'I've been in constant contact with President Trump.
'We've known each other for many years. And obviously, we informed our American friends and President Trump, our great friend, ahead of time. We did.'
Mr Netanyahu claimed that Israel shared intel with the US showing that Iran was building nuclear weapons and accused the country of intending to supply the weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
He added that Israel and the US were 'fully co-ordinated' and that Trump was 'enemy number one' for Iran.
Reuters footage appears to show a missile striking the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
It is not yet known if there are any casualties as a result of Iran's most recent attack.
Credit: Reuters
Five Ukrainian nationals have been confirmed among the dead after an Iranian missile strike on an apartment building in Israel's Bat Yam.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry told broadcaster Ukrinfrom that three of its nationals killed were children and that its diplomats remained in close contact with Israeli police.
Seven people died in the attack on Bat Yam, including an eight-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, after an overnight strike hit an eight-storey building.
Explosions have been reported over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem amid another round or Iranian missile strikes.
Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency services, is en route to the reported missile impact sites but no injuries have yet been confirmed, according to the Times of Israel.
Sirens sounded across much of Israel prior to the moment of impact, with residents in the centre of the country, including in Jerusalem, and in the north told to take cover in bomb shelters.
Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled that a regime change in Iran could be the result of Israel's military attacks.
The Israeli prime minister did not state that the toppling of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's hardline government was Israel's explicit goal but added in an interview with Fox News that it 'could certainly be the result because the Iran regime is very weak'.
Huge traffic jams have gridlocked the streets of Tehran as residents attempt to flee the city amid ongoing Israeli missile strikes.
Photographs show long lines of cars heading away from the Iranian capital as the Israeli bombardment enters its third day.
The mass exodus comes as five car bombs detonated in Tehran earlier today, according to Iran's semi-official state media, with sources online claiming they exploded near to government buildings.
It also reported that an Israeli strike had hit Tehran's police headquarters and that a number of other targets had come under fire.
A rocket launched from southern Gaza has hit an area in south Israel.
The IDF said the air strike struck open land a short while ago and came from the southern Gaza Strip, but there have been no reported injuries.
Sirens sounded across Ein HaBesor, Magen and Nir Oz to warn citizens to take cover in bomb shelters as the rocket approached.
Concerns are growing that US interests and personnel might be targeted in an attack in Iraq.
Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi militant group, issued a statement saying it would resume attacks on US troops in the Middle East if the US became directly involved in the Israel-Iran conflict.
'We are closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy's military in the region,' the group's leader, Abu Hussei al-Hamidawi, said in a statement. 'If America intervenes in the war, we will act directly against its interests and bases spread across the region without hesitation.'
He also called on the Iraqi government to shut down the US embassy in Baghdad, saying the US presence was a threat to regional stability and security.
This comes as the US government issued a security alert for Americans in Iraq to avoid locations popular with foreigners and any large gatherings or crowds due to 'the increased potential for foreign terrorist organisation-inspired violence or attacks against US business and locations.'
The warning was issued two days after the US ordered the departure of non-essential government personnel and family in Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait given rising tensions.
Kataib Hezbollah is part of Iran's 'axis of resistance,' a coalition of regional militant groups backed by Tehran that has claimed a number of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. The group ceased such attacks in January 2024 to avoid 'embarrassing' the Iraqi government further.
The Israeli Air Force has launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran.
It confirmed in a post on social media that it had fired at dozens of surface-to-surface missile targets in western Iran.
The report comes just hours after Iran launched its own missile attack against Israel, however it seems the barrage was successfully intercepted, with no casualties or damage reported.
Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Israel killed Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence chief, and General Hassan Mohaqiq, his deputy.
Speaking on Fox News, Mr Netanyahu said: 'Moments ago, I can tell you we got their chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran.'
Israel has kept up its assault on Iran. Donald Trump has kept up calls for a deal to end the conflict.
The question beneath all of this is whether Mr Trump is working with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, or whether he was blind-sided when Israel launched its attack on Thursday night.
The Trump cheerleaders will tell you it was all part of a master plan to keep Iran in the dark, convinced it was about to enter a sixth round of talks on Sunday and relaxed enough to allow senior military leadership to sleep in their own homes rather than safehouses.
To critics of Trump, it was all a sign that the US president had lost control of one of the most consequential parts of its foreign policy.
As ever the truth lies somewhere in the middle. And it was Mr Netanyahu himself, in an interview with Fox News Channel's Bret Baier, who gave the clearest answer when he was asked about reports that Mr Trump had vetoed his plan to take out Iran's supreme leader.
After demurring on the specifics, he added: 'But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.'
Mr Trump, who has cut his National Security Council to a skeleton staff, lacks an overall strategy for Iran. He wanted talks to work but could see them extending into a forever future. Israel attacking Iran may not have been exactly what he wanted, but it will get the result he wants -- a cowed and weakened Tehran -- without risking American blood. And that is good enough for now.
