We have more coming to us from the Kremlin (see earlier post).
The Kremlin says it was not “informed in detail” by the US in advance of the US strikes on Iran, Reuters reports.
It added that there are no plans for a Putin-Trump call for now.
When asked about Donald Trump’s comments about regime chance in Iran, the response was that it was up to the people of the affected country to determine the fate of their leadership, not a third country.
During talks in Moscow Putin told Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi that aggression against Iran was groundless, AFP reports.
Putin made the comments at the start of Kremlin talks and said Russia was ready to help the Iranian people, AFP reports.
IAEA chief expects 'very significant damage' at Iran's Fordow site
US bombing probably caused “very significant” damage to the underground areas of Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment plant dug into a mountain, though no one can yet tell the extent, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Monday.
“Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme(ly) vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Grossi said in a statement to an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors.
He added: “I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared to the Agency as required under Iran’s Safeguard Agreement, and I expressed my readiness to work with Iran on this matter.”
The Israel Electric Company has said the power has been restored to all consumers following damage near a strategic infrastructure site in southern Israel.
Israel attacks Iran’s Fordow nuclear site - Iranian media
Israel carried out a fresh strike on Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site south of Tehran, AFP reports, citing a media outlet in the country.
“The aggressor attacked the Fordow nuclear site again,” Tasnim news agency reported, quoting a spokesperson for the crisis management authority in Qom province where the site is located.
Updated
Kremlin says Russia deeply regrets and condemns the US strikes on Iran
Russia deeply regrets and condemns the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the Kremlin said on Monday.
The US actions have increased the number of participants in the conflict and ushered in a new spiral of escalation, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
An electricity feeder in the northern Tehran Evin neighbourhood has been hit, but there was no widespread power outage in the capital, Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim is reporting.
Meanwhile, a technicial building of the Iranian state broadcaster was hit in Israeli strikes according to Iranian news agency ILNA.
Israel attacking targets in central Tehran with 'unprecedented intensity', Israel Katz says
Reuters is quoting the Israeli defence minister Israel Katz a saying the military is now attacking with “unprecedented intensity” targets in central Tehran.
Updated
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they changed tactics in today’s attack on Israel, targeting spots from north to south including Tel Aviv and Haifa with drones and missiles, Reuters reports citing Mehr News.
Updated
Israeli media, citing the Israel Electric Company, is reporting that there are supply disruptions in the south, following damage near a strategic infrastructure facility.
The Israeli military says it identified missiles launched from Iran towards Israel, adding defensive systems are operating to intercept them, Reuters reports.
The Israeli military says it began a series of strikes towards military targets in Tehran, Reuter reports.
Iran’s Nournews says Israel attacked near the Iranian Red Crescent, Reuters reports.
Nournews has also reported several large explosions heard in the Iranian capital.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said on Monday that he spoke with US President Donald Trump on issues ranging across de-escalating the conflict in the Middle East, Nato’s proposed summit this week and trade negotiations with the US, Reuters reports.
Germany’s foreign minister said on Monday that Iran needs to engage in direct talks with the United States following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, though the European Union remains ready to play a role in negotiations.
“Iran says it only wants to negotiate with Europe and we see that as a good sign but we do also say that’s not sufficient. We want to see the United States being involved,” German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said, speaking to journalists in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
“I renew my call on Iran to now be ready for talks. We have, however, been asked by the US, over the last few weeks and also just now, to remain in touch and Europe does have a role,” he added.
For more updates on Europe you can read our live blog, Europe live with Jakub Krupa, here:
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has warned against any attempts to force regime change in Iran, while noting his country’s concern about escalation of the Middle East conflict that he said could be “devastating” for the region with very serious consequences for global stability.
Arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Barrot called on Iran not to take action to aggravate the situation, adding that Iran’s nuclear programme was “an existential risk” for Israel, the wider region and Europe. Referring to his meeting on Friday with Iran’s foreign minister, also involving his German and British counterparts, Barrot said Europe had the experience, competence and detailed knowledge of the questions to open up a negotiation space with Iran.
