Tasnim, Iran’s semi-official news agency, reports that security forces have discovered a secret drone-manufacturing site in Shahr-e Ray, located south of Tehran.
The agency said on X that homemade bombs and more than 200kg of explosives had been found in the three floor building, claiming the space had been used by Israeli agents to assemble and store drones.
The Israeli military said early on Monday that it was striking surface-to-surface missile sites in Iran.
The development marks the latest move in three days of escalating conflict between the rival states.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Nadav Shoshani wrote on X:
The IDF is currently striking surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran. We are operating against this threat in our skies and in Iranian skies.
Donald Trump has said he is hopeful for a ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel, but that countries sometimes “have to fight it out” first, Reuters reports.
Talking to reporters as he left for the G7 summit in Canada, the president said that the US would continue to support Israel in its defence.
He added that he did not want to say whether he had asked the country to pause strikes on Iran.
He had previously said on Truth Social that there were many calls and meetings happening between the two countries, claiming that there would be peace “soon”.
Iran not open to ceasefire negotiations while still under Israeli attack
Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conflict, said Iran has made “clear that it will not negotiate while under attack.”
They 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.
The official told Reuters that media reports stating Iran appealed to Oman and Qatar to engage the US to broker a ceasefire and renew nuclear talks were inaccurate.
Iran’s foreign ministry did not respond to the agency’s request for comment, nor did Qatar’s foreign ministry or Oman’s ministry of information.
Oman has in recent months mediated nuclear talks between the US and Iran, though the most recent round was canceled a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran.
Qatar has also played a role facilitating talks between the two foes in the past, most recently mediating a prisoner swap agreement in 2023.
Oman and Qatar have good relations with both Iran and the US and they also have communicated directly with Israel.
The Swiss embassy in Iran said on Sunday it will remain temporarily closed until further notice due to the ongoing conflict in the region.
The announcement was made through the embassy’s X account. It added that new information would be communicated in due course.
Switzerland’s embassy in Tehran represents US interests in Iran, Reuters reports.
Switzerland, which maintains a policy of neutrality, has held that mandate since the fallout from Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.
The embassy provides consular services to US citizens living in or travelling to Iran.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has claimed several civilians have been injured after a strike from Israel hit one of the buildings of Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs.
In a tweet on X, the deputy foreign minister described the move as a “deliberate and ruthless strike” by Israel.
He said a number of his colleagues had been taken to hospital for treatment.
Updated
First Syrian casualty reported since beginning of Iran-Israel escalation
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that a civilian woman was killed on Sunday in Syria’s western Tartus province when a drone struck her home, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
It marked the first reported casualty on Syrian soil since the latest escalation between Iran and Israel began.
The Britain-based war monitor reported the death of “a woman after a drone fell on her house” in a village in rural Tartus, suggesting the drone was likely Iranian.
AFP reports that dozens of missiles have been seen flying overhead across Syria since the Iran-Israel escalation started.
It added that several missiles had been intercepted, exploding in various regions and fuelling concerns among residents over a broader regional conflict.
Since the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel – wary of the new authorities in Damascus – has carried out hundreds of strikes on military sites across Syria, claiming it aims to prevent weapons from reaching the new leadership, which it labels as “jihadist”.
Simon Harris, Ireland’s tánaiste (deputy prime minister), has said there is “grave concern” across Europe over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, PA Media reports.
Mr Harris was speaking after being in touch with European counterparts in relation to the crisis in the Middle East.
He said:
There is grave concern across Europe at the extremely dangerous and ongoing escalatory situation in the Middle East.
I reiterate my call on Israel and Iran to step back, to urgently de-escalate the situation, and to allow space for dialogue and diplomacy.
The tánaiste said Ireland’s embassy staff were in contact with Irish citizens in Israel and Iran and were providing advice.
He urged citizens to be vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities, including any orders to shelter that were in place.
Iran claims 224 killed since Israel's strikes began on Friday
Iran’s health ministry says 224 people have been killed since Israel’s attack began Friday, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
Spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on social media that 1,277 other people were hospitalised, claiming that over 90% of the casualties were civilians.
The region has braced for a protracted conflict after Israel’s surprise bombardment of Iranian nuclear and military sites killed several top generals and nuclear scientists.
Israel has said 14 people have been killed there since Friday and 390 others wounded.
