UPDATE Iran does not negotiate "under duress", says Iranian mission to the UN
Iran will not negotiate or accept peace"under duress," the Iranian mission to the United Nations said on Thursday, in response to US President Donald Trump's comments in recent days, CNN notes.
"The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to remove Iran's supreme leader," the mission said, referring to Trump's post on Truth Social yesterday in which the US president called Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei an"easy target."
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had encouraged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue his attacks on Iran. He also wished Iran"good luck" after the country's supreme leader refused to surrender.
UPDATE Russia urges US not to attack Iran and warns of nuclear catastrophe
Russia is urging the United States not to attack Iran because it would “radically destabilize the Middle East,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday. Moscow says Israeli attacks risk triggering a nuclear catastrophe.
The head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, said the situation between Iran and Israel was now critical, and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure meant the world was"a few millimeters" away from a catastrophe.
UPDATE Israeli Defense Minister Claims Iran's Internal Security Headquarters Has Been Destroyed
The Israeli Air Force has destroyed Iran's internal security headquarters, according to the country's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, SkyNews notes.
"The tornado continues to hit Tehran," said Israel Katz.
UPDATE 17:10 Trump, on strikes against Iran:"I might do it. I might not do it"
Asked about the chances of US involvement in the Middle East, Donald Trump says:"You just don't seriously think I'm going to answer that question?"
"You will strike the Iranian nuclear facility, and at what time, sir, will you strike it?" Trump said ironically, according to Sky News.
He adds,"You don't even know if I'm going to do it. You don't know. I might do it. I might not."
He said that "nobody knows what I will do," but that he can say this: "Iran has a lot of problems and they want to negotiate."
"And I said, why didn't you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction? I said to the people, why didn't you negotiate with me two weeks ago?" he added.
UPDATE Israel relaxes some safety restrictions
Some restrictions in Israel will be relaxed this evening, the military said, according to Sky News.
These include, for example, orders regarding school closures.
Starting at 6:00 p.m. local time, parts of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the West Bank – in addition to Israeli communities near Gaza and in Eilat in the south – will move from “essential activity” to “partial activity.”
Other parts will move from"essential activity" to "limited activity."
UPDATE 16:20 Khamenei condemns Israel for military offensive during Iran talks with US
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accuses Israel of launching a military attack on Iran at an inappropriate time, while Iran was holding indirect negotiations with the US over its nuclear program.
He urged it not to take military action while talks between Washington and Tehran continued. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Israel's action was"unilateral."
UPDATE Analyst's warning: Hitting Iran would open 'Pandora's box' and likely consume Trump's presidency
US President Donald Trump faces a critical decision between taking a "diplomatic ramp" or "a war of choice," Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN.
"Leaders always have a choice in these moments," she said."Trump has stepped back from the brink of war with Iran in the past, he has the ability to do so again."
Geranmayeh added that "Iran will see this as a declaration of war" if Trump decides to strike its nuclear facilities.
"Once you open this Pandora's box, we have no idea where things are going," Geranmayeh said, adding that this conflict"will most likely consume the rest of President Trump's presidency."
UPDATE 15:00 China sends mysterious transport planes to Iran: flight plans showed a different destination
The day after Israel attacked Iran, a cargo plane took off from China on Friday. The next day, a second plane departed from a coastal city. Then, on Monday, another took off from Shanghai — three flights in three days.
The data showed that in each case the plane flew westwards across northern China, crossing Kazakhstan, then southern Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – and disappeared from radar near Iran. Adding to the mystery, the flight plans indicated Luxembourg as the final destination, but the aircraft never seem to have come anywhere near European airspace, writes The Telegraph.
UPDATE 14:55 British Prime Minister "concerned" about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, in the context in which Trump considers involvement
Sir Keir Starmer told Sky News he was"concerned" about the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
His statement comes in the context in which Donald Trump is reportedly considering direct involvement.