Turning to the discussion about EU-Israel relations, Barrot said Israel had “clearly violated” article two of the agreement between the two parties on human rights, referring to the Israeli government’s conduct in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He said ministers would draw the consequences at their next meeting in July, without going into further details.
And he added that France remained determined “to recognise the state of Palestine in a collective movement involving all stakeholders and making possible a political solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, a two-state solution based on guarantees to both peoples”.
Iran expects Russia to play an active role at a time of conflict between Tehran and Washington, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, as foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was in Moscow to consult with President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reports.
“Iran, within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Russia, has specific expectations from this country; both at the multilateral level, especially in the UN security council, and at the regional level. Therefore, [Araghchi’s] visit and contacts with Russian officials are considered very important,” Baghaei said.
Any Iranian closure of Hormuz Strait would be 'extremely dangerous', EU's top diplomat says
An Iranian closure of the strait of Hormuz would be dangerous and “not good for anybody”, the European Union’s top diplomat said on Monday.
“The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge, especially closing of the strait of Hormuz by Iran is something that would be extremely dangerous and not good for anybody,” Kaja Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers.
Iran’s Press TV reported on Sunday that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council needed to make a final decision on whether to close the strait, after parliament was reported to back the measure. About 20% of global oil and gas demand flows through the channel, Reuters reports.
China warns Israel-Iran war could 'impact' global economy
China said on Monday that the international community must do more to prevent fighting between Israel and Iran from affecting the global economy, noting the “Persian Gulf and surrounding waters are important international trade routes”.
“China calls on the international community to make greater efforts to promote the de-escalation of the conflict and prevent regional instability from having a greater impact on global economic development,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
China warns of 'spillover of war' risk in Israel-Iran conflict
China urged Iran and Israel on Monday to de-escalate in order to prevent the “spillover” of their war.
“The Chinese side urges the parties to the conflict to prevent the situation from escalating repeatedly, resolutely avoid the spillover of war, and return to the path of political resolution,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, AFP reports.
Multiple thuds heard in distance from Jerusalem, according to a Reuters witness.
Updated
A witness said they saw a missile flying high over Jerusalem, Reuters reports.
Israeli military says sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran, Reuters reports.
We’ll bring you more updates when we have them.
Persistently high levels of electronic jamming from Iran of shipping communications continue to be experienced in the Strait of Hormuz, authorities have said, but US associated vessels continue to transit through the waterway south of Iran.
The Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) said some vessels have chosen to travel only during daylight hours with “ship congestion near Dubai and in the southern Gulf of Oman” observed.
Iran’s parliament has approved a move to close the strait, which Iran shares with Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Iran’s Press TV said any such move would require approval from the Supreme National Security Council, a body led by an appointee of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The JMIC works with maritime forces to provide alerts to commercial shipping operating in the Middle East.
Updated
From shipping, to proxies, to targeting US bases, Iran’s options to strike back are limited
Iran had sought to deter Donald Trump from joining Israel’s bombing campaign with dire threats of retaliation, but its options now are limited and fraught with risk.
Iranian officials have said specifically that US ships and military bases would be targeted, but much of the capacity it had relied on as a deterrent has been stripped away over the past few days by Israeli strikes. Those strikes however, have focused on long-range ballistic missile launchers. Iran still has a formidable arsenal of shorter-range missiles and drones.
The US has taken precautions over the past few weeks, dispersing its naval presence in the region and beefing up air defences, to try to ensure it presents as hard a target as possible.
Furthermore, Trump warned of broader US involvement in Israel’s war if Iran attempts to strike back, and in recent days suggested that one of the targets for US bombers would be the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
You can read the full analysis here:
Iran's military warns US of 'heavy consequences' for entering war on Israel's side
Recent hostile action by the United States expanded the scope of legitimate targets for Iran’s armed forces, a spokesperson for its Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a video shared on Monday.
Ebrahim Zolfaqari said the US should expect heavy consequences for its actions, Reuters reports.
At the end of his recorded statement Zolfaqari said in English:
Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it.
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, urged all parties involved in the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites to return to negotiations to achieve a permanent resolution to the conflict, its chief security minister said on Monday.