Updated
Summary
Here’s a look at where things stand:
The intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy were killed in Israel’s attacks on Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said. In an earlier interview on Sunday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News anchor Bret Baier: “I can tell you we got their chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran.”
Israel’s military said that Iranian missile strikes hit several sites across Israel on Sunday evening, Agence France-Presse reports. “Homefront Command Search and Rescue teams have been dispatched to several hit sites in Israel, following the latest barrage from Iran,” the military said in a statement shortly after telling the public they could leave protected shelters.
The foreign policy chief of the European Union has called for a video conference of the EU’s foreign ministers on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. “In light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East, EU high representative Kaja Kallas has convened a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers via video link for Tuesday,” an EU spokesperson said.
An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in downtown Tehran killed 5 people, Iranian state TV reported on Sunday. “A residential building was targeted in the centre of Tehran, killing five people,” the broadcaster said, adding that the death toll may rise due to the densely populated area in central Tehran where the strike hit.
Israeli strikes across Iran have killed at least 406 people and wounded an additional 654, the Associated Press reports, citing the Washington-based Human Rights Activists.
The group crosschecks local reports in Iran against a network of sources it has developed in the country, the Associated Press said, adding that the group is working to identify civilians and security services personnel among the victims.US president Donald Trump has said there will “soon” be peace between Israel and Iran, adding that there were many calls and meetings happening and that the two countries should make a deal. “Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that “we will have PEACE, soon”.
European leaders gathering for a G7 summit with Donald Trump in the Canadian Rockies plan to spend the opening day asking Trump to justify his confidence that Israel and Iran will make a deal that will mean “peace soon”.
As the military exchanges worsen and the death toll mounts on both sides, European leaders are intending to pin the US president down on his whole Iran strategy, including getting a definitive response on whether he will use his influence over Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to call a ceasefire, or instead let the war run its course.
Trump’s largely unsubstantiated remarks about “peace soon” suggest he believes a ceasefire could be imminent, even though Jerusalem appears determined to wipe out not just Iran’s nuclear programme but its entire security apparatus.
For the full story, click here:
Intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed in Israeli attacks
The intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy were killed in Israel’s attacks on Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said.
In an earlier interview on Sunday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News anchor Bret Baier: “I can tell you we got their chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran.”
Updated
Israeli military says several sites hit Sunday night by Iranian missiles
Israel’s military said that Iranian missile strikes hit several sites across Israel on Sunday evening, Agence France-Presse reports.
“Homefront Command Search and Rescue teams have been dispatched to several hit sites in Israel, following the latest barrage from Iran,” the military said in a statement shortly after telling the public they could leave protected shelters.
The fire services, meanwhile, said rescuers were heading to building on the country’s Mediterranean coast that sustained a “direct hit”.
According to Israel’s first responder agency, Magen David Adom, seven people were injured in the attacks, including a 72-year old woman.
Updated
EU foreign policy chief calls for meeting with EU foreign ministers to discuss Iran-Israel conflict
The foreign policy chief of the European Union has called for a video conference of the EU’s foreign ministers on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
“In light of the gravity of the situation in the Middle East, EU high representative Kaja Kallas has convened a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers via video link for Tuesday,” an EU spokesperson said.
“The meeting will provide an opportunity for an exchange of views, coordination on diplomatic outreach to Tel Aviv and Tehran, and possible next steps,” the spokesperson added.
The Israeli military has instructed the public that it is safe to leave protected shelters, Reuters reports.
The latest directive from the military comes after reports emerged from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem that explosions where heard over the sky on Sunday night.
Meanwhile, footage in Haifa showed the apparent projectile crossing through the night sky as plumes of smoke rose from buildings.
Here is video of the apparent projectile hitting Haifa in Israel on the third night of conflict with Iran:
Here are some images coming through the newswires from Israel where explosions were heard recently:
Updated
Explosions heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem – witnesses
Explosions are currently being heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, according to Reuters witnesses.
Meanwhile, Iran’s armed forces have warned Israelis to leave the vicinity of “vital areas” in a video statement reviewed by Reuters on Sunday evening.
Israeli airline El Al has also extended all flight suspensions through Thursday 19 June.
Updated
Israeli airstrike kills 5 in downtown Tehran residential building
An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in downtown Tehran killed 5 people, Iranian state TV reported on Sunday.