Like a 'bus full of explosives' ready to smash into an Israeli city.
That was how Benjamin Netanyahu described Iran's ballistic missiles before they were launched at his country at the weekend.
Tehran has now fired more than 200 at Israel since Friday, according to Israeli military officials.
Many have penetrated Israel's renowned air defences, forcing the military to warn its people that the defences were 'not hermetic'.
Scenes of devastation on the streets of Tel Aviv have prompted alarm over what some believed to be the impenetrable layers of protection over Israel, including the Iron Dome.
But how did they get through?
Israel has reportedly used Western intermediaries to ask Iran about entering into ceasefire negotiations.
A senior Iranian source told NBC News in Tehran that Israel had signalled an interest in halting the missile strikes and restarting nuclear negotiations.
A representative for the Israeli prime minister reportedly did not respond to a request for comment on the reports of behind-the-scenes talks.
The report emerged as Donald Trump today called for Israel and Iran to make a deal before leaving for the G7 in Canada today.
The US president wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!'
He added: Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!'
The United States has advised any American nationals in Iraq to avoid large gatherings and areas frequented by foreign nationals amid an increased risk of violence.
The warning comes two days after the US called on its citizens to avoid travelling to Iraq 'for any reason' as regional tensions continue to increase.
The US state department warned of the risk of missiles, drones and rockets flying over Iraqi airspace and said any American national seeking to depart the country should confirm their plans with their airlines.
Sewage has flooded the streets of Tehran after Israeli missile strikes burst a pipe in the Iranian capital.
Footage shared on social media shows murky, brown water gushing past cars near the neighbourhood of Tajrish in eastern Tehran as the Israeli bombardment entered its third day.
The videos emerged as reports around the same time that multiple car bombs detonated in the Iranian capital.
Credit: X/@nexta_tv
The IDF has said it carried out its longest strike yet on Iran with an attack on a fuel plane around 2,300 kilometres from Israel.
A military spokesman published a photograph purporting to show the strike at Mashhad Airport in eastern Iran, close to the border with neighbouring Turkmenistan.
Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military spokesman for Arab media, said: 'The Air Force is working to achieve air superiority throughout Iran.'
Credit: X/Social Media
The IDF chief of staff has said the purpose of Israel's offensive against Iran was 'removing an existential threat and reinforcing our security'.
Eyal Zamir said during a briefing in the Israeli Air Force underground centre that Israel's offensive operations in Iran were 'reshaping the strategic reality of the State of Israel,' according to Israel National News.
'We are removing an existential threat and reinforcing our security. The IDF, through the Israeli Air Force, has paved the way to Tehran and is striking the regime's infrastructure and nuclear program with precision and scale beyond what the enemy had anticipated,' he added.
Social media footage shows the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Tehran's Tajrish Square.
Smoke billows from a building in the neighbourhood in the north of the capital after a third day of Israeli air strikes.
Credit: X/Social Media
Multiple car bombs have detonated in Tehran after Israeli air strikes pounded the Iranian capital.
Five bombs exploded at various locations, Iran's semi-official IRNA news agency said, with unconfirmed reports they detonated simultaneously near government buildings.
Footage circulating on social media shows thick black smoke rising from a flaming car and the windows blown out of surrounding buildings.
At least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in Israeli air strikes since the conflict began on Friday, including in two car bombs, according to sources in the Gulf.
An Israeli official has denied the country is behind the detonation of the car bombs in Tehran amid accusations its undercover agents planted the devices.
The individual told the Kan public broadcaster Israel was not responsible for the attack, which is believed to have targeted vehicles parked near government buildings, after Iran's semi-official IRNA news agency claimed it was.
Credit: Telegram/ensafnews | Youtube/@MeteoriteFARSi
Coffee shops and small businesses remain closed in Tehran amid the ongoing Israeli missile strike, according to sources on the ground.
The residential areas around Tehran's Mehrabad airport have also been evacuated, with most residents reportedly staying with relatives in safer areas.
Information is difficult to obtain for those within Iran, with the regime imposing a news blackout. Residents gather updates from foreign news agencies and Iranian satellite channels, one individual told The Telegraph.
They said: 'Naturally everyone is shocked and stressed, but no-one seems to be able to publicly protest as each one of us is trying to survive the minute and see what happens next.
'But people are united in their cursing of the regime for this unwanted war and its victims and most blame Khamenei for his sheer madness that has brought so much misery to the people and the country,' they added.
Donald Trump has said it is 'possible' the US will become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict.
The Republican president told ABC News that talks about Iran's nuclear programme were continuing and that Tehran would 'like to make a deal', perhaps now more quickly amid the Israeli missile bombardment.
'It's possible we could get involved' Mr Trump said in an off-camera interview with ABC News.
The president made the comments while stressing that the US is 'not at this moment involved' and adding that he was open to Vladimir Putin acting as a mediator in the conflict.
Mr Trump said of the Russian president's potential involvement: 'He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it.'
