The Iran–Israel conflict entered its sixth day on Wednesday with intense missile exchanges between the two nations. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that Israel had "made a huge mistake" and would be "punished," while Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Tehran, targeting key installations including the Iranian internal security headquarters and reportedly a Red Crescent facility.
Amid the escalation, US President Donald Trump refused to confirm if he would order a strike on Iran but warned that "our patience is wearing thin." He claimed Iran has "no air defence systems and are defenceless" and reiterated his call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Trump also said the US knows Khamenei’s whereabouts but has decided not to target him “for now.”
Air raid sirens sounded multiple times across Israel, including in the north, as Iranian missiles struck Israeli territory. Despite Trump’s hardline stance, Iran denied reaching out to Washington for talks and dismissed his threats as “cowardly,” though reports suggest Iranian officials expressed willingness to negotiate through Qatari and Omani mediators—on the condition that Israel de-escalate.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate that the military is “prepared to execute” any presidential order. The US has begun evacuating its citizens from Israel, while the UK has temporarily withdrawn families of its diplomatic staff. Germany, France, and the EU urged Iran to return to nuclear talks, as regional and global concerns over a broader conflict continue to mount.
At least 224 people, including 70 women and children, have been killed in Iran since Israel launched a massive and unprovoked attack on the Islamic Republic on June 13. The attack also killed several of Iran's highest military officials and senior nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile attacks have wreaked havoc in central and northern Israel, killing at least 24.
After Israel launched attacks on Tehran's District 18 area on the dawn of Wednesday, Iran said it hit Israel's Tel Aviv with hypersonic missiles.
Iran told residents of Tel Aviv to prepare for an attack, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claiming its hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles were "repeatedly shaking the shelters" in the commercial hub.
"The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles" was carried out, the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television.
Israel's military said Wednesday it struck a Iranian centrifuge production facility and multiple weapons manufacturing sites, in the latest round of strikes between the archfoes.
"More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," an Israeli army statement said. "As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted."
"During the wave of attacks, several weapons manufacturing sites were struck, including facilities for producing raw materials and components used to assemble surface-to-surface missiles," it added.
Israel's attacks on Iran have so far at least 585 people, including 239 civilians and 126 security personnel, a US-based rights group, 'Human Rights Activists' said. At least 1,326 others have been wounded in the attacks.
Iran has not officially confirmed the updated death toll. tehran's last update, issued on Monday, put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded.
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported that Israel is running out of defensive interceptors, which would in turn impact its ability to shoot down the long-range ballistic missiles from Iran.
The report, which cited anonymous US officials, stated that Washington has been aware of the problem for months and has been augmenting Israel’s defences with systems on the ground, at sea and in the air.
A first aircraft bringing home Israelis stranded abroad by flight cancellations resulting from the conflict with Iran landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday, the airports authority said.
"Just a short while ago, the first flight of Operation Safe Return landed at Ben Gurion Airport," a statement said, adding that the flight had been operated by national carrier El Al and brought Israelis home from Larnaca in Cyprus.
Transport Minister Miri Regev said Tuesday that between 100,000 and 150,000 Israelis were stuck abroad, as Israel and Iran traded deadly fire in their most intense confrontation ever.
Israel on Tuesday killed at least 90 starving Palestinians who were waiting at aid distribution sites to receive the much-needed humanitarian assistance.
The latest onslaught happened on Tuesday evening when 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces at an aid distribution site northwest of Gaza City, reported Wafa News Agency.
Israeli forces had earlier on Tuesday opened fire at desperate Palestinians who were waiting for food to take to their hungry families at US-backed aid distribution sites in Khan Younes and Rafah, killing at least 60, including children and wounding over 200 others.
Iranian officials on Wednesday informed that the country's border crossings have remained open and are “being operated normally” as foreign nationals sought to leave Iran in the wake of its intensifying conflict with Israel.
Javad Hedayati, director general of Iran’s transit bureau said that the borders are open, facilitating smooth passage for foreign nationals, even as entry of people and goods into Iran has slowed down considering security precautions, reported Tasnim news agency.
Meanhwile, China on Tuesday began the evacuation of its citizens from Tehran, according to a report by the state-run China News Service.