“A residential building was targeted in the centre of Tehran, killing five people,” the broadcaster said, adding that the death toll may rise due to the densely populated area in central Tehran where the strike hit.
According to an Agence France-Presse journalist, powerful explosions occurred twice in the area and minutes apart.
AFP added that crowds of people rushed to the site of the blast near the communications ministry.
Updated
In a call with Donald Trump on Sunday, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that “urgent action” was needed to prevent the conflict between Iran and Israel from spilling over to the rest of the Middle East.
“President Erdoğan hailed the recent comments by US president Trump concerning a resolution of the conflict between Israel and Iran … and stressed that urgent action is needed to prevent a catastrophe that could enflame the whole region,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement.
During the call, which marked the second call between the two leaders in 24 hours, Erdoğan said that the “spiral of violence unleashed by Israel’s attacks on Iran have caused irreparable economic and civil damage to both sides” and called for moves to “halt this dangerous escalation”.
Updated
Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday.
“Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership,” one of the sources, a senior US administration official, told Reuters.
Separately, upon being asked about the reported plan, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “I’m not going to get into that.”
Updated
Israeli strikes on Iran kill at least 406 people, wounding 654 - human rights group
Israeli strikes across Iran have killed at least 406 people and wounded an additional 654, the Associated Press reports, citing the Washington-based Human Rights Activists.
The group crosschecks local reports in Iran against a network of sources it has developed in the country, the Associated Press said, adding that the group is working to identify civilians and security services personnel among the victims.
The Israeli military said it struck an aerial refuelling aircraft at Mashhad Airport in eastern Iran on Sunday, Reuters reports.
The Israeli army added that the strike was its longest-range attack since launching operations against Iran last week.
Eyad Baba, an AFP photographer, has captured this image of Palestinians running for cover after an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for refugees in the Gaza Strip.
Iran’s health minister has said the majority of those injured and killed in Israeli strikes of the past days are civilians and are mainly women and children, Reuters reports, citing the IRNA news agency.
The Guardian’s video team has produced this video of the aftermath of Israeli fire and airstrikes that killed at least 25 Palestinians across Gaza, according to local health authorities.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the Netherlands on Sunday to oppose Israel’s siege of Gaza and the Dutch government’s policy on the war.
The second major rally in a month drew an estimated 150,000 people to The Hague, according to organisers. Participants dressed in red to create a “red line” against ongoing Israel attacks and alleged war crimes against Palestinians.
In May, now caretaker Dutch foreign affairs minister Caspar Veldkamp asked the European Union to reconsider cooperation agreements with Israel. Demonstrators on Sunday called for the caretaker government to speak out against what they said were ongoing violations of international law by Israel.
The Dutch government, which collapsed on 3 June, has so far refrained from outright criticism of Israel. Anti-Muslim populist Geert Wilders, whose far-right party led the last government, has repeatedly voiced unwavering support for Israel.
Updated
Etihad Airways has cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv until 22 June, it said on Sunday. “This remains a developing situation, and some disruption and delays may be expected in the coming days,” it said in a statement.
Fourteen Iranian nuclear scientists killed in Israeli attacks - Reuters
At least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli attacks, including car bombs, Reuters reports citing two Gulf sources.
Here are some images coming to us over the wires:
Trump says Iran and Israel will have peace 'soon'
US President Donald Trump has said there will “soon” be peace between Israel and Iran, adding that there were many calls and meetings happening and that the two countries should make a deal.
“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that “we will have PEACE, soon”.
Updated
Officials in Cyprus have met Iran’s denial of a reputed request to “convey a message to Israel” with stunned silence. Earlier today the island’s president Nikos Christodoulides, who with his foreign minister has been working the phones furiously, told reporters he would act on the request when he spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu later on Sunday.
“The Republic of Cyprus is characterised by the fact that it speaks to all countries in the region. We have been asked to convey a message [to Israel from Iran]. This is why the telephone conversation with Netanyahu will take place,” said Christodoulides, who heads the nearest EU member state to the Middle East.
The call, he added, had been scheduled for Saturday evening “but due to the chaotic situation, it could not happen.”
Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has since denied that any such request was made – raising eyebrows among diplomats based in Nicosia, the island’s capital. “There would be absolutely no need for Christodoulides to make such a claim publicly,” said one. “Why Iran would now want to deny it is anyone’s guess, but events are moving fast.”