Multiple car bombs have reportedly detonated in Tehran, according to reports from Iran's IRNA news agency.
Accounts circulating on social media claim five bombs detonated simultaneously near government buildings.
Unverified footage of the alleged incident shows thick, black smoke rising from a flaming car and the windows blown out of surrounding buildings.
An eyewitness on the ground in Tehran has described the situation as 'absolutely dire and terrifying'.
The individual, who works in a government office, told The Telegraph that certain areas of the city close to military garrisons resemble 'ghost towns' amid Benjamin Netanyahu's renewed offensive on the capital.
They said: 'People are boarding up their windows and stocking food in preparation to stay indoors for many more days to come.
'Those Tehranis who could get enough petrol after waiting at gas stations for four hours have packed up and made it to the northern cities of the province of Mazandaran and its seaside towns.'
They said the main Chalus road connecting Tehran to the Caspian Sea coast was 'bumper to bumper' as residents attempted to flee the capital and the escape the worst of the missile barrage.
Iran has launched a new missile strike against Israel, the IDF warned.
The Israeli army told citizens to take shelter inside bunkers after it detected an incoming attack.
The missile launch was confirmed by Iranian state TV. It is the first daylight rocket barrage fired since the start of the fighting on Friday.
A short while later, the IDF Home Front Command told civilians they no longer needed to remain inside bomb shelters.
At this time, it appears the incoming Iranian missile barrage has been successfully intercepted, with no casualties reported.
Footage has begun to emerge online of the first Israeli interceptions of the latest Iranian missile strike.
Videos circulated on social media show clouds of white smoke in the sky over Israel amid reports around 50 missiles have been launched by Iran.
Sirens have been sounded across Israel amid an incoming Iranian missile strike.
The Israeli Air Force is reportedly operating to intercept the latest barrage and has instructed civilians to take shelter immediately.
Iran's response to Israeli strikes will be 'more decisive and severe' if hostilities continue, Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's president, has warned.
Citing state media, Reuters reports that the president said that Iran's military has so far responded 'strongly and appropriately' to events.
The statement comes as Tehran residents report huge ongoing strikes on the capital by Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran 'will pay a very heavy price for premeditated murder of civilians, women and children' as he visited the site of a missile strike on a residential building in Bat Yam.
'We will achieve our objectives, and we will strike them with overwhelming force,' Israel's prime minister added.
Six people were killed in Bat Yam after an overnight strike hit an eight-storey building, including an eight-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy.
Most of the people killed or injured in Israeli strikes on Iran were civilians, according to Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi, Iran's health minister.
Speaking on state media, Mr Zafarghandi also claimed that the majority of the civilians killed were women and children.
Iranian authorities have not provided an updated death toll as of today, but said that 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded after the first wave of Israeli strikes on Friday
Israel has claimed that more than 170 targets have been attacked in Iran and issued evacuation orders for residents near Iranian military facilities.
Commuters witnessed a plume of smoke rising from an oil refinery in southern Tehran that was hit by an overnight Israeli strike.
Israel's El Al Airlines has cancelled flights to and from a number of European cities, as well as Tokyo and Moscow, reports Reuters.
The airline said on Sunday that all flights have been cancelled up to and including June 17, as Israel's airspace remains closed for a third consecutive day.
'Once approvals are received from the relevant security and aviation authorities, we will do everything possible to allow as many Israelis as possible to return home, gradually resume our regular flight schedule and operate rescue flights from destinations near Israel,' El Al said.
Israeli media reports that tens of thousands of Israelis may be stranded abroad.
The Israel Airport Authority has warned passengers that they can expect to wait for 'days' until a return flight will be possible
The authority added that 'even when the security establishment allows the resumption of flights, the rate of flights will be limited to minimise risks and maintain the safety of passengers and aircrafts.'
Fresh blasts have been heard in the Iranian capital as Israeli attacks continue for a third day, according to the AFP news agency.
An Iranian government spokesperson told state TV that Iranians can seek shelter in metro stations, schools and mosques as of today, as the country hunkers down for more strikes.
On Sunday, Iranian media said that attacks from Israel had targeted Tehran's defence ministry headquarters and a facility affiliated with the ministry in Isfahan, central Iran.
Israel has claimed that it hit over 80 targets in Tehran overnight.
The total death toll is still unclear after the latest Iranian strike hit an apartment block in the coastal town of Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv.
The missile weighing hundreds of kilos hit directly into the residential building which collapsed internally, taking many of the residents with it.The Telegraph spoke to one man waiting for his brother inside the building as search teams battle through the wreck.He could barely speak and did not want to be interviewed but his friend, who asked not to be named to respect the family, said the man in his 40s, a father of two, fell from the 2nd floor apartment.The Israeli military says three are under the rubble and four more are missing, with search and rescue teams working to find the missing before the rest of the building collapses.Ilana Shaked, a local resident, told The Telegraph: 'This is unreal to see, not just painful but hard to comprehend.'Displaced residents were brought to a local school in Bat Yam and given food and drink while they waited for news of their temporary accommodation.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard has released a list of seven more top aerospace commanders it says were killed by Israeli strikes early on Friday.