UPDATE 14:51 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: The Iranian nation "is not one to surrender"
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Iranian nation "is not one to surrender," a day after US President Donald Trump called on the country to surrender unconditionally.
"Let the Americans know that the Iranian nation is not one to surrender, and any military intervention on their part will undoubtedly have irreparable consequences," Khamenei said in a national address on Wednesday - his second public statement since Israel launched its attack on Iran last week, CNN reports.
UPDATE 14:34 Erdogan hopes Netanyahu does not suffer the same fate as Hitler
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, comparing him to Adolf Hitler and expressing hope that the Israeli leader will not suffer the same fate as the Nazi dictator.
"Netanyahu has long surpassed the tyrant Hitler in terms of the crime of genocide. We hope that their fate will not be the same," Erdogan said at a meeting of his party in Ankara, baha notes.
UPDATE 14:26 Israel claims to have attacked 40 Iranian targets
According to the IDF, these include missile infrastructure, storage facilities and military agents. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned the US not to get involved in the conflict.
He went so far as to warn Washington not to consider such action, as Donald Trump considers his options in the Middle East.
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said:"This would be a step that would radically destabilize the entire situation."
In separate comments, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, was quoted as saying that the situation between Iran and Israel is now critical.
UPDATE 13:49 Israeli drone shot down. Iranian attack intercepted
An Israeli drone has been shot down in Iran, the Israeli military said. No casualties were reported after the drone was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, the military added.
Meanwhile, seven drones launched from Iran towards Israel were shot down in the occupied Golan Heights this morning, according to the Israeli Army.
UPDATE 13:26
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is making statements at this time, according to Iranian media.
The country's supreme leader has just said that Israel has made a"huge mistake," promising that it will be "punished."
He added that people will not forget the blood of the "martyrs" and the attack on their territory.
UPDATE12:55: Iran's centrifuges have been hit, nuclear watchdog says
Centrifuges are machines that can be used to enrich uranium. Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for nuclear power plants and nuclear bombs.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said two such facilities in Iran were hit. These are the TESA Karaj workshop, located west of Tehran, and the Tehran Research Center, in the capital.
The IAEA added:"At the Tehran facility, a building where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested was hit. At Karaj, two buildings where various centrifuge components were manufactured were destroyed."
It appears that Israel is continuing its efforts to cripple Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
UPDATE 12:45 Iran's envoy: "Israeli attacks are a war against humanity"
He repeated the statements of Iran's foreign minister, promising retaliation for any attack on the country.
"We will not hesitate to defend our people, security and territory. We will respond seriously and firmly, without hesitation," Bahreini said.
He also warned that Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities risk causing"a possible dangerous leak."
"This is not an act of war against our country, but a war against humanity," he said.
UPDATE 12:30 Israeli Foreign Minister Accuses Iran of Planning to Eliminate Israel
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accuses Iran of having a strategic plan to destroy Israel and justifies an Israeli attack on Iran as a necessary reaction to an imminent threat, including nuclear.
UPDATE 12:15 "A tornado is passing over Tehran": Israeli defense minister warns that the end is near for Iranian leaders
The Israeli defense minister warned that the end is near for Iranian leaders and warned that "a tornado is passing over Tehran."
Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on social media suggesting that the regime in Tehran is coming to an end.
He said:"Symbols of government are bombed and destroyed... this is how dictatorships collapse."
UPDATE 12:00 "American intervention would be a recipe for all-out war," Iran warns
Any US intervention in the Middle East would be "a recipe for all-out war in the region," an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said in an interview with Al Jazeera. Esmail Baghaei made the remarks.
When asked if he thought the US could control its ally Israel, Baghaei grimaced and replied,"Not really."
He did not give details, but thousands of American soldiers are stationed in neighboring countries, within range of Iranian weapons.
The statement comes after it was learned that Donald Trump was evaluating the options available to him in the Middle East, including a possible attack on Iran.