The Cypriot leadership, including the office of the presidency, have yet to pass comment possibly because Christodoulides is now fully ensconced in the visit to Cyprus of Narendra Modi, the first official visit by an Indian prime minister to the European Union’s easternmost nation in over two decades.
The Israeli government is extending the state of emergency until 30 June, Israeli media is reporting.
Russia's embassy in Tehran working to evacuate Russian citizens from Iran by land - Ria news agency
Russia’s embassy in Tehran said on Sunday that it was working on the option of evacuating Russian citizens from Iran by a land route, Russian state news agency RIA reported, citing the embassy.
Israel eases air raid warning, allows people to leave shelters
The Israeli military said citizens could leave shelters after being told to take cover during a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on Sunday, Agence France-Presse reports.
“Following the situational assessment, the Home Front Command published that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas across the country”, the military said in a statement.
We have more on the Sunday’s new wave of attacks by Iran on Israel (see post 14.25).
Iran on Sunday launched a new wave of attacks on Israel, state television reported, as an intense exchange of fire raged between the two sides for a third day, Agence France-Presse reports.
The official IRNA news agency also announced the beginning of “a new wave of missiles” launched towards Israel.
Reuters has reported the sound of explosions in the Tel Aviv area.
More to follow …
Updated
Tehran police headquarters hit in Israeli attack - Iranian media
Iranian media said an Israeli strike hit the Tehran police headquarters in the city centre on Sunday.
“The Greater Tehran Police Command was hit by one of the enemy’s drones,” ISNA news agency reported, citing a police statement. It added that the attack caused “minor damage” and injured “a number” of police personnel, Agence France-Presse reports.
Ballistic missiles launched from across Iran towards Israel - Iran state media
Iran state media says ballistic missiles have been launched from across Iran towards Israel.
More to follow …
The Israeli military has said that missiles have been launched from Iran toward Israel, Agence France-Presse is reporting.
Reuters is reporting witnesses saying that air raid sirens are sounding in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.
More to follow …
We have more on the two explosions heard in central Tehran (see post 13.11).
The Tasnim news agency shared footage of the explosion site, saying it occurred near the central Valiasr Square, Agence France-Presse reports.
The video showed columns of smoke rising from the area, with debris and shattered glass scattered across the scene. Other media carried similar reports.
Iran did not send any message to Israel via a third country, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said earlier (see 12.24 post) that Tehran had asked Nicosia to convey “some messages” to Israel.
Iran threatens 'more decisive and severe response' should Israel continue 'hostile actions'
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has threatened a “more decisive and severe” response should Israel continue its “hostile actions” towards Tehran, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the official Iran news agency.
Israeli fire and airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians across Gaza on Sunday, local health authorities said, with a number of deaths near two aid sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
An airstrike killed seven other people in Beit Lahiya town north of the enclave, medics said, according to Reuters. The rest were killed in separate airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip, they added. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Netanyahu says Iran will pay 'heavy price' for deaths of Israeli citizens
Benjamin Netanyahu has said Iran will pay a “heavy price” after Israeli civilians were killed in overnight strikes.
Speaking at the site of a missile strike on a residential building in Bat Yam, Netanyahu said Iran posed an “existential threat” to Israel and accused Tehran of “the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children”.
Health officials say at least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded in a shooting near Israeli- and US-supported food distribution points in the Gaza Strip (see earlier post), the Associated Press has reported.
Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire on Sunday toward crowds heading to two aid sites in Rafah, where thousands of desperate Palestinians regularly gather in hope of getting food.
The shooting happened hundreds of metres from the sites, which are in Israeli military zones. There was no immediate comment from the military.
Iran’s semi-official news agency, Tasnim, has reported the sound of two explosions in central Tehran and says two projectiles have hit two locations. More to follow …
Updated
Here is a video of Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who has said Iran does not want to expand the conflict with Israel unless “it’s forced upon us”.
Tehran’s nuclear programme is a threat to the security of Israel and Europe, and diplomacy is the only way to avoid an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
“The Iranian nuclear programme is an existential threat for the security of Israel and beyond the security of Europe.
“We always said the best way to prevent that threat, to contain it, remains diplomacy,” Barrot told RTL radio.
Israel still has a large list of targets it plans to hit in Iran, an Israeli military official said on Sunday, Reuters reports.