'We mourn the deaths of seven of our commanders,' the force said in a statement.
On Saturday, the IDF said that its strikes had killed more than 20 Iranian commanders.
The streets of Bat Yam in central Israel were strewn with dust and glass after the worst night of Iranian bombing since Friday.Aynom Kehasi, 39, was in his home between blasts when he was injured by shattering glass.
His home is just 300m from the building worst hit in the strike, which has damaged 61 buildings within eight to nine streets, according to rescue teams.'All the windows broke in our apartment,' he told the Telegraph on Sunday morning at the site where crowds anxiously waited for news of the seven or eight more people missing inside the wrecked building.'The glass flew in my eyes, my skin, I had to go to hospital to have shards removed from my eye,' he said, with stitches in his shoulder and hand.The father of two who works as a decorator said: 'It was extremely scary but we know there is still more to come. It's not over yet. But I was very lucky.'
The UK has warned against all travel to Israel amid the escalating conflict with Iran.
The Foreign Office has placed Israel on 'red' alert - the same level as Iran - as airspace over both countries remains closed.
On Friday, the Foreign Office updated advice to warn against 'all but essential travel' to much of Israel.
Areas around Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights were already red zones - as shown in the map below.
Iran's Shahran oil depot in Tehran is still in operation after it was targeted by Israel in an overnight attack, said Iran's oil ministry.
The oil depot was seen being engulfed by flames after the strike.
The ministry said that fuel production and distribution continued after the strike caused a huge fire to break out.
Per Reuters, Iran's oil ministry said that 'the fuel volume in the targeted tank was not high, and the situation is fully under control'.
Credit: Reuters
Early on Sunday morning, flames were pictured rising from an oil storage facility struck by an Israeli missile in Iran's capital, Tehran.
Iran says it has arrested two individuals accused of being members of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, according to Reuters, which cites the semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency.
Iran claims that the two suspects were detained in Alborz province while they were preparing explosives and electronic devices.
Iranian authorities were also reported to have arrested five individuals in the central city of Yazd on Saturday on suspicion of spying for Israel and collaborating with its intelligence services.
Strikes on one of Iran's key nuclear facilities on June 12 and June 13 are said to have inflicted 'extremely effective' but not yet 'fatal' damage, according to new analysis from the Institute for the Study of War.
The report from Saturday night cites US and senior Israeli officials and refers to the Natanz Nuclear Facility, Iran's primary enrichment facility.
Natanz is where Iran has produced a vast majority of its nuclear fuel. Much of it is underground and as such not vulnerable to attacks.
Satellite images analysed by the Institute show damage to buildings in the north-west and north-east corners of the facility.
Two US officials told CNN on Saturday that electrical infrastructure was destroyed by strikes at Natanz, and that electricity was knocked out on the lower levels where the centrifuges used to enrich uranium are stored.
A senior Israeli official has claimed that the strikes inflicted significant damage to the air defence systems at Natanz as well as the site itself.
Pipelines and transmission lines between facilities in the Bazan oil refinery complex in the northern Israeli city of Haifa were damaged during last night's missile attack from Iran.
Refining activities continue, but some downstream operations have been shut down, the company reported to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Haifa was the target of a barrage of Iranian missiles on Saturday evening.
The northern coastal city is home to a major naval base, oil refineries and numerous chemical plants, and has as such been treated as a strategic target by Iran.
There were no injuries or casualties as a result of the attack on the Bazan oil refinery.
Credit: X/@Charles_Lister
Rachel Reeves has said that the UK could 'potentially' support Israel in its conflict with Iran.
Talking to Sky News, the Chancellor said: 'I'm not going to rule anything out at this stage... it's a fast moving situation, a very volatile situation.'
She emphasised that the UK has so far not been involved, but said: 'We're sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.'
Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the UK, said that Benjamin Netanyahu is not looking for 'regime change' in Iran and insisted that Israeli attacks on Iran would bring about peace in Gaza.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Hotovely said the purpose of Israeli attacks on Tehran was to 'destroy the ballistic missiles programme' and prevent Iranian support for Islamist groups in Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon.
'Our Prime Minister was very clear: we were not aiming for regime change,' she said.
'This is not the aim of this military operation. We are clear about harming and damaging in a way that will create a total rollback to Iran's nuclear program. This is our aim, and we are also aiming to destroy the ballistic missiles programme.'
She added: 'I believe that it gives better opportunity to get a ceasefire in Gaza, because once the patron of Hamas…this vicious plan to invade Israel and to barbarically kill our people, through Hezbollah, through the Houthis and through Hamas…this will stop once Iran won't have the capabilities and ability to sponsor terrorism all around the world and around Israel.'
Iran's attacks on Israel will end when it ends its military 'aggression', said Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, in a broadcast on state TV.
