Israel again attacks Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site

Iran launches missiles, drones at Israel in wake of US strikes on its nuclear targets

June 23, 2025 3:12 pm

Iran fired a salvo of missiles and drones on Monday at Israel while also warning the United States that its military has been given a “free hand” to attack American targets in the wake of the Trump administration's massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Monday that “very heavy damage” is expected at Iran's underground facility at Fordo after a US airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. Israel said its defence systems were operating to intercept the latest Iranian threat, which apparently targeted the north and central areas of the country, and told people to head to shelters. Iran described the attack a new wave of its Operation “True Promise 3,” saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. AP

Iran's parliament looking to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog: Report

June 23, 2025 1:27 pm

A parliamentary bill to suspend Iran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog is under consideration, Ruhollah Motefakerzadeh, a member of parliament's presidium said on Monday according to state media. Iranian media also reported Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf saying: "We in the parliament are seeking to pass a bill that would suspend Iran's cooperation with the IAEA until we have objective guarantees of the professional behaviour of this international organisation." Qalibaf added Tehran was not looking to develop nuclear weapons. "The world clearly saw that the Atomic Energy Agency has not fulfilled any of its obligations and has become a political tool," he added. Reuters

Israeli drone downed in Iran

June 23, 2025 1:24 pm

The Israeli military said one of its drones was downed during an operation on Monday morning in Iran. The military also said 15 fighter jets struck missile launchers and storage sites in western Iran, close to the border with Iraq. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Sunday Israel was “very close to achieving our goals” in removing Iran's nuclear and missile threats. AP

Iran's military warns US of heavy consequences for entering war on Israel's side

June 23, 2025 12:34 pm

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. "Mr. Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it," Zolfaqari said in English at the end of his recorded statement.

Israeli military says it attacked 6 airports in Western, Eastern and Central Iran

June 23, 2025 11:46 am

Airlines weigh Middle East cancellations after US strikes in Iran

June 23, 2025 10:49 am

Commercial airlines around the world on Monday were weighing how long to suspend Middle East flights as a conflict which has already cut off major flight routes entered a new phase after the US attacked key Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran vowed to defend itself. The usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean has been largely empty of commercial air traffic for 10 days since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13, as airlines divert, cancel and delay flights through the region due to airspace closures and safety concerns. New cancellations of some flights by international carriers in recent days to usually resilient aviation hubs like Dubai and Qatar's Doha, show how aviation industry concerns about the region have escalated. However, some international airlines were resuming services on Monday. Leading Asian carrier Singapore Airlines, which described the situation as "fluid", was set to resume flying to Dubai on Monday after cancelling its Sunday flight from Singapore. Similarly, Flightradar24 departure boards show British Airways, owned by IAG, was set to resume Dubai and Doha flights on Monday after cancelling routes to and from those airports on Sunday. Air France KLM cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday.

Iran executes a man convicted of cooperating with Israeli intelligence: Report

June 23, 2025 10:30 am

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. Shayesteh had been arrested in late 2023 and was described by Tasnim as "the head of a cyber-team affiliated with Mossad."

US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites mark perilous turn in Middle East: UN chief

June 23, 2025 10:25 am

The US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities marks a “perilous turn” in the Middle East, UN chief Antonio Guterres told an emergency session of the Security Council, amid escalating tensions in the region. The 15-nation Council met for the emergency session on Sunday after President Donald Trump announced that the US had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran - Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. “The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling. From the outset of the crisis, I have repeatedly condemned any military escalation in the Middle East,” Secretary General Guterres told the UN Security Council. Guterres said the people of the region cannot endure another cycle of destruction. “And yet, we now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation. The UN Chief stressed that the international community must act immediately and decisively to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Shares slip, oil rises as investors weigh Iran risks

June 23, 2025 9:03 am

Shares slipped in Asia on Monday and oil prices briefly hit five-month highs as investors anxiously waited to see if Iran would retaliate against US attacks on its nuclear sites, with resulting risks to global activity and inflation. Early moves were contained, with the dollar getting only a minor safe-haven bid and no sign of panic selling across markets. Oil prices were up around 2.8%, but off their initial peaks.

Iran weighs retaliation against US for strikes on nuclear sites

June 23, 2025 9:01 am

Iran and Israel traded air and missile strikes as the world braced on Monday for Tehran's response to the US attack on its nuclear sites and US President Donald Trump raised the idea of regime change in the Islamic republic. Iran vowed to defend itself on Sunday, a day after the US joined Israel in the biggest Western military action against the country since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, despite calls for restraint and a return to diplomacy from around the world. Commercial satellite imagery indicated the US attack on Saturday on Iran’s subterranean Fordow nuclear plant severely damaged or destroyed the deeply buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but the status of the site remained unconfirmed, experts said.