He declined to say how long strikes against Iran would continue, adding the military had attacked around 80 targets in Tehran on Saturday evening.
The targets included two “dual-use” Iranian fuel sites that supported military and nuclear operations, he said.
He said they also targeted the chief of staff of Yemen’s Houthis group overnight.
Iran has asked Cyprus to convey “some messages” to Israel, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday, adding he expected to speak to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day.
He did not say who specifically the messages were from or what they said, although they come after the Cypriot foreign minister spoke to his Iranian counterpart on Friday night, Reuters reports.
Christodoulides also said he was not happy with what he said was a slow reaction by the European Union to the unfolding crisis in the Middle East.
Cyprus, the closest EU member state in the region, had asked for an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, he said.
Christodoulides told journalists:
It is not possible for the EU to claim a geopolitical role, to see all these developments and for there not to be at the very least a convening of the Council of Foreign Ministers.
Cyprus has offered to assist in the evacuation of third-party nationals from the region, and has called on all sides to refrain from actions which could escalate the conflict.,
The Guardian’s video team has put together this film following the Iranian missile attacks on Israel on Saturday night.
Assessing the damage to his home, Shmuel Bar David, a Bat Yam resident, said: “I never thought I would hear a boom this loud”.
Iranians can seek shelter in mosques and schools during Israeli attacks, as well as subway systems, which will be open at all times from tonight, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told state TV on Sunday.
“There is no problem with the provision of food, medicine, fuel,” she added.
UK advises against all travel to Israel
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has updated its guidance to advise against all travel to Israel amid the conflict with Iran.
David Lammy has said that the safety of British nationals “remains our top priority” after Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire overnight and Keir Starmer said the UK was sending more RAF jets to the region amid the increasing hostilities.
The FCDO website warns that “travel insurance could be invalidated” if people travel against the advice, and described the current status as a “fast-moving situation that poses significant risks”.
Earlier on Sunday, Rachel Reeves said that sending more jets to the region “does not mean” the UK is at war.
Additional refuelling aircraft have been deployed from UK bases and more fast Typhoon jets will be sent over, it is understood. Reeves also indicated that the UK could “potentially” support Israel, but declined to comment on “what might happen in the future”. She said the UK was not involved in strikes or the conflict but added: “we do have important assets in the region and it is right that we send jets to protect them and that’s what we’ve done. It’s a precautionary move.”
Updated
The UK could potentially support Israel in its conflict with Iran, but the decision to send additional military jets to the Middle East was made mainly to protect British bases and personnel, UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said on Sunday.
Speaking to Sky News, Reeves called for a de-escalation in the conflict and said the decision to send additional jets to the region was a “precautionary move”, Reuters reports.
Asked if Britain would come to Israel’s aid if asked, Reeves said: “We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in.
“We’re sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.”
The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer confirmed on Saturday that more RAF planes are being deployed, amid the escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.
Additional refuelling aircraft have been deployed from UK bases, and more fast Typhoon jets will be sent over, it is understood, PA Media reports.
When asked whether the announcement from the prime minister means the UK is at war, Reeves said: “No, it does not mean that we are at war.
“And we have not been involved in these strikes or this conflict, but we do have important assets in the region and it is right that we send jets to protect them and that’s what we’ve done.”
Israeli military says it struck nuclear facility in Iran's Isfahan
The Israeli military has struck a nuclear facility in Iran’s Isfahan, a military spokesperson said in a post on X on Sunday, Reuters reports.
The spokesperson did not provide a time frame for the attack.
Updated
Israel’s El Al Airlines has cancelled flights to and from many European cities as well as Tokyo and Moscow until June 23, owing to the conflict between Israel and Iran, it said on Sunday, Reuters reports.
Israel says airspace remains closed for third day
Israeli authorities said the country’s airspace was closed Sunday for a third consecutive day, Agence France-Presse reports.
“Due to the security situation and in accordance with the instructions of security authorities, Israeli airspace is currently closed to civilian aviation - no incoming or outgoing flights are operating,” the transport and foreign ministries said in a joint statement.
Israeli media reported that thousands of Israeli nationals have been stranded abroad since Friday when the Israeli military began striking military and nuclear targets in Iran.