'We are defending ourselves; our defence is entirely legitimate,' Mr Araghchi claimed. 'If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will stop.'
The foreign minister also said on Sunday that Israel has 'crossed a new red line' by targeting Iran's nuclear sites and called strikes on the offshore South Pars gas field Iran shares with Qatar 'a blatant aggression and a very dangerous act'.
'Dragging the conflict to the Persian Gulf is a strategic mistake, and its aim is to drag the war beyond Iranian territory,' he added.
Donald Trump said the US had 'nothing to do' with the attack on Iran overnight.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president wrote: 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.'
Mr Trump reiterated his desire to strike a deal, writing 'we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!'
Israeli first responders conducted search and rescue missions overnight at the sites of missile strikes in central Israel.
In a broadcast on state TV, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said that Iran has 'solid proof' that US forces supported Israel in its attacks, according to AFP.
The foreign minister added that Iran does not want the conflict with Israel to expand, but that Tehran will defend itself if forced to.
Mr Araghchi said that the US needs to condemn Israel's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming that Israel is trying to sabotage talks between Iran and the US, which he says could have led to an agreement.
The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning to Iranian civilians residing near military facilities after a wave of Israeli strikes on military targets.
'For your safety, we ask that you evacuate immediately and refrain from returning until further notice. Proximity to these facilities puts your life at risk,' Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the IDF, wrote on X.
The warning includes all military weapons production factories and their support institutions.
Mr Adraee has in the past signaled other strikes in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen.
On Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iranians in a video address that Israel will 'strike every site and every target of the Ayatollah's regime'.
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- Forbes
Israel's Strategy Against Iran: Will It Succeed?
As the Israel-Iran confrontation extends day after day, while officials claim it could last weeks, it's useful to take a dispassionate look at the goals and likely outcomes. Readers will recall that this columnist covered a comparable events on site in Israel a year or so ago. This after decades of covering the wider region for Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal. So, peering through the fog of war let us find areas of clarity where possible. This latest round of the conflict began with precision strikes by Israel successfully targeting top members of the Iranian regime's military and nuclear leadership. One should pause there a moment and put that in context. Russia and Iran ratified a security treaty in April which, inter alia, included Russian anti-aircraft defenses. Did they not function? What happened to their efficacy? If such a strategic treaty means anything it means at least defending the regime, if not the country. Russia doesn't want regime change in Iran - certainly not a Western-style democracy hostile to Moscow. There will undoubtedly be leaders in Tehran wondering about the value of the Russian alliance, its weapons and guarantees. Or indeed there will be suspicions of Russian perfidy - as happened over Syria. In the first days, Israel limited its attacks to military and nuclear affiliated leaders and sites. Moscow wouldn't (in private) necessarily mind that scenario - it would rather have a non-nuclear Iran on its southern borders anyway or at least one dependent on Russian nuclear installations. Plus Moscow would doubtless welcome the spike in oil prices that a regional conflict spurs - which indeed is happening now. The problem is that the momentum of events is turning into a test of the regime's legitimacy - that is to say, threatening the regime's power. The success of Israel's initial attacks meant Tehran had to respond. And not just as a piece of theatrical son et lumiere as happened last time when Israel got off virtually unscathed. But as Tehran fired back repeatedly and began to get through sporadically, Israel has widened the range of targets. Attacks on energy installations will certainly spike the price of oil. But damaging the regime's oil revenues, blacking out Tehran's electricity grid, and causing civilian disorder definitely weakens the government's grip on power. These latest additional targets, combined with the rising civilian casualties in Israel, constitute an escalation where both sides are striving to alienate the opposing side's public from its leadership. There is some media talk that Israel asked President Trump for permission to take out Supreme Leader Khamenei and Trump refused. This sounds implausible in its literal form. Did they ask permission before launching the attacks in the first place? And taking out other top leaders? If not, then why consult the US about Khamenei? No, it's more likely to be a form of subtle or not-so-subtle messaging - Trump kept Khamenei alive this time. In return, nuclear concessions should be forthcoming otherwise the US might not be able to restrain the Israelis next time. This exact strategy, scaled up, is likely the core calculation of Israel's strategy for the full-scale renewal of hostilities. Why suddenly attack a number of nuclear installations if you can't take them all out in a first strike or after several strikes? Iran has nuclear plants buried deep inside mountains, inaccessible to air strikes and others that would, if flattened, contaminate large areas of the Persian Gulf. Including Arab states potentially friendly to the US and Israel. Short of a ground attack with US troops included, these parts of Iran's nuclear network are to some degree invulnerable. So why then launch the attacks in the first place? The answer lies in the Khamenei protocol above. Remember that top nuclear and military personnel were also neutralized in the first strikes. In other words, because the installations cannot all be destroyed, those responsible for them can and will be. In short, this is a kind of anti-personnel war disguised as a strategic anti-infrastructure campaign. Israel has repeatedly shown that it can knock out vital component parts of hostile leadership from Hezbollah to Iran. That is the nature of this latest Israeli casus belli too. Nuclear and military officials will either negotiate away Iran's nuclear threat or they themselves will pay. The principle applies equally to Khamenei himself. Time will tell if the regime leaders react as desired. Thus far, it seems not. Iran's counterstrikes at Israel and the widening of the domestic damage in each country suggests that a much longer attritional struggle to induce regime change by each side is on the cards.