UPDATE 11:20 Nuclear facilities are in "good condition", says head of Iran's atomic agency
Mohammad Eslami is quoted by the Fars news agency as saying that the nuclear facilities remain in good condition, despite Israeli attacks.
"The morale of our colleagues at the nuclear facilities is excellent and they are working hard," he said.
Limiting Iran's nuclear capabilities and preventing it from building an atomic bomb are key objectives of Israel in attacking this country.
UPDATE 11:15
The presidents of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, will discuss the Middle East by phone in the coming days, SkyNews notes.
UPDATE 10:00 Israel begins flights to repatriate stranded citizens
Israel has begun repatriating citizens stranded abroad. It launched a phased air operation after Friday's surprise military attack on Iran left tens of thousands stranded abroad.
The first rescue flights, operated by national airline El Al, landed at Ben Gurion Airport this morning. They repatriated passengers from Larnaca, Cyprus.
Worldwide, the Israeli transport ministry estimates that more than 50,000 people are trying to return to Israel. El Al said repatriation flights are scheduled from Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris.
UPDATE 9:45 Israel remains without defensive interceptor missiles – report
Israel is running out of defensive missile interceptors, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal states that Israel is running out of Arrow missile interceptors, citing an anonymous US official.
The interceptors play an important role in countering Iran's long-range ballistic missiles.
The report claims that there is a"growing concern" that Israel is exhausting its defensive capabilities in the face of Iranian attack.
UPDATE 9:30
The Israeli army claims to have struck uranium centrifuge production facilities and weapons factories in Iran during the attacks on Tuesday night into Wednesday, writes the BBC.
These strikes, carried out by"more than 50 aircraft", targeted"a centrifuge production facility in Tehran", as well as"several weapons factories (...) including facilities that produce raw materials and components used to assemble surface-to-surface missiles", the army said in a statement.
"As part of a broader effort to disrupt the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production site in Tehran was attacked, designed to allow the Iranian regime to expand the scale and pace of uranium enrichment for nuclear weapons development," the statement added.
Centrifuges are machines that enrich uranium, which can be used to produce fuel for power plants, but also nuclear weapons.
UPDATE 9:00 Iran asks its citizens to delete WhatsApp, accusing it of sending data to Israel
Iranian state television on Tuesday evening launched a public appeal for citizens to delete the WhatsApp application from their phones, claiming - without providing concrete evidence - that the messaging service would collect user data to transmit it to Israel, the AP notes on Wednesday.
In response, WhatsApp (owned by Meta) strongly rejected the allegations, calling them"false claims" that could be used as a pretext to block the service at a time when Iranians need secure communication the most.
"We do not track the exact location of users, do not keep message logs, and do not provide bulk data to any government," the company said in a statement.
Although WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, which means that only the sender and recipient can read messages, experts warn that certain metadata – such as who is talking to whom, when and how often – can still be analyzed.
UPDATE 8:20 Israel attacked Iranian nuclear and missile facilities during the night, according to the IDF
Israel said it had struck Iranian nuclear and missile facilities overnight. The Israel Defense Forces said it had struck"a centrifuge production facility and several weapons manufacturing facilities."
The attacks took place in the last few hours on the capital Tehran and involved 50 Israeli aircraft, according to the claims. Centrifuges are machines that help enrich uranium. Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for nuclear power plants and nuclear bombs.
UPDATE 7:42 "We will show no mercy to Israel," Iran's supreme leader promises
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed to show "no mercy" to Israel in a social media post overnight.
This came in the context of continued attacks between Israel and Iran, with the conflict now entering its sixth day.
UPDATE 7:20
Iran and Israel launched new missiles at each other on Wednesday, despite US President Donald Trump's call for Tehran's unconditional surrender, Reuters reports.
Trump warned on social media Tuesday that the United States' patience was running out. While he said there was no intention to kill Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei"at this time," his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran.
UPDATE 06:50 Israeli attacks killed nearly 600 people in Iran, human rights group says
Israeli attacks have killed at least 585 people in Iran and injured another 1,326, according to a human rights group.