A statement from the Israel airports authority spokesperson confirmed that Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv would remain closed, saying “a notice regarding its reopening will be given with at least 6 hours’ advance warning”.
“A decision to resume flights to Israel will only be made once it is deemed safe to do so,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Israel’s land border crossings to Jordan and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula remain open.
Iranian media said on Sunday that Israel attacked a facility affiliated with the defence ministry in the central city of Isfahan, on the third consecutive day of Israeli strikes, Agence France-Presse reports.
“One of the centres affiliated with the Ministry of Defence in Isfahan was attacked, and possible damages are under investigation,” ISNA news agency reported, quoting deputy provincial governor Akbar Salehi.
Iran said it has arrested two individuals it accused of being members of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad in Alborz province while they were preparing explosives and electronic devices, Reuters reports, citing the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
We have more details on Israel’s evacuation warnings to Iranians living near weapons production facilities in Tehran (see post 8.12am).
In a statement, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said:
The Israeli military will strike these sites and will continue to peel away the Iranian snake’s skin in Tehran and everywhere — targeting nuclear capabilities and weapons systems.
Israel had earlier issued an evacuation warning to Iranians residing near weapons facilities in Iran, an Israeli military spokesperson said in a post on X in Arabic and Farsi.
Israel’s ambassador to the UK has said “Europe owes a huge thank you” for its strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, PA Media reports.
Tzipi Hotovely insisted the operation was an act of self-defence and argued Iran had rejected diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.
She told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg:
Europe owes a huge thank you to Israel for doing that, and the Gulf countries as well.
Our region would have been a place that is not safe for anyone if Iran had accomplished their plan.
Israel’s Oil Refineries said its pipelines and transmission lines in Haifa had been damaged by missile strikes by Iran, according to a regulatory filing to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
It said that no injuries or casualties were reported at the sites, with refining facilities continuing to operate despite a shutdown of some downstream operations, Reuters reports.
It added that it is examining the impact of the damage on its operations and implications on its financial results.
Tehran does not want expansion of conflict unless forced to do so - Iran's foreign minister
We have more from Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi.
Araghchi said Iran does not want its conflict with Israel to expand to neighbouring countries unless the situation is forced.
The foreign minister said the Israeli strikes on the offshore South Pars gas field Iran shares with Qatar were “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 said.
The foreign minister accused Israel of seeking to sabotage ongoing Iran-US nuclear talks, which, according to him, could have opened the way for an agreement, Reuters reports.
“Israel’s attack would never have happened without the US green light and support,” Araghchi said, adding Tehran does not believe American statements that Washington had taken no part in recent attacks.
“It is necessary for the United States to condemn Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities if they want to prove their goodwill.”
Updated
Iran's foreign minister accuses UN Security Council of ‘indifference’ over Israel attacks
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticised the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, accusing it of “indifference” over Israel’s attacks on Iran.
In a meeting with foreign diplomats broadcast on state TV, Araghchi said the Israeli attack “is being met with indifference at the Security Council”, adding that Western governments have “condemned Iran instead of Israel despite it being the side that was violated”.
He said the attacks on Israel will end when its “aggression stops”.
Twelve Palestinian killed in Israeli fire and airstrikes - local health authorities
We have an update on the 7.44am post.
Reuters is reporting that at least twelve Palestinians were killed in Israeli fire and airstrikes on Sunday, according to local health authorities, at least five of them near two aid sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Medics at Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza Strip said at least three people were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire as they tried to approach a GHF site near the Netzarim corridor. Two others were killed en route to another aid site in Rafah in the south.
An airstrike killed seven other people in Beit Lahiya town, medics said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Updated
Germany, France and Britain are ready to hold immediate talks with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme in a bid to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said.
Wadephul, who is on a visit to the Middle East, said he was trying to contribute towards a de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, and noted Tehran had previously failed to take the opportunity to enter into constructive talks, Reuters reports.
“I hope that’s still possible,” Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD late on Saturday. “Germany, together with France and Britain are ready. We’re offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear programme, I hope (the offer) is accepted.
“This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict, that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the state of Israel or to Europe.”
Wadephul, who is in Oman on Sunday, said the conflict would be ended only when influence is exerted on Iran and Israel from all sides.
“There’s a shared expectation that within the next week, a serious attempt must be made on both sides to interrupt the spiral of violence,” he said.