Washington Post
24 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Nuclear agency head warns of radiological and chemical contamination inside Iran's main nuclear site
VIENNA — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday that there is a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination within Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz following Israeli strikes, although radiation levels outside the complex are presently normal. IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said that the radiation poses a significant danger if uranium is inhaled or ingested. He added that the risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory protection devices while inside the facilities. 'The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event,' Grossi said. Grossi was addressing an urgent session of the U.N. nuclear watchdog board in Vienna that was convened at the request of Russia to discuss Israeli attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities. He said there apparently was no additional damage at Natanz and the Isfahan nuclear research site since Saturday. He said that the main concern inside the Natanz facility is the chemical toxicity of a gas called uranium hexafluoride, which is the result of fluorine mixed with the uranium during enrichment. It is extremely volatile, will quickly corrode, can burn the skin and is especially deadly if inhaled, experts say. 'Amid theses challenging and complex circumstances, it is crucial that the IAEA receives timely and regular technical information about the facilities and their respective sites,' Grossi said. Without information, the U.N. nuclear watchdog 'cannot accurately assess the radiological conditions and potential impacts on the population and the environment and cannot provide the necessary assistance.' Grossi said that U.N. inspectors will remain present in Iran and inspect the nuclear facilities 'as soon as safety conditions allow.' He warned that 'military escalation threatens lives, increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.' Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show extensive damage at Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The images captured Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility. Grossi told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to be hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said. Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The IAEA said four critical buildings were damaged, including an uranium-conversion facility, but there was no sign of increased radiation at Natanz or Isfahan. Grossi on Monday also told the IAEA board of governors that no damage has been seen at the site of the Fordo enrichment site, which is buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries. Fordo appears designed to withstand airstrikes . Grossi also said that the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran's only commercial nuclear power plant, has not been targeted nor affected by the recent attacks and neither has the Tehran Research Reactor. Any country on the 35-member board of the IAEA can call a meeting under its rules. The IAEA board last week found Iran in non-compliance with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 year. —- The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation . The AP is solely responsible for all content. —- Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape:
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Could Iran Carry Out Its Threat To Shut Down The Strait Of Hormuz?
The threat of Iran attempting to blockade the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz has re-emerged amid the conflict that has now erupted between it and Israel. Over the years, the Iranians have amassed an arsenal of cruise and ballistic missiles, and kamikaze drones, as well as a slew of maritime capabilities like naval mines, well-suited to the task of shutting down the narrow waterway that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. At the same time, there are questions about the extent to which Israeli strikes may have hampered Iran's ability to follow through on such a threat, or even whether the regime in Tehran would want to take such a drastic step that would have global ramifications. Readers can first get up to speed on the state of the current Israel-Iran conflict, which increasingly includes the targeting of energy infrastructure, in our reporting here. Esmail Kosari (also sometimes written Esmaeil Kousari or Esmaeil Kowsari), currently a member of Iran's parliament and head of the parliamentary committee on defense and national security, has said that closing the Strait of Hormuz is now under serious consideration, according to multiple reports today. The original source of the remarks from Kosari, who also holds the rank of brigadier general in Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), appears to be a story from the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN). 'The Strait of Hormuz remains open and commercial traffic continues to flow uninterrupted,' according to an advisory notice yesterday from the Joint Maritime Information Center of the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office. 'Currently, the JMIC has no indications of an increased threat to the Maritime.' This followed earlier advisories from the UKMTO JMIC regarding tensions in the region after Israel began launching strikes on Iran Thursday. UKMTO MSCIO JMIC – ADVISORY 021-25https:// #marsec — UKMTO Ops Centre (@UK_MTO) June 11, 2025 'At the time of this writing, no impact to shipping has been reported' in the region, Ambrey, an international maritime security firm, said in a separate Threat Circular put out after Israel began its latest campaign against Iran. The Strait of Hormuz 'remains open and there are no indications of an increased threat to the Maritime Environment,' Nils Haupt, a spokesman for the Hapag-Lloyd shipping company, told TWZ directly. 