Summary
Here’s a look at where things stand:
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran is ready to “consider diplomacy” under the condition that Israel’s “aggression is stopped.” Speaking to reporters following several hours of talks with European foreign ministers in Geneva, Araghchi said: “Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again and once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed.”
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake has struck near the Iranian city of Qom. According to the US government earthquake monitor, the earthquake hit 16 kilometers from Sorkheh, Semnan province on Friday evening. The recorded depth was 10 kilometers.
European foreign ministers said that they are ready for further talks with Iran following a three-hour long conversation on Friday. The foreign ministers of France, Britain, Germany and the European Union made brief remarks but did not say whether there had been any tangible progress, Reuters reports.
Shortly after European foreign ministers met with their Iranian counterpart in an hours-long conversation on Friday, Donald Trump said: “Iran doesn’t want to speak with Europe.” Trump doubled down on skepticism towards Europe’s involvement, saying: “Europe is not going to be able to help with this one.”
The EU has said “there are indications” that Israel is in breach of human rights obligations over its conduct in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for immediate sanctions. “There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under article 2 of the EU-Israel association agreement,” states a leaked document from the EU’s foreign policy service, seen by the Guardian.
Ireland is pulling its diplomatic team out of its embassy in Tehran, the deputy prime minister Simon Harris has announced. “In light of the deteriorating situation, following consultation with my officials and in close consultation and coordination with EU partners, I have decided to temporarily relocate our personnel from Tehran,” he said.
Shortly after European foreign ministers met with their Iranian counterpart in an hours-long conversation on Friday, Donald Trump said:
“Iran doesn’t want to speak with Europe.”
Trump doubled down on skepticism towards Europe’s involvement, saying:
“Europe is not going to be able to help with this one.”
He added that his administration has been speaking with Iran and that he thinks Iran “was weeks or months away from having a weapon.”
The EU has said “there are indications” that Israel is in breach of human rights obligations over its conduct in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for immediate sanctions.
“There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under article 2 of the EU-Israel association agreement,” states a leaked document from the EU’s foreign policy service, seen by the Guardian.
Couched in the typically cautious language of Brussels, the document nevertheless represents a significant moment in Europe’s relations towards a longstanding ally.
The closely guarded paper, which will be presented by the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, to European foreign ministers on Monday, cites assessments by the international court of justice, the office of the high commissioner for human rights, and numerous other UN bodies, while saying that it does not represent “a value judgment” by any EU official.
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Iran foreign minister says Iran is ready to 'consider diplomacy'
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran is ready to “consider diplomacy” under the condition that Israel’s “aggression is stopped.”
Speaking to reporters following several hours of talks with European foreign ministers in Geneva, Araghchi said:
“Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again and once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed... We support the continuation of discussion with [Britain, France, Germany and the European Union] and express our readiness to meet again in the near future.”
Meanwhile, European foreign ministers told reporters that they urged Iran to hold nuclear talks “without awaiting” an end to Israeli airstrikes.
“We invited the Iranian minister to consider negotiations with all sides, including the United States, without awaiting the cessation of strikes, which we also hope for,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
“It is illusory and dangerous to want to impose a regime change from the outside. It is up to the people to decide their own destiny,” Barrot added after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out assassinating Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
European foreign ministers and Iran ended four hours of talks in Geneva saying that they were willing to hold further discussions, but there was no sign of a breakthrough or path to reopening of talks between the US and Iran as long as Israel continued to mount its attacks on Iran.
Iran insists it will not talk to the US whilst Israel attacks its country accusing the US of being complicit and supportive of the Israeli attacks.
Without US-Iran direct talks, it is hard to see how an agreement can be reached to curtail Iran’s nuclear program in a way that satisfies the US’s headline demand that Iran must never have a nuclear bomb.
Donald Trump has effectively given the European diplomatic initiative up to a fortnight before he decides whether to join the Israeli bombing campaign, a step that would probably turn the already bloody war into a full scale regional conflagration.