When asked whether he believed the Iranian government could fall, Wadephul said his assumption was that it was not Israel’s intention to bring down the administration in Tehran.
Updated
Israeli military issues evacuation warnings to Iranians near weapons facilities
Israel on Sunday issued an evacuation warning to Iranians residing near weapons facilities in Iran, an Israeli military spokesperson said in a post on X, Reuters reports.
The spokesperson said the evacuation warning includes all weapons factories and supporting facilities.
Updated
Israel death toll rises to 10
Israeli authorities have raised the confirmed death toll at Bat Yam to six, with about 180 injured, after two bodies were recovered from the rubble. It brings the number of fatalities from Iran’s missile strikes on Israel to 10.
They have also downgraded the number of missing at the site from the dozens previously thought. There are seven people still unaccounted for in the rubble of buildings hit by Iranian missiles overnight. Regional police commander Daniel Hadad told reporters it “could take days” to complete the search.
“There is great destruction here, lots of rubble and debris that has to be lifted to find the missing,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
Five Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at aid distribution sites – reports
Israeli forces have opened fire on people at several aid distribution sites in Gaza, killing at least five civilians, according to Palestinian media.
The news agency Wafa reports three people were killed and others injured at the former Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.
“Further south, in Khan Younis, two Palestinians were killed and others injured when Israeli forces fired on a separate group waiting for assistance. Just prior to that, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Hamad City, north of Khan Younis,” the report said.
Al-Jazeera Palestine reported a number of Palestinians were injured by Israeli artillery shelling while waiting for aid in the Al-Tawam area.
Israel’s blockade on aid entering Gaza has created a mass starvation crisis. A small number of aid trucks have been allowed in, but the World Food Program has said it is far from enough.
Large numbers of people have been killed by Israeli forces at food distribution sites, many of them associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has come under significant criticism and scrutiny over its operations, and a system which forces people to travel through combat zones to reach food.
Iranian news agencies report that operations at the Tehran refinery are continuing, without disruption to fuel production or distribution.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Sunday that they targeted Israel in coordination with Iran, the first time an Iran-aligned group has publicly announced joint cooperation on attacks with Tehran, Reuters reports.
The Yemeni group targeted central Israel’s Jaffa with several ballistic missiles in the last 24 hours, military spokesperson Yehya Sarea said in a televised address.
“Triumphing for the oppressed Palestinian and Iranian peoples...This operation was coordinated with the operations carried out by the Iranian army against the criminal Israeli enemy,” he added.
The Israeli military earlier said sirens were activated in several areas in the country following missile launches from Iran and Yemen.
Israel and Iran continued to exchange missile attacks since Israel launched its biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy on Friday.
On the same day Israel launched its attack on Iran, Israel said a missile that was launched from Yemen towards Israel fell in Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The Yemeni group however did not claim responsibility for the missile launch.
The Israeli defence force says that in the last hour it has conducted “another wave of attacks” in western Iran, targeting missile storage and infrastructure.
Updated
Iran’s civil aviation authorities have announced the country’s airspace will remain closed until 3pm Sunday. It urged passengers to monitor the website for updates rather than go to airports in person.
Trump threatens attack on Iran 'at levels never seen before' if it attacks US
Hours after presiding over an unprecedented military parade in Washington DC, Donald Trump has threatened that if Iran attacks the United States in any way, it would face the might of the US military “at levels never seen before.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump also said the US had nothing to do with Israel’s latest attack on Iran overnight and that “we can easily get a deal done” to end the conflict. He wrote:
The US had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight. If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!
The upcoming G7 summit “represents the first collective opportunity for western leaders to challenge Trump with the consequences of his unilateralism, but with the world on a knife-edge, the six leaders cannot risk being seen to gang up on him and spark a presidential explosion,” writes the Guardian’s diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour today.
European leaders will seek an explanation about what persuaded Trump to give Israel a green light to strike Iran before talks involving his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, in Oman, had come to an end…
With the diplomatic route currently closed, western leaders at the summit will instead collectively have to assess how close Israel is to permanently destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities, and the risk that the country’s reeling leadership will declare that the lesson of the war is that its security can only be protected by rushing to build a nuclear bomb. Demands for the leadership to take the fateful step are being openly voiced by demonstrators and by politicians.
Israel is trying to create the conditions for the regime to be overthrown but western diplomats report even internal critics of the brinkmanship over its nuclear programme are rallying to patriotic calls.