'At the moment, we do not see an urge to divert any vessels. But of course: we continue to monitor the situation on an hourly basis.' Haupt also noted his company currently has no ships in either Iranian or Israeli waters. Iran has repeatedly threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which is just around 20 nautical miles across at its narrowest point, in times of heightened tensions in the past. How narrow the waterway is means that a significant portion of it falls within Iran's national waters, which also overlap with those of Oman to the south. Normal maritime traffic flows in and out through a pair of established two-mile-wide shipping lanes. Roughly a fifth of all global oil shipments, and an even higher percentage of seaborne shipments, pass through the Strait each year. It is also an important route for the movement of liquid natural gas. Some 3,000 ships use it to get to and from the Persian Gulf each month. Closing the Strait of Hormuz would have immediate and potentially dramatic impacts on the global price of oil, which, in turn, could cause significant worldwide economic disruptions. Oil prices had already jumped after Israel launched its new campaign against Iran, which has now expanded to include Iranian energy targets. Naval mines have historically been one of the most immediate options Iran has for trying to bring maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to a halt. Those mines could be seeded relatively rapidly by a wide array of vessels, including the IRGC's extensive fleet of small fast attack boats. The Iranian Navy's separate fleets, including its midget submarines, could easily play a role in mine laying, too. Certain commercial vessels, especially those with onboard cranes, might also be able to assist. Finding and clearing naval mines is an arduous process that presents significant risks even in otherwise benign environments. If Iran is truly serious about shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, an array of other threats would be layered on top to hamper the minesweeping efforts and otherwise block maritime traffic. For one, IRGC and Iranian Navy vessels could also just directly attack or otherwise harass foreign warships and commercial vessels alike. Iran has also shown an ability and willingness to use teams riding in small boats to directly plant limpet mines on the hulls of civilian ships, as well as board and seize them, in the past. Many of Iran's naval vessels, including various types of smaller fast attack craft, are armed with anti-ship cruise missiles. It has surface warships, semi-submersibles, and the aforementioned midget submarines that can launch attacks using torpedoes, anti-tank guided missiles, unguided artillery rockets, and other weapons, as well. Furthermore, Iranian maritime forces actively train to employ swarming tactics to help overwhelm any enemy defenses. In recent years, Iran has also fielded a number of cargo ships converted into 'motherships' for launching cruise and ballistic missiles and drones, as well as what it claims to be a 'drone carrier.' TWZ has explored the potential capabilities of these ships in the past, but the actual roles they might play in a stand-up confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz seem limited. Especially in this constrained environment, they would present large and easy-to-find targets for opponents to attack. Iran's IRGC published a video today of launching a ballistic missile from their forward base Shahid Mahdavi (converted container ship). — Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) February 13, 2024 2. Second video shows the takeoff & landing of Ababil-3 drone on the IRGCN drone carrier named Shahid Bahman Bagheri. — Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) February 6, 2025 Iran has also been steadily developing uncrewed surface vessels and undersea vehicles capable of launching kamikaze attacks to its arsenal. Though the ongoing war in Ukraine has now fully demonstrated the very real threats these capabilities present to ships and coastal targets, and even aerial threats, Iran, together with its Houthi allies in Yemen, has now long been a pioneer in this space. Shore-launched anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as kamikaze drones, are another key component of the threats Iran could bring to bear in the Strait of Hormuz. This is only compounded by the narrowness of the waterway, which offers very limited room to maneuver, especially for large ships in the face of high-volume saturation attacks. The prospect of Iran turning the Strait into a super missile and drone engagement zone is a particularly worrisome scenario that TWZ has regularly called attention to in the past. Israel's strikes on Iran since Thursday do raise questions about the extent to which Iran could follow through on any threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. In addition to starting nuclear facilities, a particularly major focus of Israeli operations so far has been hobbling Iranian ballistic missile capabilities. A satellite image from Planet Labs taken on June 12 had also raised the possibility of Israel targeting IRGC naval assets at a base on the Persian Gulf, but this remains very much unconfirmed. This is not a location the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has so far included in its otherwise expansive claims of targets struck across Iran. Iran's 'drone carrier' Shahid Bagheri and Shahid Mahdavi mothership vessel have also been observed leaving their homeport in Bandar Abbas, where they would be very vulnerable to strikes. Planet imagery acquired 0725Z 13JUN2025 suggests the IRGCN naval base west of Bostanoo was likely targeted during Israel's airstrikes. — War Report (@WarReportage) June 13, 2025 Bandar Abbas After the initial attack overnight, there has been some movement at the naval baseAt first look both drone motherships ( IRGC Shahid Bagheri & IRIS Shahid Mahdavi) appeared to have left After taking a closer look, they just moved ~6 km to the west. Both… — MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) June 13, 2025 From nuclear sites to air defense systems, we've dismantled some of Iran's most dangerous military a breakdown of the key targets struck across Iran: — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 14, 2025 At the same, as TWZ has already noted in our reporting on the current Iran-Israel conflict, Iran has a significant ability to disperse its ballistic and cruise missiles. This, in turn, makes them immensely more difficult to track and attack preemptively, and creates additional uncertainty around where threats may suddenly emerge. In addition, as mentioned earlier, the process of clearing naval mines, especially while under attack from other threats, is generally slow-going and dangerous. The U.S. Navy and others have been working to mitigate those risks, including through the increasing use of uncrewed surface and undersea platforms. Still, depending on how many mines Iran is able to lay, an operation to conclusively remove them could take a long time, potentially weeks or even months. It is worth noting here that the campaign by Yemen's