With Israeli military officials warning their population to prepare for a long war, the chances for a quick reopening of the US-Iranian negotiations look blocked.
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits Iran
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake has struck near the Iranian city of Qom.
According to the US government earthquake monitor, the earthquake hit 16 kilometers from Sorkheh, Semnan province on Friday evening. The recorded depth was 10 kilometers.
No casualties have been reported yet.
Updated
Ireland is pulling its diplomatic team out of its embassy in Tehran, the deputy prime minister Simon Harris has announced.
“I have become increasingly concerned about the operational environment for our Embassy in Tehran, and the ability of our diplomatic staff to perform their functions safely. In light of the deteriorating situation, following consultation with my officials and in close consultation and coordination with EU partners, I have decided to temporarily relocate our personnel from Tehran,” he said.
“This is not a decision that I have taken lightly. Arrangements have been made for the Embassy to continue its operations from Dublin,” he added.
European foreign ministers say they are ready for more talks with Iran
European foreign ministers said that they are ready for further talks with Iran following a three-hour long conversation on Friday.
The foreign ministers of France, Britain, Germany and the European Union made brief remarks but did not say whether there had been any tangible progress, Reuters reports.
French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said that France expects from Iran an opening to discussion including with the US to achieve a negotiated solution to the Iran-Israel crisis.
Barrot also said that Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran is prepared to continue discussions on nuclear talks and other issues.
Meanwhile, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said that it is important that the US is involved in further talks and in finding a solution to the conflict.
UK foreign minister David Lammy echoed similar sentiments, saying that the UK urges Iran to continue their discussions with the US.
A US official said on Friday that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is in regular contact with Iranians, with Qatar as an intermediator, Reuters reports.
On Thursday, three diplomats told Reuters that Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken several times over the phone since Israel launched its strikes against Iran.
According to the diplomats, Araqchi said that Iran would not return to negotiations unless Israel stopped the attacks.
The diplomats added that the talks included a brief discussion of a US proposal given to Iran at the end of May which seeks to create a regional consortium that would enrich uranium outside Iran – an offer which Iran has rejected.
The day so far
The collapse of water systems in Gaza is threatening the territory with devastating drought as well as hunger, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has warned, amid fresh reports of casualties among desperate Palestinians seeking aid. On Friday, at least 25 people awaiting aid trucks were killed by Israeli fire south of Netzarim in central Gaza, according to local health authorities.
Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations on Friday urged all parties in the Israel-Iran conflict to protect civilians and said restraint was vital to prevent further escalation. “This is a dangerous moment for the entire region, and further escalation is in no one’s interest. Civilians must never be targeted, and we deplore the loss of civilian life,” Ambassador Barbara Woodword told the UN Security Council.
Germany’s air force has flown 64 people out of Israel, the defence ministry in Berlin said on Friday. “At this moment, two A400M military transporters of the Luftwaffe are on their way back from Israel to Germany,” the ministry said in a statement.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could ignite a fire no one can control and called on parties to conflict and potential parties to the conflict to “give peace a chance.” Guterres made the remarks to the United Nations Security Council as European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on Friday hoping to test Tehran’s readiness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being scant prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency on Friday warned against attacks on nuclear facilities and called for maximum restraint amid Israel’s strikes on Iran. “Armed attack for nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond boundaries of the state which has been attacked,” Rafael Grossi, director of the International Agency for Atomic Energy, told the UN Security Council. “I therefore, again call for maximum restraint.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia was sharing unspecified ideas with Israel and Iran about how to end the bloodshed and said he believed that there was a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Putin said Russia was in contact with “our Israeli and Iranian friends” and that Moscow’s proposals were currently being discussed.
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, warned the Lebanese militia Hezbollah on Friday not to get involved in fighting between Israel and Iran, amid fears that the steadily escalating conflict could pull in other regional actors. “I suggest that the Lebanese proxy be careful and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists who threaten it. If there will be further terror, there will be no Hezbollah,” Katz said on Friday morning in a post on X.