Iran said Wednesday it had detained five suspected agents of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency on charges of tarnishing the country's image online, Iranian news agencies reported.
"These mercenaries sought to sow fear among the public and tarnish the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran through their calculated activities online," the Tasnim and ISNA news agencies quoted a statement from the Revolutionary Guards as saying.
They added that the arrests had been made in western Iran.
The Telegraph on Tuesday reported spotting several military aircraft sent by China in the direction of Tehran as the conflict between its ally Iran and Israel intensified.
The report cited Flightradar24 data, which showed a cargo plane taking off from China towards Iran, a day after Israel launched its unprovoked attack on Tehran on June 13. Two other planes departed China in the subsequent days as the conflict intensified, the report noted.
"Data showed that on each flight, the plane flew westward along northern China, crossing into Kazakhstan, then south into Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – and then falling off the radar as it neared Iran," it said.
The report cited aviation experts who pointed out that the type of plane used, Boeing 747 freighters, are commonly used for transporting military equipment and weapons, and are hired to fly government contract orders.
This raises concerns regarding China's potential involvement in the war, in the context of US President Donald Trump's apparent interest in participating alongside Israel.
The families of Russian diplomats have left Israel, Russia's ambassador to Tel Aviv Anatoly Viktorov said on Wednesday, as Israel and Iran traded fire for a sixth day.
"Almost all the wives and children of embassy employees" left on Tuesday via Egypt "to return to their homeland," Viktorov said, interviewed by pro-Kremlin presenter Vladimir Solovyev.
He also did not rule out the possibility that the Russian embassy could be moved "to a more secure location without leaving Israel," after another night of strikes between Israel and Iran.
Almost 800 Chinese citizens have been evacuated from Iran since Israel launched military strikes against the country last week, Beijing said Wednesday.
"Currently... 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference.
"More than 1,000 other people are in the process of relocating and withdrawing," Guo added.
And some Chinese nationals have also safely evacuated from Israel, he said.
"China expresses its thanks to the relevant countries for providing full support and assistance," Guo said.
Oil prices slipped Wednesday following the previous day's surge but investors remained on edge fearing a US intervention in the Israel-Iran conflict after Donald Trump called for Tehran's "unconditional surrender", AFP reported.
Iran and Israel exchanged missile strikes for a sixth day, with the US president's latest comments appearing to dent hopes that the crisis in the Middle East could be calmed.
Of particular concern is the possibility of Iran shutting off the Strait of Hormuz, through which around an estimated fifth of global oil supply traverses, according to a Commerzbank note.
"Iran is reportedly ready to target US regional bases should Trump greenlight strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities," AFP added, quoting Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management
The Israeli military said Wednesday that one of its drones had been downed by a surface-to-air missile while operating over Iran, as the arch foes traded fire for a sixth day, AFP reported.
An army statement said the drone "fell in Iran. No injuries were reported and there is no risk of an information breach."
Donald Trump is reportedly considering entering the Israel-Iran conflict and joining Israel’s strikes on Iran, The Guardian reported.
Only the Americans have a bomb capable of destroying the Fordo nuclear facility, which is located deep underground, and could be one potential target for the US.
In the past three days, at least 30 US military tanker aircraft, which are used to refuel fighter jets and bombers, have been flown to Europe, The Guardian cited the BBC as reporting. The US has also ordered a second carrier group, the USS Nimitz, to the Middle East, part of preparations experts say would be necessary for the strike.
On Tuesday, Trump’s appetite for diplomacy appeared to be waning.
“I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate with Iran,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One, returning early from the Group of 7 summit in Canada to the focus on the escalating Israel-Iran conflict
Trump added that his objective in Iran was “an end, a real end, not a ceasefire”.
Vladimir Putin, according to AFP, is eyeing the conflict between Israel and Iran as an opportunity to thrust himself to the forefront of the international stage, more than three years into his invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian president has pitched himself as a possible mediator -- though Moscow's closeness to Iran and Russia's invasion of Ukraine raise doubts about what kind of role he can play, experts say.
"By positioning itself as an indispensable intermediary, Moscow aims to reassert diplomatic relevance despite its pariah status in Europe," said Nicole Grajewski, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
It also wants to protect its ally Tehran, facing a potentially existential military clash.