Houthis against commercial shipping and foreign warships in and around the Red Sea since October 2023 has now proven out many of the exact capabilities and tactics that Iran could employ in the Strait of Hormuz. The Yemeni militants have also demonstrated how relatively limited threats to civilian vessels can have outsized impacts, even in the face of active foreign intervention. Despite U.S. and foreign forces patrolling the waters around the Red Sea and directly engaging Houthi targets ashore, commercial maritime traffic through that region had largely collapsed last year. Ships were forced to avoid the Suez Canal for a far longer route around the Horn of Africa, creating nearly $200 billion in new costs for the maritime shipping industry collectively. The situation has begun to improve somewhat as Houthi attacks have declined, particularly following a ceasefire deal between the United States and the Yemeni militants in May. However, there are fears that the trend will now reverse again given the current geopolitical climate. Iran has already separately threatened to target U.S. and other foreign forces in the Middle East if they help defend Israel from its missile and drone attacks. The Iranians could seek to launch similar attacks on third parties in response to any efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. According to Reuters, Iran has warned the United States, United Kingdom and France that their bases and ships in the region will be targeted if they assist in the defense of Israel against ballistic missiles launched by Tehran. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 14, 2025 All this being said, the Red Sea can still be bypassed, but there is no other outlet for commercial shipping from the Persian Gulf than the Strait of Hormuz. As such, Iran even attempting to blockade the waterway would present far further reaching regional and global implications that would draw responses on various levels from foreign powers around the world. In particular, Gulf Arab states, already historically at odds with Iran and aligned with the United States, would be pressured to act, or at least support some kind of intervention, given the impacts to their heavily oil and natural gas-dependent economies. Those countries could look to move oil and natural gas elsewhere across the Arabian Peninsula for export, but not being able to leverage established facilities on the Persian Gulf would still have consequences. Iran has an acute awareness of the risks involved given its experience during the Tanker War sideshow to the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, which prompted a major reaction from the U.S. military. The potential for a repeat of the Tanker War has since been an important factor in U.S. force posture and contingency response planning in the Middle East. More recently, the U.S. military has taken steps to try to build a broader international coalition presence to help ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains free and open. From what has been seen so far, Iran has been looking to deter the U.S. military, especially, from taking an active offensive role alongside Israel in the current conflict. It is hard to see how any attempt to block maritime traffic in the region would not have the exact opposite effect. Closing the Strait of Hormuz would run the additional risk of alienating Iran's foreign partners, especially China, which imports significant amounts of Iranian and other Middle East oil. 'China does not want the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf to be disrupted in any way, and China does not want the price of oil to rise,' Ellen Wald, president of Transversal Consulting, told CNBC for a story published yesterday. 'So they're going to bring the full weight of their economic power to bear on Iran.' The revenue from oil and natural gas shipments is vital to Iran itself, and could be even more so in the aftermath of the current conflict. Disruptions to seaborne commerce would have other impacts for the regime in Tehran. In recent months, reports had notably said that Iran had been stepping up imports of chemicals from China that can be used to produce fuel for its missiles. The Iranian armed forces also import other kinds of military hardware from China, as well as Russia. 'Their friends will suffer more than their enemies … So it's very hard to see that happening,' Anas Alhajji, a managing partner at Energy Outlook Advisors, also told CBNC. 'It's not in their interest to cause problems because they will suffer first.' Whether or not Iran might become less inured to the risks of touching off new regional and global crises with enemies and allies as Israel's campaign of strikes continues remains to be seen. The regime in Tehran could feel pressured to take drastic measures, in general, if it perceives its existence as being at risk. If the order were to be given in Tehran, mining and other measures could be implemented quickly, at least to a degree that could be highly disruptive, even if U.S. and other forces react with similar speed. Even if the Strait is not fully shut down, impacts would be felt. U.S. or other foreign forces would face challenges restoring confidence that the passage is safe, especially with the effort that would be required to hunt down mobile missile launchers ashore. Any operations in response to Iranian movements at sea or on land would be conducted in a hostile air and maritime environment, including the anti-ship missile super engagement zone described earlier, and which would extend beyond the immediate confines of the Strait. Supporting tasks like the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses and intelligence-gathering would be critical. In turn, a major force package would have to be put together and immense resources expended. 'The response from Iran, its proxies and allies is unknown and any effect on the maritime environment is not predictable,' the UKMTO JMIC cautioned in its advisory notice yesterday. 'Given the proximity of regional flashpoints to major maritime routes and chokepoints, the potential for rapid escalation involving the maritime environment should not be discounted. The threat from the Houthis, who have publicly stated their intent to respond if the U.S. is perceived to be involved, increases the threat of a broader regional impact.' Altogether, there are significant questions about Iran's capacity to blockade the Strait of Hormuz and its overall willingness to do so, but it remains a worrisome potentiality that would send out ripples globally. Contact the author: howard@