Indonesia’s current priority is the evacuation of its nationals from Iran, minister Budi Gunawan said in a statement, Reuters reports.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday that the situation in the Middle East was “very urgent” and financial markets were becoming unstable due to increasing uncertainty.
Lee also called on his senior aides to prepare additional measures that could be incorporated into an extra budget already proposed if needed, Reuters reports.
Spain to ask European Council to immediately suspend EU-Israel pact
Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares has told reporters he will ask the EU Council to approve an immediate suspension of the pact that governs the relationship between the EU and Israel to protest against what he called human rights violations in Gaza.
He also said he would ask the council to approve a embargo on weapons sold to Israel and approve sanctions on individuals who are undermining the two-state solution, according to Reuters.
We’ll bring you more on that soonest.
Updated
How could Iran retaliate to US strikes?
Since Israel’s first attack on Iran ten days ago, Israeli officials believe that Iran has used up between a third and half of its ballistic missile stock. Senior military leaders have been killed, air defence systems have been crippled, key command centres have been destroyed, and now the US has dealt a devastating blow to Iran’s nuclear programme.
But it would be a mistake to think Iran’s leadership is therefore bound to accept the “unconditional surrender” Trump has demanded. “They are pragmatic people,” Mohammad Ali Shabani, an Iran expert and editor of Amwaj.media, said.
“They prefer to live to fight another day. But there is a question with Trump about whether, if you exact no cost, you increase the risk of further bombing. There will be a desire to show that Israel has not obliterated their retaliatory capacity, and to show a domestic audience that they are not defeated.”
Read on below to find out the four ways Iran might choose to respond:
Iran and Russia are coordinating their positions on the current escalation in the Middle East, the Tass news agency reported on Monday citing Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who is visiting Moscow.
Earlier Araghchi said he would be discussing “common threats” with President Vladimir Putin. Speaking in Istanbul, he said his country would consider all possible responses to the US strikes on Iran. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi arrives in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin pic.twitter.com/YQJpSPUjEG
— Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) June 22, 2025
If you’re just joining us, here’s a rundown of the latest developments:
US president Donald Trump has brought up the possibility of regime change in Iran following US military strikes against key Iran military sites over the weekend. “It’s not politically correct to use the term, “Regime Change,” but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
The comments came after vice-president JD Vance insisted the US was “not at war with Iran, we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear programme”. US secretary of state Marco Rubio meanwhile said that that the US was “not looking for war in Iran”.
Trump also doubled down on his claim that Iran’s nuclear sites had been “obliterated” in the US strikes, after other US officials said the damage could not be confirmed. In a post on Truth Social he wrote, “Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!”
Israel has made a “grave mistake” and “must be punished”, a social media account associated with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said in what would be his first comments since the US joined Israel’s war on his country. The post on X read: “The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed a great crime; it must be punished and is being punished; it is being punished right now.”
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Moscow where he is discussing “common threats” with President Vladimir Putin. Speaking in Istanbul earlier, Araghchi said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said.
Nine Palestinian civilians were killed late on Sunday by an Israeli artillery strike that targeted people waiting for food aid in the Al-Waha area, northwest of Gaza City, the Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported. It was not possible to independently verify the report as Israeli does not allow foreign journalists into the occupied territory.
There is a “chilling pattern of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathering to get food” Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN”s humanitarian agency in Gaza and the West Bank (Ocha), has said. Medical sources in Gaza say about 450 people have been killed and thousands injured in the past 12 days in attacks by Israeli forces on starving people trying to collect aid from sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive Israeli- and US-backed private organisation.
Israel and Iran exchanged another round of missiles overnight. In Iran, explosions were heard in Karaj, west of Tehran, and Nour news also reported early on Monday that airstrikes had hit Parchin, a military complex south-east of Tehran. Later on Monday, Israel said it had attacked Kermanshah, western Iran. In Israel, sirens were sounded after 3am when the military said that Iran had launched a missile attack, but no direct impacts or injuries were reported.
Iran’s parliament has reportedly approved the closing of the key strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Reuters reported Iran’s supreme national security council will make the final decision on the move, which could hamstring global trade by shutting the narrow passage between Iran and Oman.
