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Live coverage: Iran launches fresh wave of attacks on Israel, says revenge has started

Live coverage: Iran launches fresh wave of attacks on Israel, says revenge has started

Khaleej Times14 hours ago

June 13, 2025, 1:43 PM
Iran's nuclear programme
Before the Israeli strikes, Washington and Tehran engaged in multiple rounds of negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, driven by growing international alarm over its accelerated development.
This concern has deepened in recent years, particularly after the 2018 collapse of a landmark nuclear agreement. That deal — designed to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief — began to unravel when the US unilaterally withdrew.
Since then, Iran has significantly expanded its nuclear efforts. As of mid-May, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile had reached approximately 9,247.6kg — over 45 times the limit established by the 2015 accord.
Of particular concern is the estimated 408.6kg of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent purity — dangerously close to the 90 perc ent threshold required for a nuclear weapon.
Based on IAEA definitions, Iran now possesses enough near-weapons-grade material to potentially produce around 10 nuclear bombs if further refined.
Click this link for a full list of Iran's nuclear key sites.

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Israel: Euphoria gives way to fear after Iranian missiles rain down on Tel Aviv
Israel: Euphoria gives way to fear after Iranian missiles rain down on Tel Aviv

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  • Middle East Eye

Israel: Euphoria gives way to fear after Iranian missiles rain down on Tel Aviv

Israelis said the initial euphoria over the shock attacks on Iran has given way to fear, after Iranian missiles slammed into central Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel, causing widespread destruction and killing at least three people. Bright orange flashes illuminated the sky over Tel Aviv early on Saturday as Israeli air defence systems appeared to down some of the incoming missiles. Still, fires and plumes of smoke could be seen in several areas of Tel Aviv, while explosions were also reported in Jerusalem. Images and videos verified by Middle East Eye showed apartment blocks in Tel Aviv's suburbs and the nearby city of Ramat Gan almost completely destroyed and the wreckage of several vehicles among the debris. Emergency services reported early on Saturday that at least three people were killed across Israel and more than 40 were injured. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters More than 200 Israelis are reported to have been wounded since Friday. "The night was very scary," Meron Rappaport, a Tel Aviv resident, told MEE. "There was complete euphoria over how we eliminated the Iranian leadership... but it's clear to me that after a night like last night, people are in shock. "There's no one on the street. And if it continues like this, I don't see anyone going to work." The aftermath of a damaged residential building after a ballistic missile strike in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on 14 June 2025 (MEE/Faiz Abu Rmeleh) Early on Friday, Israel launched a flurry of attacks on sites across Iran, including its nuclear facilities, and killed several commanders in their residences - among them the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Pushing the region into a new conflict with uncertain consequences, Israel continued its attacks across Iran for much of Friday, resulting in Iran firing hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel, in what the Islamic Republic called the beginning of its "crushing response". Following the strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel's deadly attacks would "bring it to ruin". "The armed forces of the Islamic Republic will inflict heavy blows upon this malevolent enemy," Khamenei said in a televised speech. Whether with a green light or grudging acceptance, Trump enters war with Iran Read More » Orly Yafa-Niger, a 67-year-old Israeli living in central Israel, told MEE that after initially supporting the strikes against Iran, reality quickly hit home that Israel was vulnerable and that Israelis, just like Iranians, could also be targeted. "The attack surprised me," Yafa-Niger said. "We were sitting in a dorm when we heard a loud boom, and we began to wonder what it was and what it hit. "Then we realised that it hit a building, destroyed homes. We realised that it's happening here and it's real and close. Suddenly, you accept that what's happening in Iran can happen here, too." She added that the warning sirens, which sent millions of people rushing for safe rooms and bomb shelters, had triggered palpable fear among every Israeli. "Our reality has changed," she said. "There are alarms and notifications, alerts to raise awareness that something is about to happen, which increases stress and uncertainty over what is going to happen. This raises anxiety." 'Disturbed fantasy' Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that "Tehran will burn" if the Islamic Republic continued responding to Israeli attacks by firing missiles at Israel. "If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said. 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"That's why there was something so substantial about the sight of the bombed-out buildings in Ramat Gan," he said. "They are so similar to the images we're used to seeing from Gaza. Those sooty grey skeletons of buildings, that billowing cloud of dust, that carpet of ash and rubble covering the street, those images of children's dolls in the hands of rescue teams. "The scale is, of course, completely different, but these images are nevertheless a momentary rupture of this disturbed fantasy that we are immune to everything," he added. Israeli forces plant national flags on cars damaged by Iranian air strikes on Tel Aviv, 14 June 2025 (MEE/Faiz Abu Rmeleh) In a televised address on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue attacking Iran for "as long as necessary" and also urged Iranians to rise up against their leaders. 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No US-Iran nuclear talks in Muscat on Sunday, says Oman