Britain said on Friday it was temporarily withdrawing UK staff from its embassy in Iran due to the ongoing security situation there. “We have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw UK staff from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” Britain said on its travel advice website page for Iran.
The Trump administration has issued fresh Iran-related sanctions, including on two entities based in Hong Kong, and counter-terrorism-related sanctions, according to a notice posted to the US Treasury Department’s website on Friday. The sanctions target at least 20 entities five individuals and three vessels, according to Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
The escalating war between Iran and Israel is quickly reaching “the point of no return”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, as Washington mulled the prospect of entering the war. “Unfortunately, the genocide in Gaza and the conflict with Iran are quickly reaching the point of no return. This madness must end as soon as possible,” he said according to AFP.
The death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks on Friday has now risen to at least 60, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. Agence France-Presse reports that at officials said at least half were kille while queueing for aid.
Qatar held crisis talks this week with energy companies after Israeli strikes on Iran’s huge gas field, which it shares with Qatar, an industry source and a diplomat in the region told Reuters. The South Pars/North Dome mega-field is the largest known gas reserve in the world. Iran, which shares the field with Qatar, has been developing its side since the late 1990s.
Al Jazeera reports that German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have discussed the conflict between Iran and Israel, according to a German government spokesperson. The outlet said that the pair spoke on the phone about diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation, with both agreeing to coordinate closely in future.
Germany’s air force has flown 64 people out of Israel, the defence ministry in Berlin said on Friday.
“At this moment, two A400M military transporters of the Luftwaffe are on their way back from Israel to Germany,” the ministry said in a statement.
It described the flights as a “diplomatic pick-up” and not a a military evacuation mission, which would have required parliamentary approval.
Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations on Friday urged all parties in the Israel-Iran conflict to protect civilians and said restraint was vital to prevent further escalation.
“This is a dangerous moment for the entire region, and further escalation is in no one’s interest. Civilians must never be targeted, and we deplore the loss of civilian life,” Ambassador Barbara Woodword told the UN Security Council.
“Restraint is vital to protect further escalation and loss of life. ... Military action cannot put an end to Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Woodword said.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia was sharing unspecified ideas with Israel and Iran about how to end the bloodshed and said he believed that there was a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Putin said Russia was in contact with “our Israeli and Iranian friends” and that Moscow’s proposals were currently being discussed.
A European national was arrested in northwestern Iran for allegedly “spying on sensitive areas of the country”, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could ignite a fire no one can control and called on parties to conflict and potential parties to the conflict to “give peace a chance.”
Guterres made the remarks to the United Nations Security Council as European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on Friday hoping to test Tehran’s readiness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being scant prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency on Friday warned against attacks on nuclear facilities and called for maximum restraint amid Israel’s strikes on Iran.
“Armed attack for nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond boundaries of the state which has been attacked,” Rafael Grossi, director of the International Agency for Atomic Energy, told the UN Security Council. “I therefore, again call for maximum restraint.”
The collapse of water systems in Gaza is threatening the territory with devastating drought as well as hunger, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has warned, amid fresh reports of casualties among desperate Palestinians seeking aid.
On Friday, at least 25 people awaiting aid trucks were killed by Israeli fire south of Netzarim in central Gaza, according to local health authorities.
More than a hundred Palestinians have died in recent days while trying either to reach aid distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive US- and Israel- backed organisation that recently started to hand out food in the territory, or to offload the limited number of UN and commercial vehicles carrying flour and some other basics.
Such reports are difficult to confirm independently but appear corroborated in many details by interviews conducted with witnesses by the Guardian.
Israel warns Hezbollah not to get involved in conflict with Iran
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, warned the Lebanese militia Hezbollah on Friday not to get involved in fighting between Israel and Iran, amid fears that the steadily escalating conflict could pull in other regional actors.
“I suggest that the Lebanese proxy be careful and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists who threaten it. If there will be further terror, there will be no Hezbollah,” Katz said on Friday morning in a post on X.