Australia backed US strikes on Iran, while Japan, which is heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil, called for de-escalation. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said “we support action” to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan was monitoring the situation with “grave concern”.
Updated
Iran executed a detainee named Mohammadamin Shayesteh who had been sentenced to death for collaborating with Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday according to Reuters.
Shayesteh had been arrested in late 2023 and was described by Tasnim as “the head of a cyber-team affiliated with Mossad.”
Israel's war on Gaza beginning to threaten its relationship with the EU
In Israel, it can seem like only one other place really matters. Washington DC is on the other side of the world but provides Israel with weapons, the backing of the most powerful military in the world, and a critical diplomatic shield in forums like the United Nations.
Yet the country’s economy is bound far more closely to Europe than to the United States. A third of its trade is with the European Union, key academic work is supported by grants from the EU’s multi-billion dollar Horizon research fund, and it is the top destination for Israelis who want to travel.
“Geography doesn’t change, and not having any partners apart from UAE in the region means Europe will always be the gateway. The US will always be 8,000km away,” said one western diplomat.
These ties have never translated into much political clout for Europe though, in part because the continent has long been hobbled by divisions over policy on Israel.
Critics of Israel’s illegal settlements and more recently its war in Gaza have repeatedly been outweighed and outvoted by a combination of older member states like Germany and Austria who are bound to Israel by history, and newer member nations, particularly Hungary, drawn by a shared ethno-nationalist vision.
“To have leverage implies that you are willing and able to use it,” said Josep Borrell, former EU policy chief. “If you can live in an illegal settlement and still travel freely to Europe, and export [products] to Europe, how do we expect them to take our condemnations seriously?”
Updated
Malaysia’s foreign ministry has urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation in the Middle East.
In a post on X, the Malaysian foreign ministry said foreign minister Mohamed Hasan had conveyed this message to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi during a meeting in Istanbul.
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has also called for restraint, saying that the involvement of external powers, including the United States, would only make the situation more volatile.
“If the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, it will pose a major problem to the global economy,” state news agency Bernama reported on Sunday.
The Israeli military says it is currently carrying out airstrikes on “military infrastructure” in Kermanshah, western Iran. We’ll bring you more updates when we have them.
North Korea has condemned US strikes on Iran, calling it a violation of the UN charter and blaming the tension in the Middle East on the “reckless valour of Israel”.
It marks nuclear-armed North Korea’s first commentary on the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. AFP reports:
“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the US which severely violated the UN Charter with respect for sovereignty,” said a spokesperson of the North’s foreign ministry, according to a statement carried by the state news agency.
The ongoing regional tension was an “inevitable product brought by the reckless valour of Israel”, the unnamed spokesperson added, claiming the Jewish state “has promoted its unilateral interests through ceaseless war moves and territorial expansion”.
North Korea is believed to possess dozens of nuclear warheads and various delivery systems as it faces off against South Korea and its key ally, the United States, which maintains around 30,000 troops on the peninsula.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, with the 1950-53 Korean War ending in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
'Chilling pattern' of Israeli forces firing on hungry Palestinians, UN official says
There is a “chilling pattern of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathering to get food” the head of the UN”s humanitarian agency in Gaza and the West Bank (Ocha) has said. According to a statement issued on Sunday, Jonathan Whittall told reporters in Deir al-Balah:
The attempt to survive is being met with a death sentence … It shouldn’t be this way. There shouldn’t be a death toll associated with accessing the essentials for life.
As we reported earlier, medical sources in Gaza say about 450 people have been killed and thousands injured in the past 12 days in attacks by Israeli forces on starving people trying to collect aid from sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive Israeli- and US-backed private organisation.
Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on Palestine, wrote in a post on X on Sunday “That the state accused of genocide and starvation is left in charge of ‘distributing aid’ is ludicrous and obscene: an insult to human decency.”
Whittall also said water wells had run dry or were located in dangerous areas while sanitation systems had collapsed and disease was spreading rapidly.
He noted that partially functioning hospitals – Israeli attacks have disabled most of them – are overwhelmed by near-daily mass casualty events.