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists says it has identified 239 of the victims as civilians and 126 as members of the security forces.
This group, which also provided detailed data on casualties during the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahse Amini, verifies local reports from the Islamic Republic through a network of sources it has developed in the country.
Iran has not consistently published official data on casualties during the conflict and has in the past downplayed their numbers.
The latest official update, published on Monday, indicated 224 dead and 1,277 injured.
UPDATE 06:05 The Iranians claim to have arrested spies and terrorists who were collaborating with the Israelis
The Iranians claim to have arrested several spies and terrorists who were collaborating with the Israelis.
The Tasnim news agency reports that a foreign national was arrested in the southern port city of Bushehr while recording footage from a “sensitive nuclear area.” He was accused of working for the Israeli spy agency Mossad.
It also said a"terrorist team" affiliated with Mossad was discovered during a vehicle check in Baharestan County, on the outskirts of Tehran. Micro-drones, explosives, communications equipment and targeting systems were allegedly found in the car.
Morad Moradi, the region's interim governor, was quoted as saying that the suspects"intended to use this equipment to carry out large-scale suicide operations in densely populated areas and, by creating fear and panic, undermine internal security."
And the Iranian news site Eghtesadonline reported on four people arrested on suspicion of working as "mercenaries" for Israel.
UPDATE 05:40 Powerful explosions shake Tehran
A new powerful explosion occurred in Tehran around 5 am, following other attacks during the night.
Iranian authorities have not confirmed the attacks, which have become increasingly frequent as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since Friday.
Previously, the Israelis warned that they could strike an area south of Mehrabad International Airport, where residential neighborhoods, military installations, pharmaceutical companies and industrial firms are located.
Iranian news sites also report that Israel targeted Imam Hossein University in eastern Tehran, an institution linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
UPDATE 05:15 Iranians claim to have launched a Fattah-1 hypersonic missile towards Tel Aviv
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched a hypersonic Fattah-1 missile at Israel overnight, according to the BBC. During the attack on October 1, 2024, Iran launched dozens of Fattah-1 missiles at Israel. In the current war, it appears to be the first time this missile has been used.
The Fattah missile was first unveiled in 2023. At that time, a huge banner was installed in Tehran, the capital of Iran, with a message written in Hebrew:"400 seconds to Tel Aviv."
Although the IRGC claims that the Fattah is a hypersonic missile, military experts are skeptical about its actual capabilities.
UPDATE 04:25 Israel attacks missile factory near Tehran
Israel attacks the Khojir missile production factory, located near the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to Iranian news sites.
Israel also attacked this location in October 2024.
The Iranians claim that a university in the capital was hit. According to Iranian journalists quoted by Sky News, the attack was on Imam Hossein University in eastern Tehran, which has ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The reported strikes come after the Israeli military warned residents to evacuate an area of Tehran, later announcing that it was carrying out a series of attacks in the capital area.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued an evacuation warning for part of Tel Aviv, according to Iranian news agencies.
The warning includes a message in Hebrew, asking residents to immediately leave an area north of Tel Aviv.
The threat comes after the Israeli military (IDF) issued a similar warning in Farsi urging the evacuation of areas in Tehran. The Iranian warning is accompanied by a map that appears similar to the one used in the Israeli warning.
Iran has launched two waves of missiles at Israel in the past few hours. No serious casualties or significant damage to residential areas have been reported.
Original story: The Israeli military said two waves of Iranian missiles were fired towards Israel in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv.
Israel has asked residents in the Tehran area to evacuate so its air force can strike Iranian military installations. Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in Tehran and the city of Karaj, west of the capital.
Trump warned on social media Tuesday that the United States' patience was running out. While he said he had no plans to assassinate the Iranian leader"just yet," his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he considers deeper U.S. involvement.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he wrote on Truth Social, referring to Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We will not eliminate (kill!) him, at least not now… our patience is running out.”