Katz’s warning was a response to Hezbollah’s secretary general, Naim Qassem, who said on Thursday night that the Iran-backed militia was “not neutral” in the Iran-Israel war and that it would “act as it sees appropriately” – stopping short of saying the group would intervene militarily. Hezbollah’s comments come on the eighth day of fighting between Israel and Iran, with bombings escalating on both sides.
Israel’s military said it struck dozens of targets on Friday, including a weapons research centre in Tehran that it said was used for the development of Iran’s nuclear weapons project.
Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles in a rare mid-afternoon strike, with warning sirens heard across the entire country. First responders were dispatched to an impact site to the northern city of Haifa, with more reports of missiles hitting in central and southern Israel.
Britain said on Friday it was temporarily withdrawing UK staff from its embassy in Iran due to the ongoing security situation there.
“We have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw UK staff from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” Britain said on its travel advice website page for Iran.
Israel and Iran have been in conflict since last week after Israel launched military strikes on Iran, which retaliated with waves of missiles.
British foreign minister David Lammy has been urging the two sides to find a diplomatic solution and is in Geneva on Friday for nuclear talks with Iran and European counterparts.
Israel seeks genuine efforts on Iran’s nuclear capabilities from Friday’s meeting between European and Iranian ministers, not just another round of talks, Israel’s UN ambassador said.
“We have seen diplomatic talks for the last few decades, and look at the results,” Danny Danon told reporters at the United Nations.
“If there will be genuine effort to dismantle the capabilities of Iran, then that’s something we can consider, but if it is going to be like another session and debates, that’s not going to work.
“If it is going to be just another round of talks, that’s something which we cannot accept,” Danon said.
The Trump administration has issued fresh Iran-related sanctions, including on two entities based in Hong Kong, and counter-terrorism-related sanctions, according to a notice posted to the US Treasury Department’s website on Friday.
The sanctions target at least 20 entities five individuals and three vessels, according to Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has arrived at the venue in Geneva, Switzerland, where he is due to hold talks with European counterparts about his country’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Before the meeting he condemned the Israeli attacks against the Islamic republic as a “betrayal” of diplomatic efforts with the US, saying Tehran and Washington had been due to craft a “promising agreement” on the Iranian nuclear programme.
“We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process,” Araghchi told the UN Human Rights Council before a crunch meeting with European foreign ministers.
His arrival at the UN comes as Switzerland is temporarily closing its embassy in Tehran, AFP reports.
The escalating war between Iran and Israel is quickly reaching “the point of no return”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, as Washington mulled the prospect of entering the war.
“Unfortunately, the genocide in Gaza and the conflict with Iran are quickly reaching the point of no return. This madness must end as soon as possible,” he said according to AFP.
He warned the consequences could affect the region, Europe and Asia “for many years”.
Iranian missile barrage injures at least two in Haifa
At least one Israeli person has been seriously injured by an Iranian missile barrage, Haaretz has reported.
The Israeli news website reported at least 20 missiles were identified, with some hitting areas of Beersheva and Haifa.
It said one person was severely wounded and another was moderately injured in Haifa, where they were evacuated by medics.
The all-clear has since been given.
Gaza death toll rises to at least 60, officials say
The death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks on Friday has now risen to at least 60, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency.
Agence France-Presse reports that at officials said at least half were kille while queueing for aid.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza Strip and 26 others near a central area known as the Netzarim corridor, an Israeli-controlled strip of land that bisects the Palestinian territory.
Thousands of Palestinians have gathered there daily in the hope of receiving food rations, as famine looms across Gaza after more than 20 months of war.
The Israeli army told AFP that its troops in the Netzarim area had first fired “warning shots” at “suspects” approaching them.
When the individuals continued advancing, “an aircraft struck and eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat,” the army said.
Elsewhere in the territory on Friday, Bassal said 14 people were killed in two separate strikes in and around the central city of Deir el-Balah, and 13 others in three Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza City area.
One of those strikes, which killed three people, hit a phone charging station in the city, Bassal said.