He said that humanitarian agencies had a plan capable of reaching every family in the occupied territory but “we are prevented from doing so at every turn.”
He urged the international community to press for a ceasefire and accountability for Israeli actions in Gaza adding that what is happening “appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza.”
Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian rights activist, freed from Ice detention on Friday, has returned to Columbia University to renew his commitment to the cause of Palestinian freedom and opposition to both the university and the Trump administration.
Khalil arrived back in New York on Saturday after being released from more than 100 days in detention in Louisiana by a federal judge who ruled that punishing someone over a civil immigration matter was unconstitutional and ordered his immediate release on bail.
Just outside of Columbia’s gates and reunited with wife Noor Abdalla, Khalil thanked his supporters, legal team and “to salute the courage of all students at Columbia and across the nation who had continued to protest”.
Khalil made clear that following his release from detention he would battle what he called the “shameful trustees at Columbia that are currently attempting to expel 15 more students and to suspend tens of others, basically conceding their future, their degrees and labor because they are not afraid to stand for Palestine”.
The university, he added, “would do anything and everything it can to ensure that the words “free Palestine” are not uttered anywhere near it. “But while we are here, Free, Free Palestine.” The crowd followed in a chant.
Oil prices surge
AFP reports that oil prices have surged while Asian markets traded lower on concerns of disruption to energy markets after US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The dollar strengthened as traders assessed the weekend’s events, with Iran threatening US bases in the Middle East as fears grow of an escalating conflict in the volatile region.
Iran is the world’s ninth-biggest oil-producing country, with output of about 3.3 million barrels per day.
It exports just under half of that amount and keeps the rest for domestic consumption.
If Tehran decides to retaliate, observers say one of its options would be to seek to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz - which carries one-fifth of global oil output.
When trading opened on Monday, Brent and the main US crude contract WTI both jumped more than four percent to hit their highest price since January.
They pared these gains however and later in the morning Brent was up 2.1% at $75.43 per barrel and WTI was 2.1% higher at $78.64.
A total of 223 Filipino nationals in Israel and eight in Iran have requested repatriation after the US struck Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday night, according to local media. At least 30,742 Filipinos are living and working in Israel, many of them in the care sector, while 1,180 are living in Iran.
The Philippines department for foreign affairs said on Sunday that it was “greatly concerned” by the developments in the Middle East and has called for diplomacy, adding that “the welfare and safety of Filipinos in the region are of primordial concern.”
Earlier, the Philippines raised its alert level in both Israel and Iran to level 3, which encourages people to opt for voluntary repatriation. “All overseas Filipinos in Israel and Iran are enjoined to return to the Philippines. Travel by Filipinos to both these countries is highly discouraged, due to the ongoing crisis and the actual closure of their air space and seaports,” the DFA said.
According to the Philippine embassy in Israel, 127 Filipinos have lost their homes following Iran’s retaliatory strikes, while one person remains in critical condition.
A first group of Filipinos is to be repatriated, mainly from Israel, on Monday.
Japan, heavily reliant on Middle East oil, avoids voicing support for US strikes
Japan has stopped short of voicing support for the US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities at the weekend, calling instead for a de-escalation in the situation. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said Japan was monitoring the situation with “grave concern”.
But Ishiba declined an invitation to publicly support the US strikes, according to the Kyodo news agency, saying only that he would respond “when appropriate”. Instead, he emphasised the importance of lowering tensions in the region, adding that Iran’s development of nuclear weapons must be “blocked”.
Japan’s dependence on Middle East oil means it has had traditionally friendly relations with Iran. While the recent exchange of missile attacks between Iran and Israel have not had an immediate impact on energy supplies, any disruption to shipments of crude oil could have serious consequences for Japan, which has few energy resources of its own.
The world’s fifth-biggest economy relies on the Middle East for 90% of its crude oil imports. Ishiba said:
We are gathering and analysing information and closely monitoring developments with grave concern.
Japan’s response to Israeli airstrikes against Iran also put it at odds with other US allies. Earlier this month, Ishiba condemned Israel’s attacks on nuclear and military facilities in Iran, describing them as “absolutely unacceptable” while efforts were still being made to find a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s nuclear programme.