Read more here:
Here’s some video showing the Iranian oil depot on fire and Iranian missiles in the sky over Israel:
The US Council of Muslim Organizations, the largest coalition of American Muslim groups, has called on Trump to reject reported demands from Netanyahu for the US to increase its involvement in the war.
“We call on President Trump to demand an immediate end to the attacks that Israel is launching, including against Iranian civilians, using American bombs, American jets and American taxpayer dollars,” it said in a statement just released.
“Let’s be clear. What we are seeing today echoes the lies that led to the Iraq war. Just as Iraq did not have WMDs, Iran does not have nuclear weapons, was not making nuclear weapons, and was at the negotiating table ready to commit to limiting its uranium enrichment to the amount that can only be used for civilian purposes.
Instead of making a deal and avoiding another unnecessary war, our government has enabled Netanyahu’s latest war crimes.”
You can read the full statement here:
New statement released by the US Council of Muslim Organizations, the largest coalition of American Muslim groups, on Israel's U.S.-backed war on Iran:
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) June 15, 2025
"The Israeli government's Illegal, unnecessary and unprovoked war on Iran is just the latest example of its relentless violence…
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Middle East.
Israel and Iran exchanged another round of strikes late on Saturday and into Sunday, with at least eight people killed in Israel when Iranian missiles penetrated air defences in the north and centre of the country as well as hitting a science institute near Tel Aviv.
The latest wave of Iranian attacks began shortly after 11 pm on Saturday, when air raid sirens blared in Jerusalem and Haifa. Israeli media said at least 35 people were missing after a strike hit Bat Yam, a city south of Tel Aviv, in a second wave of strikes for the night, which began after 2am.
A spokesperson for the emergency services said a missile hit an eight-storey building there and while many people were rescued, there were at least four fatalities.
At least four people were killed in an Iranian strike on the Palestinian majority town of Tamra, in Israel’s north. All four were reported to be from the same family, including a woman and her two daughters aged 13 and 20.
In Iran, Shahran oil depot in Tehran was targeted and set ablaze in an Israeli attack, Iran said, but added the situation was under control. Israeli strikes also targeted Iran‘s defence ministry building, causing minor damage, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Sunday.
Iran has said 78 people were killed there on Friday, the first day of Israel’s shock attack, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children.
Here are the key developments:
At least eight people are dead and more than 100 injured after Iran launched a barrage of missile strikes at Israel overnight, in retaliation for Israel’s Friday strikes which Israel said targeted Tehran’s nuclear program, hitting key sites including its defence ministry.
An unknown number of missiles evaded Israel’s air defence system to hit Rehovot and Bat Yam in Tel Aviv, killing a 69-year-old woman, an 80-year-old woman, and two children including a 10-year-old boy, according to Israeli emergency services. More than 100 have been injured, and dozens still missing under rubble.
Earlier strikes on Saturday night killed at least four Palestinian citizens of Israel in the northern town of Tamra, including a woman and her two daughters aged 13 and 20.
Two oil facilities in Iran are on fire – one in Shahran and another in southern Tehran – after they were hit by Israeli strikes.
The Israeli military said Iran still has an arsenal that can cause grave damage to Israel. The Israeli military added that “at this hour, we are striking Iran”, and that “Iranian attacks are not behind us”.
Iran has said 78 people were killed there on the first day of Israel’s attack, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children.
Oman has announced the latest Iran-US nuclear talks that were scheduled to be held in Muscat have been cancelled. “The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place. But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace,” Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, said in a post on X.
Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s top adviser to its supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has died in the hospital a day after Israel launched airstrikes across the country, Iranian media reports. Shamkhani had previously served as Iran’s top national security official for a decade and had represented Iran in the China-facilitated rapprochement talks with Saudi Arabia.
Iranian authorities said that Israel’s airstrikes on Friday killed at least 30 military personnel in East Azerbaijan province, according to news agency ISNA. “Following the Zionist regime’s aggression against this province since Friday morning, 30 military personnel and one Red Crescent member have been martyred in defence of the Islamic homeland, and 55 people have been injured,” ISNA reported on Saturday, quoting East Azerbaijan provincial authorities.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel’s strikes have set Iran’s nuclear programme back, possibly by years, and that heavier blows were yet to come. “We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