In southern Gaza, two people were killed “by Israeli gunfire” in two separate incidents, he added.
This has not been able to be independently verified by the Guardian or AFP.
Qatar held crisis talks this week with energy companies after Israeli strikes on Iran’s huge gas field, which it shares with Qatar, an industry source and a diplomat in the region told Reuters.
The South Pars/North Dome mega-field is the largest known gas reserve in the world. Iran, which shares the field with Qatar, has been developing its side since the late 1990s.
Iranian media reported on Saturday a “massive explosion” and fire after an Israeli drone targeted one of the South Pars facilities.
Doha was asking firms to raise US, UK and European governments’ awareness of increasing risks to global gas supply, the source said. QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Israeli army said on Friday that several missiles have been detected in the country that were reportedly launched from Iran.
The IDF said in a post on X that alerts had been activated in “several areas” of the country.
It said:
The public is asked to obey the instructions of the Home Front Command.
At this time, the Air Force is working to intercept and attack wherever necessary to eliminate the threat.
Updated
Al Jazeera reports that German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have discussed the conflict between Iran and Israel, according to a German government spokesperson.
The outlet said that the pair spoke on the phone about diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation, with both agreeing to coordinate closely in future.
Israel’s army said that the first boat carrying Israelis stranded abroad due to the Iran-Israel war arrived on Friday with 1,500 citizens on board, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
The army said in a statement:
As part of the Ministry of Transportation’s Operation ’Safe Return’, a passenger ship bringing Israelis from the Port of Limassol in Cyprus docked today … at the Ashdod Port with over 1,500 Israelis on board.
Danish shipping company Maersk meanwhile announced that it was temporarily suspending vessel calls in Israel’s Haifa port due to the conflict with Iran.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters Iran is ready to discuss limitations on its uranium enrichment but said the prospect of zero enrichment would undoubtedly be rejected, especially while Israel was attacking Iran.
The comment comes ahead of a meeting in Geneva between foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany and their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi.
The Geneva meeting is aimed at creating a pathway back to diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Updated
Summary
As we approach mid-afternoon in Israel and Iran, here is a round-up of today’s news so far.
Foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany are meeting their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in Geneva on Friday aiming to create a pathway back to diplomacy over its nuclear programme.
Araqchi has said he will not speak to the US as it is a “partner to Israeli crime against Iran”.
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot had spoken to the US secretary of state Marco Rubio ahead of the meeting in Geneva.
It came as strikes from Iran overnight on Beersheba targeted Microsoft’s office. Seven people were reported as suffering minor injuries while fleeing the area.
Israel’s military carried out numerous attacks on Iran overnight, including one on Tehran’s weapon’s research and development institute. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said 60 fighter jets took part in a wave of strikes.
An Iranian nuclear scientist has reportedly been killed in a strike on a building in Tehran, according to Israel’s national broadcaster Kan.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz warned against Lebanon’s terror group Hezbollah intervening on Iran’s side of the conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Middle East is “plunging into an abyss of instability and war”.
Turkey’s president Erdogan warned the war could have a “harmful” migration impact on Europe, as he spoke to German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The British government is organising charter flights out of Tel Aviv for British citizens. It has ordered them to register with the Foreign Office.
The conflict in Palestine continues.
At least 43 people in Gaza were killed on Friday by Israeli forces, according to Gaza’s civil defence force.
The death toll includes 26 near an aid distribution centre.
Unicef has warned Gaza is facing a man-made drought as its water system collapses. About 40% of drinking water production facilities are operational, a spokesperson told reporters.
Updated
At least 43 Palestinians killed on Friday - Gaza officials say
Rescuers in Gaza have said at least 43 people have been killed in the area on Friday by Israeli forces, including 26 near an aid distribution centre.
Mohammad al-Mughayyir, director of medical supply at the Hamas-run civil defence agency in Gaza told Agence France-Presse: “43 martyrs have fallen as a result of the ongoing Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip since dawn today, 26 of whom were waiting for humanitarian aid.”