“This is extremely regrettable and we strongly condemn it.” Japan did, though, sign a G7 statement last week that affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.
Japan has followed other countries in making preparations to evacuate its citizens from the region. At the weekend, two Self-Defence Force transport aircraft left for Djibouti to evacuate people from Israel and Iran. Twenty-one Japanese nationals and their family members arrived by bus in Azerbaijan from Iran on Sunday, the foreign ministry said. Last week 87 people left Iran and Israel. The ministry said about 200 Japanese remained in Iran and around 1,000 in Israel.
What is the strait of Hormuz and why does it matter?
One way Iran could retaliate to US strikes, analysts say, is to close off the strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route, through which over a fifth of the world’s oil supply, 20m barrels, and much of its liquified gas, passes each day.
Iran has in the past threatened to close the strait, which would restrict trade and impact global oil prices, but has never followed through on the threat.
About one-fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, approximately 17.8 million to 20.8m barrels of crude, condensate, and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to data from analytics firm Vortexa. Read on below:
Commercial airlines around the world are weighing how long to suspend Middle East flights after the US attack on Iran over the weekend. Reuters reports:
Singapore Airlines, one of the highest-profile in Asia, had called the situation “fluid” on Sunday as it cancelled flights from Singapore to Dubai following a security assessment.
The Middle East route has become more important for flights between Europe and Asia since Russian and Ukrainian airspace closed due to war, but flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed empty space over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.
Following US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, commercial traffic in the region is operating as it has since new airspace restrictions were put into place last week.
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 22, 2025
Image from 01:45 UTC 22 June. pic.twitter.com/IeJBa9kvF4
Air France KLM said on Sunday that it cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. British Airways, owned by IAG ICAG.L, also cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha for Sunday. It was still reviewing the situation, it said in a statement on Sunday evening, when asked about later flights.
Missile and drone barrages in a growing number of conflict zones represent a high risk to airline traffic, and an organization that monitors flight risks, Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, warned on Sunday that US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region.
In the days before the U.S. strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar and United Airlines did the same with flights to Dubai.
Airlines are also concerned about a potential spike in oil prices following the U.S. attacks, which will increase the cost of jet fuel.
Israel meanwhile is ramping up flights to help stranded travellers at home and abroad.
The country’s Airports Authority says that so-called rescue flights to the country would expand on Monday with 24 a day, although each flight would be limited to 50 passengers. Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed earlier that Israel is “very close” to achieving its goals in the war with Iran, adding that he is “genuine friends” with US President Donald Trump and knew in advance about the US strikes.
Nine Palestinian civilians were killed late on Sunday by an Israeli artillery strike that targeted people waiting for food aid in the Al-Waha area, northwest of Gaza City, the Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported.
It was not possible to independently verify the report as Israeli does not allow foreign journalists into the occupied territory.
As we reported earlier, medical authorities in Gaza say about 450 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more have been injured over the past 12 days in Israeli attacks on people waiting to collect aid from food distribution sites recently opened by the US and Israeli-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation”.
NZ foreign minister looking for evidence that justified US strikes on Iran
Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, has said he is looking for “evidence to do with” Iran’s nuclear program that was “way outside the negotiated position they’ve been taking all this time” to justify the US strikes on sites across the country.
Peters told Radio NZ that Iran had “been marvellously good at negotiating their way out of things and the question is, have they kept to their commitments, have they breached their international obligations”.
He said the world needed to “find that out before we rush to judgment”.
Yesterday, Peters said he found the strikes “extremely worrying” and said it was “critical” further escalation was avoided. He said:
New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.
The NZ prime minister, Christopher Luxon, said the right response “cannot be more military action” saying politics needed to take precedent, AAP reports.
Updated
'Obliteration is an accurate term', Trump says after officials say damage from Iran strikes not yet clear
“Monumental damage” was done to “all Nuclear sites” in Iran during the US attack on the country at the weekend, Donald Trump has said in his latest comments, after officials said the extent of damage done remained unconfirmed. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social the US president wrote:
Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term! The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!
