Israel-Iran live: Trump reveals timeline on Iran attack decision as strikes continue overnight
Donald Trump has responded to reports he approved attack plans on Iran but is holding back on the final order. Meanwhile, back-and-forth strikes continued overnight between Israel and Tehran. Listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
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STV News
16 minutes ago
- STV News
UK and EU to hold talks with Iran in efforts to de-escalate conflict
The foreign secretary David Lammy will travel to Geneva on Friday to meet with the Iranian foreign minister and his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU, in an effort to reach a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Iran conflict. The meeting with Abbas Araghchi comes after US Donald Trump said he would make a decision on US military action in Tehran 'within the next two weeks'. It also follows Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'. Lammy is expected to reiterate the UK's concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, and to press for a diplomatic solution to resolve the issue long term. In a statement ahead of the meeting, he said: 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy will travel to Geneva on Friday for talks with his Iranian counterpart. / Credit: PA Adding that a 'window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution', Lammy said: 'Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.' The Israeli military also released video on Friday that it said showed strikes on air defence systems and missiles launchers in Iran. The army said in a statement that the air force struck 'three ready-to-launch missile launchers aimed at Israeli territory.' In a second statement, the military added that the air force destroyed 'Iranian missile systems and radar installations in the areas of Isfahan and Tehran, which were intended to target IDF aircraft and disrupt their operations.' Israeli airstrikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. / Credit: AP The Israeli military had warned the public to flee the area around Rasht's Industrial City, southwest of the city's downtown. However, with Iran's internet shut off for a second day, it's unclear how many people could see the message. In Israel, the paramedic service Magen David Adom said missiles struck a residential area in southern Israel, causing damage to buildings, including one six-storey building. They have provided medical treatment to five people with minor injuries such as bruises, smoke inhalation, and anxiety, it said. This comes a day after at least 80 patients and medical workers were wounded in a strike on the Soroka Medical Centre, in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had urged the US to step back from military action, saying there was a 'real risk of escalation'. It is unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Trump decides to act militarily. If you are a UK citizen currently in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories, let the Foreign Office know here. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
David Lammy arrives in Geneva to meet Iran's foreign minister for peace push
David Lammy has arrived in Geneva for talks with the Iranian foreign minister and European allies as the UK presses for a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Iran conflict. The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before US President Donald Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'. The Foreign Secretary said: 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.' Adding that a 'window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution', Mr Lammy said: 'Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no-one.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Friday morning the White House had provided a 'very clear timescale now' for the UK and its allies as they push for de-escalation in the Middle East. She also told Times Radio: 'There is this two-week window where the US is offering diplomatic talks. And my counterpart, David Lammy, is over in Geneva today with leading European figures meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. 'We appreciate the seriousness of the situation, but we are hopeful that we will be able to achieve de-escalation and a diplomatic solution. And all of our efforts continue towards that end.' Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Meanwhile, two Labour backbenchers pushed for a 'fresh, tough approach' to Tehran. Jon Pearce and Mike Tapp, chairman and vice-chairman respectively of Labour Friends of Israel, said the UK urgently needed 'a multifaceted diplomatic, economic and national security plan to guard against the Iranian threat and force the regime to change course'. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the pair called for tighter sanctions on Iran, the proscription of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps and a 'comprehensive diplomatic solution' that 'eliminates once and for all' Iran's nuclear threat.
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia says Middle East is plunging into 'abyss'
ST PETERSBURG, Russia, June 20 (Reuters) - The Kremlin warned on Friday that the Middle East was plunging into "an abyss of instability and war" and said Moscow was worried by events and still stood ready to mediate. Russia, which has warm ties with Iran and also maintains close links to Israel, has urged the U.S. not to strike Iran and has called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis around Tehran's nuclear programme to be found. Asked on Friday if Russia had any red lines when it came to the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that countries in the region were the ones who should have their own red lines. "The region is plunging into an abyss of instability and war," Peskov said. "This war is fraught with (the risk of) geographic expansion and unpredictable consequences. This region is at our borders. It's potentially dangerous for us and we are concerned." Although Russia does not border any country in the Middle East its southern North Caucasus region borders a belt of former Soviet republics which in turn border Iran and Turkey. Peskov said that Moscow observed for now that Israel wanted to continue its military action against Iran, but said Russia has lines of communication open with Israel, the U.S. and Iran. Peskov said it was hard to predict whether an offer by Putin to mediate in the crisis would be taken up or not, but said that Moscow favoured an end to hostilities and a move to diplomacy as soon as possible. Russian nuclear energy chief Alexei Likhachev said the situation at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, where hundreds of Russian specialists work, was "normal" and under control. The Israeli military said at one point on Thursday that it had struck the Russian-built Bushehr facility, but later said the comment had been made by mistake. Likhachev, head of the state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, said on Thursday that any attack on the plant could cause a Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster. On Friday he told reporters in St Petersburg: " much hope that all our signals from yesterday reached the Israeli leadership." Likhachev said Russia has just over 300 staff at Bushehr and a total presence of about 500 people, including family members.