British government to organise charter flights out of Israel
The British government is looking to provide charter flights out of Israel, with UK citizens in the region told to register their presence with the Foreign Office, Downing Street has said.
PA Media reports the government is working with the Israeli authorities to arrange transport out of the region as the crisis deepens. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged all sides to reach a diplomatic outcome.
A government spokesperson added: “We are advising British nationals to continue to register their presence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to be contactable with further guidance on these flights.
“The foreign secretary will shortly announce that the government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport once airspace reopens.”
Updated
Thousands of people joined a protest against Israel in Tehran on Friday after weekly prayers, chanting slogans in support of their leaders, images on state television showed.
“This is the Friday of the Iranian nation’s solidarity and resistance across the country,” the news anchor said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Footage showed protesters holding up photographs of commanders killed since the start of the war with Israel, while others waved the flags of Iran and the Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have issued warnings to Israel about the targets of their airstrikes in Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s nuclear and radiological regulatory commission said on Friday that any military attacks on civilian nuclear facilities violates international law.
Meanwhile Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has spoken to Norway’s foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, according to Qatari state media.
During the phone call, Sheikh Mohammed expressed Qatar’s condemnation of the “repeated Israeli violations and attacks in the region”, which “undermine peace efforts and threaten to drag the region into a regional war”, Qatar news agency reported.
He also expressed the “seriousness” of Israel’s targeting of economic facilities in Iran, warning of its “disastrous” regional and international repercussions, it added.
Updated
The war between Iran and Israel could have a “harmful” migration impact on Europe, Turkey’s President Recep Erdoğan has warned.
The conflict could spark a surge in migration that would affect Europe and the region, Erdoğan said, according to AFP.
“The spiral of violence triggered by Israel’s attacks could harm the region and Europe in terms of migration and the possibility of nuclear leakage,” his office quoted him as saying in a phone conversation with German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Updated
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An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed in a strike on a building in Tehran on Friday.
Reuters has cited reports by Israel’s national broadcaster, Kan. The Israeli military has not commented.
Kan quoted an Israeli source who said initial indications showed a scientist was killed in a drone attack on an apartment in the Iranian capital.
It came as Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Friday that he had instructed the military to intensify attacks on “symbols of the regime” in the Iranian capital Tehran, aiming to destabilise it.
“We must strike at all the symbols of the regime and the mechanisms of oppression of the population, such as the Basij (militia), and the regime’s power base, such as the Revolutionary Guard,” Katz said in a statement.
The IDF said that more than 25 air force fighter jets attacked and destroyed more than 35 missile storage and launch facilities in Iran on Friday morning.
Unicef: Gaza faces 'man-made drought'
Gaza is facing a man-made drought as its water systems collapse, the UN’s children agency has said.
“Children will begin to die of thirst … Just 40% of drinking water production facilities remain functional,” Unicef spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva, according to Reuters.
It comes a day after Unicef said more than 5,000 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in the Gaza Strip in May.
The agency said according to data from Unicef-supported nutrition centres in the Gaza Strip, this represents a nearly 50% increase on April, and a 150% increase from February when the ceasefire was in effect and aid was entering Gaza.
Updated
There’s further words of concern from Russia about the conflict in the Middle East, as the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said the area was falling into an “abyss of instability and war”.
Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters that: “The region is plunging into an abyss of instability and war.”
He also said he could not predict when President Vladimir Putin would meet President Donald Trump.
Earlier on Friday (see 6.58am), he had told Sky News Russia would react “very negatively” if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.
“The situation is extremely tense and is dangerous not only for the region but globally,” Peskov said in an interview at the Constantine Palace in St Petersburg.
Russian specialists are still working at the Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran, according to the head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation.
Alexei Likhachev said the situation at the plant in the southern port city was normal and under control amid Russia’s warnings to Israel not to attack the site, Reuters reports.