The comments came after Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said the scale of the damage underground was not yet confirmed. He said it was not clear whether Iran retained some nuclear capability.
Donald Trump when announcing the strikes on Saturday night said that the sites had been “completely and totally obliterated”.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said his government supports the US strikes on Iran, blaming Tehran for not coming “to the table” on nuclear diplomacy but adding that Canberra now wanted “diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation”.
Iran was holding talks on a nuclear agreement with Washington when Israel launched its shock attack on the country. International law experts have said the US and Israeli strikes are unlawful under the UN charter.
Israel is the only Middle East state with nuclear weapons but has never formally acknowledged its arsenal. It has not signed the nuclear nuclear non-proliferation treaty, unlike Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra just now, Albanese said:
The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that - that is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran’s nuclear program. We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war.
We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I have said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation.
We have been upfront about the challenge facing the international community - that is, dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation. That’s why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. Iran didn’t come to the table just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations.
Israeli forces have bombed tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in al-Buraq camp near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera has reported.
The broadcaster said it had verified footage circulating online that showed a deep crater resulting from the bombing and people searching for those trapped.
It is not possible to independently verify reports from Gaza as Israel does not allow foreign journalists into the occupied territory.
Israeli aid massacres in Gaza continue as world's attention turns to Iran
Just after midnight on Thursday morning, Abdullah Ahmed left his sleeping wife and children in their small and crowded home in the battered al-Bureij camp in central Gaza and headed north.
The 31-year-old vegetable seller had heard that the nearby food distribution site recently opened by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive Israeli- and US-backed private organisation that began operations in the territory last month, would be handing out food at 2am.
To get there early and maximise his chance of grabbing a box of flour, oil, beans and other basics, Ahmed and some friends set out across the dangerous rubble-strewn roads.
Just reaching the vicinity of the centre, one of four run by the GHF, was dangerous. “All the time we could hear the sound of shells and stray bullets flying over us. We kept taking cover behind the ruins of houses. Whoever doesn’t take cover is exposed to death,” he said.
All last week, every night and most mornings, there were similar scenes across Gaza, as tens of thousands of hungry, desperate people converged on the GHF sites or waited at points where trucks loaded with UN flour were expected.
Every day, somewhere in the devastated territory, these gatherings had a similarly lethal conclusion when Israeli forces open fire.
The exact toll over the last 12 days is unclear. Medical authorities in Gaza say about 450 have died and thousands more have been injured. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admit that some have been hurt by their fire but have not admitted any deaths in shootings, which they say are directed at “suspects” who have posed a threat to their forces and only ever follow warning shots.
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Australia's ASX plummets more than $10bn after US Iran strikes
More than $10bn has been wiped from the Australian share market on opening after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, as traders react to worsening economic growth prospects.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell below 8,460 points, back to near where it was at the start of June after holding above 8,500 points on Friday. It had closed at an all-time high of 8,592 on 11 June, days before Israel began its military strikes on Iran, but has fallen in six of the subsequent seven trading days.
Energy companies including Woodside, Origin and Santos rose in value after predictions the widening conflict in the Middle East would drive up global oil and gas prices.
But those higher prices would restrict economic activity in Australia, which saw traders sell down the big banks as well as consumer-facing companies from Flight Centre and Qantas to Breville and gambling company Tabcorp. Furniture retailer Temple and Webster shed more than $100m in value.
Worsening prospects for global economic growth mean a poorer outlook for Australian commodity prices, pushing down share prices for Mineral Resources, Pilbara Minerals and Champion Iron.
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Earlier, Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, told an emergency meeting of the UN security council that the US had “decided to destroy diplomacy” with its strikes on Iran.
Israel has made a 'grave mistake', Khamenei's social media account says
Israel has made a “grave mistake” and “must be punished”, a social media account associated with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said in what would be his first comments since the US joined Israel’s war on his country. The post on X read:
The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed a great crime; it must be punished and is being punished; it is being punished right now.
The post was accompanied by a picture of a skull with the star of David on it sitting on top a darkened city with missiles raining down.