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The National

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Europe's cautious diplomacy is being tested by the Israel-Iran conflict as it seeks de-escalation with allies in the Middle East, while acknowledging the threats of Iran's nuclear programme. The past two days have seen a flurry of calls between European and Gulf leaders and diplomats, as the possibility of all-out war leaves countries with 'difficult calculations" to make. The rapidly escalating conflict is likely to be at the top of the agenda of the annual G7 summit that opens in Canada on Sunday, alongside US tariffs and the war in Ukraine. Before flying out to Canada, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. The pair discussed the 'gravely concerning situation' and agreed on the need to de-escalate," Downing Street said. 'The Prime Minister updated on his conversations with partners so far and reiterated that the UK is poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution," the statement said. This followed a call between Mr Starmer and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu in the immediate aftermath of the strikes on Friday. Yet Mr Starmer, alongside French and German leaders, has also spoken about the 'great concerns' he has over Iran's nuclear programme and the threat it poses to Israel. 'It's obvious that for a long time we've had great concerns about the Iranian nuclear programme,' he told Bloomberg on Friday. 'I do recognise Israel's right to self defence, but I'm very concerned.' French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian premier Giorgia Meloni also spoke with the Saudi Crown Prince before making their way to the summit. 'The two sides … affirmed the need to exert all possible efforts for de-escalation, restraint, and resolving all disputes through diplomatic means,' the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement about the call with Mr Macron. Mr Macron and Ms Meloni also held separate conversations with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed. "They underscored the need for maximum restraint and for intensifying efforts to de-escalate tensions and resolve disputes through diplomatic means that preserve the region's security and stability,' Wam reported on Saturday. European countries are seeking to deter Iran from its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, without being dragged into war. The UK and France were involved in the last exchanges between Iran and Israel, when their air forces shot down drones fired by Iran in April 2024, and to a more limited extent in October 2024, during a ballistic missile attack by Tehran. 'Everybody at the moment is trying to stay out of this,' said Sir John Jenkins, a former UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. 'It's an incredibly difficult calculation'. Saudi Arabia normalised relations with Iran in 2023, after decades of hostility. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE condemned Israel's strikes on Friday, but Iran's nuclear ambitions and its ballistic missiles programme have long cast a shadow over the region. Iran's neighbouring countries take an alternative view of progress and are pursuing the long term visions of diversifying their economies and attracting foreign investment, Mr Jenkins said. The diplomatic track pursued by Saudi Arabia had succeeded for a time in keeping US support for the Israeli campaign at bay. 'The Saudis played this cleverly by distancing themselves from the Israeli position,' he said. US President Donald Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where the US agreed to set up major AI data processing centres, was an 'indication of where (both countries) want to be in the future'. 'People aren't going to invest in what look like war zones," he said. But the extent to which Iran's neighbours and Europe can stay out of the war will depend on developments in the coming days. "Everybody is going to try to minimise their own exposure to the impact of the current conflict. But whether they're going to be successful depends on how this now plays out," Mr Jenkins said.

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