Updated
Iranian foreign minister rules out talks with US while Israeli 'aggression' continues
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has said the country’s leadership will not hold talks with the US as it is a “partner to Israeli crime against Iran”.
Reuters reports that Araqchi had told Iranian state TV: “There is no room for negotiations with us until Israeli aggression stops.”
Updated
The French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has spoken to the US secretary of state Marco Rubio ahead of a meeting in Geneva between foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany and their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi.
The Geneva meeting is aimed at creating a pathway back to diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme.
A French diplomatic source said Rubio emphasised that the US is “ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any moment.”
Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is now in a stable condition, after being seriously injured in an Israeli attack a week ago.
Al Jazeera cited Iranian state media, the Tasnim news agency, which said his condition had improved after treatment.
“I am alive and ready to sacrifice myself,” it quoted him as saying in a message to the supreme leader and the Iranian nation.
Updated
Seven people have been confirmed as being injured in the Iranian missile attack on Beersheba (see 6.17am).
The Jerusalem Post quoted a spokesperson from the Soroka Medical Centre who said they had suffered minor injuries while running to safe areas during the attack.
Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz has said Hezbollah will be wiped out if the terror organisation from Lebanon attacks Israel in support of Iran.
In a post on X, Katz said:
The Hezbollah secretary general is not learning a lesson from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel in accordance with the Iranian dictator’s orders.
I suggest that the Lebanese proxy be careful and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists who threaten it.
If there will be terrorism, there will be no Hezbollah.
The Israeli Defence Force said more than 60 fighter jets hit targets inside Tehran overnight, as it detailed its operations on Thursday night.
In a post on X, the IDF said it struck several industrial sites in Tehran which it claimed were used to manufacture missiles. “These sites served as a key industrial center for the Iranian Ministry of Defense,” it said.
It also said it hit the headquarters of Iran’s military research and development organisation, the SPND. (See 6.45am)
The IDF added it had intercepted four drones launched from Iran.
Russia: Regime change in Iran would be 'unacceptable'
Regime change in Iran would be “unacceptable” and the assassination of the country’s supreme leader would “open the Pandora’s box, the Kremlin spokesperson has said, a day after the Israeli defence minister said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sky News that Russia would react “very negatively” if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. “The situation is extremely tense and is dangerous not only for the region but globally,” Mr Peskov said in an interview at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg.
A further expansion of the actors involved would “lead only to another circle of confrontation and escalation of tension in the region,” he added. On Thursday Donald Trump said he would make a decision on whether to attack Iran within two weeks.
Peskov did not say what Russia’s response would be if Khamenei were assassinated but said it would trigger a response “from inside Iran”.
It would lead to the birth of extremist moods inside Iran and those who are speaking about [killing Khamenei], they should keep it in mind. They will open the Pandora’s box.
Updated
The Israeli military said on Friday it carried out strikes on dozens of military areas in Iran overnight, including an attack on the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), which it claimed was involved in Iran’s nuclear weapons development.
It was not possible to verify the report independently.
Blasts were heard overnight in the Safidrood industrial town near the Iranian town of Kolesh Taleshan, in the north-west of the country, shortly after Israel told people in the area to evacuate.
The Israeli military also said it had intercepted four Iranian drones overnight.
At least 23 Palestinians killed after Israeli forces open fire on aid seekers in Gaza
At least 23 Palestinians have been killed after Israeli forces opened fire on aid seekers near the Netzarim axis in central Gaza, Al Jazeera reported early on Friday, citing a source at al-Awda hospital in Deir al-Balah.
A total of 34 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since midnight, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster. It is impossible to independently verify the report as Israel does not allow foreign journalists into the devastated territory.
Israel has blocked the UN and other aid organisations from working in Gaza, instead allowing the GHF to operate. Since it began operations a few weeks ago, Israeli forces have killed at least 300 desperately hungry civilians attempting to get food at its sites.
On Thursday Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least 72 people, including 21 who had gathered near food distribution sites set up by the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF).
The dead included women and children, according to Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, who posted footage of the bodies of children scattered in the street after an Israeli attack on tents housing displaced Palestinians near Gaza City.