US state department issues 'worldwide caution' for Americans
The US State Department has issued a “worldwide caution” for Americans, saying the conflict between Israel and Iran could put those travelling or living abroad at an increased security risk. In a post on its website it wrote:
The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises US citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.
The statement made no mention of the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend which Tehran has warned will have “irreparable consequences.”
Iran on Sunday warned that US forces could be attacked in retaliation for the unprecedented air strikes, which were condemned by international law experts as illegal.
“Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,” Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a message carried by the official Irna news agency.
The US on Saturday began evacuation flights from Israel for American citizens and permanent US residents living in Israel or the West Bank.
It also ordered staff at its diplomatic missions in Iraq and Lebanon to leave those countries.
Israel and Iran exchange another round of missiles
Israel and Iran have exchanged another round of missiles in the past hour.
In Iran, explosions were heard in Karaj, west of Tehran, Iranian news agencies reported. In an update last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Israeli strikes had destroyed two buildings in Karaj where different centrifuge components were manufactured.
Iranian outlet Nour news also reported early on Monday that airstrikes had hit Parchin, a military complex south-east of Tehran.
In Israel, sirens were sounded after 3am when the military said that Iran had launched a missile attack, but no direct impacts or injuries were reported.
On Sunday at least three people were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit an ambulance in central Iran, local media reported, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The ISNA news agency reported, quoting Hamidreza Mohammadi Fesharaki, the governor of Najafabad county in the central Isfahan province:
The ambulance … was en route to transfer a patient when it was severely damaged by a drone strike.
All occupants of the ambulance – including the driver, the patient, and the patient’s companion – were martyred.
The impact of the drone caused the ambulance to veer off course and collide with a passing vehicle.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the US and Israeli war on Iran.
US president Donald Trump has brought up the possibility of regime change in Iran following US military strikes against key Iran military sites over the weekend, even as top members of his administration insisted the US was not seeking to topple the Iranian leadership.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term, “Regime Change,” but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Earlier, vice-president JD Vance had insisted the US was “not at war with Iran, we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear programme” while US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that that the US was “not looking for war in Iran”.
The world was meanwhile braced for Iran’s response after to the US attacks, which saw it joining Israel in the biggest western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. “The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force,” he said.
He later flew to Moscow to discuss “common threats” with President Vladimir Putin.
In other key developments:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is very close to meeting its goals in Iran of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear programme. Speaking to Israeli reporters, he said: “We won’t pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won’t finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop.”
The UK, France and Germany have released a joint statement following American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying that they call upon Iran to engage in negotiations leading to agreement that addresses all concerns associated with its nuclear program. The three countries also urged Iran “not to take any further action that could destabilize the region”, adding: “We have consistently been clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and can no longer pose a threat to regional security.”
Iran’s health ministry said that the US strikes on its nuclear facilities had wounded an unspecified number of people but that none “showed any signs of radioactive contamination”. “For years, the ministry of health has set up nuclear emergency units in the nearest medical facilities to nuclear sites,” ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X.
Israel said that its fighter jets had struck “dozens” of targets across Iran on Sunday, including a long-range missile site in Yazd in the centre of the country for the first time, Agence France Presse reports. A military statement said that “approximately 30 IAF (air force) fighter jets struck dozens of military targets throughout Iran” - including “the ‘Imam Hussein’ Strategic Missile Command Center in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored”.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that “there are no planned military operations right now against Iran.” In a new interview with CBS, Rubio added that “no one will know for days” whether Iran had moved some of its nuclear materials prior to the strikes.
Iran’s parliament has reportedly approved the closing of the key strait of Hormuz shipping lane. Reuters reported Iran’s supreme national security council will make the final decision on the move, which could hamstring global trade by shutting the narrow passage between Iran and Oman.
Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, said the impact of the air strikes was still being assessed, but that the bombing had hit the areas that had been identified in the planning of the operation. Hegseth said: “The battle damage assessment is ongoing, but our initial assessment as the chairman said is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike, and had the desired effect.”
Pete Hegseth praised Donald Trump’s leadership, and said he had overseen the “obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Hegseth said: “Many presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran’s nuclear program, and none could until President Trump.”
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