Fire erupts near Microsoft office in southern Israel after Iranian missile strike – reports
An Iranian missile hit Beersheba early on Friday, emergency services have said, a day after a missile hit a hospital in the same southern city. Iran said it had targeted Microsoft’s office and the fire that erupted in the city was reportedly in the next street.
The Magen David Adom rescue service posted a picture of what appeared to be several vehicles on fire on X. It said no injuries had been reported but Israeli media later cited it as saying five people had sustained minor injuries.
MDA Spokesperson: Following the Red Alert sirens that were heard in the past few minutes in southern Israel, no reports of casualties have been received at this stage. MDA teams are being dispatched to scan the areas where reports were received. Updates as required pic.twitter.com/AioO24KS2a
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) June 20, 2025
An Israeli military official said that Iran had fired a single missile and that an interceptor had been fired in response but had failed to intercept it, the Times of Israel reporter Emanuel Fabian reported.
CNN reported that the fire was near a tech park that houses a Microsoft office. The building with Microsoft’s name on it was visible in other footage posted online.
An Iranian ballistic missile impacted in Beersheba, causing damage.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 20, 2025
Medics say there are no reports of injuries. pic.twitter.com/eOgoD7RmH7
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Microsoft was the intended target.
In a statement quoted by Drop Site news, it said it had targeted the company “because of its close cooperation with the Israeli army and its being part of the system supporting aggression, and not just a civilian entity. The cyber area that was attacked also includes the residences of people from the espionage and artificial intelligence fields, who operate in direct cooperation with the enemy army and its security apparatus.”
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East.
Foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany are to meet their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in Geneva on Friday aiming to create a pathway back to diplomacy over its nuclear programme.
The meeting comes a day after US President Donald Trump set a two-week deadline to decide whether the US will join Israel’s war on Iran to allow for negotiations to continue.
The White House said that the US president would “make a decision on whether to attack Iran within two weeks”. It added that correspondence with Tehran had continued and there was still hope of negotiations.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy, speaking after a meeting with his US counterpart Marco Rubio on Thursday, said it was “time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one”.
The talks will be held in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. The latest nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US collapsed when Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran on 12 June.
An Iranian official said Tehran has always welcomed diplomacy, but urged the so-called E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. “Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes – but diplomacy is under attack,” the official said.
Israel meanwhile openly declared its support for regime change in Iran, with defence minister Israel Katz saying Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist”.
In other key developments:
At least 22 Palestinians have been killed after Israeli forces opened fire on aid seekers near the Netzarim axis in central Gaza, Al Jazeera reported early on Friday, citing a source at al-Awda hospital in Deir al-Balah. On Thursday Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least 72 people, including 21 who had gathered near food distribution sites set up by the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF). The dead included women and children, according to Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, who posted footage of the bodies of children scattered in the street after an Israeli attack on tents housing displaced Palestinians near Gaza City.
Israel carried out strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy-water reactor, its latest attack on Iran’s sprawling nuclear program. Iranian state television said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack. Israel also targeted the Natanz site, which has been hit several times.
A week of Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 657 people and wounded 2,037 others, a human rights group said. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said of those dead, it identified 263 civilians and 164 security force personnel being killed. Iran has not given regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update on Monday, it put the death toll at 224 people and 1,277 wounded.
At least 240 people were wounded by Iranian missile strikes on Israel on Thursday morning, the AP reported. The outlet said that four individuals has been seriously wounded, citing Israel’s health ministry.
Iran on Thursday accused the UN’s nuclear watchdog of acting as a “partner” in what it described as Israel’s war of aggression. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran in a report prior to the start of the Iran-Israel war of non-compliance with its obligations in its nuclear programme.
Iraq’s top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani warned against targeting Iran’s leadership and said that the Iran-Israel war could plunge the whole region into chaos. Sistani said in a statement on Thursday that any targeting of Iran’s “supreme religious and political leadership” would have “dire consequences on the region”.