"Russia does not want to see regime change in Iran, especially if it results in a pro-Western government," she added.
“We will respond strongly and we will stop aggression from any side, be it Israel or the United States, Ali Bahreini, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in Geneva said.
“And we have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody - including the United States," he added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday Iran had the "legitimate" right to defend itself in the face of Israel's ongoing bombing campaign, now in its sixth day, the AFP reported.
"It is a very natural, legitimate and legal right for Iran to defend itself against Israel's thuggery and state terrorism," the Turkish leader said, a day after referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "the biggest threat to the security of the region".
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to AFP, said Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President Donald Trump and warned the United States it would face "irreparable damage" if it intervenes.
"This nation will never surrender to imposition from anyone," Khamenei said in a speech read on state television. "America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage."
Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has reportedly warned on Wednesday that direct US military assistance to Israel could radically destabilise the situation in the Middle East.
Ryabkov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that Russia cautions the US against supplying such assistance to Israel - or even considering it. He said Moscow was in contact with both Israel and Iran, Reuters reports.
Two buildings housing manufacturing sites for centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme have been destroyed at Karaj, just outside the capital Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday, according to AFP.
"The IAEA has information that two centrifuge production facilities in Iran, the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center, were hit," said the IAEA in a post on X.
Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi, who won the top prize at the Cannes film festival this year for his drama It Was Just an Accident, has called on the United Nations and the global community to “immediately and decisively, and without consideration or deal, to force the two regimes” to “halt military attacks and end the killing of civilians”, The Guardian reports.
In a post on Instagram, written in Farsi and translated by the platform into English, Panahi said attacks on Iran were “in no way acceptable” and that Israel had “violated” his home country. He added that Israel should be tried in “an international war trial as an aggressor”.
However, according to Variety, he also criticised the Iranian government and appeared to push for Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to be toppled.
The first evacuation flight carrying 110 Indian students from Urmia Medical University in Iran is expected to land in New Delhi around 2 am tonight. These students were first taken by land to Armenia before boarding a flight to India, according to reports.
Multiple explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, AFP journalists said, with black smoke seen rising in the east.
The series of blasts was heard shortly before 3:30 pm (1200 GMT), on the sixth day of the most intense exchange of fire between arch-foes Iran and Israel.
The family members of British diplomatic staff in Israel have been “temporarily withdrawn”, The Guardian quoting UK Foreign Office reported on Wednesday.
Relatives of staff working at the UK embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem were “temporarily withdrawn as a precautionary measure”, it said, adding that staff at the mission remain.
The leaders of Russia and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday warned of "extremely negative consequences" from the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict , as President Vladimir Putin pushed himself as a possible mediator, reports AFP.
In a phone call with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Putin "confirmed Russia's readiness to provide mediation assistance to promote dialogue between the parties to the conflict," the Kremlin said in a statement.
The two leaders "expressed deep concern over the continuing escalation of the Iranian-Israeli conflict, which could have extremely negative consequences for the entire region," Moscow added.
Israel will ease domestic restrictions imposed on its population due to the ongoing war with Iran and will "reopen its economy", Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday, reports AFP.
"While we continue our intense fight against Iran until the threats are removed, we will also reopen the economy, ease restrictions, and restore Israel to paths of creativity, activity, and security," Katz was quoted as saying in a statement after approving the changes for most of the country starting Wednesday evening.
Israel's military said it was striking military targets in Tehran on Wednesday, as AFP journalists reported hearing blasts in the north and east of the Iranian capital.
The Israeli air force "is currently striking military targets belonging to the Iranian Regime in Tehran," the military said in a statement, on the sixth day of the war between the arch foes.
A new explosion was heard in northern Tehran, an AFP journalist said, adding that a main thoroughfare had been partially closed.
The blast followed a series of other explosions heard in the eastern quarters of the city. The renowned Valiasr Street that cuts from north to south was also partially closed, the journalist said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that air force jets had destroyed Iran's "internal security headquarters" after the army announced it was striking military targets in Tehran.
"Air Force jets have just destroyed the internal security headquarters of the Iranian regime -- the main arm of repression of the Iranian dictator," Katz said in a statement, vowing to "strike symbols of governance and hit the Ayatollah regime wherever it may be".
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday refused to rule out military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying he might strike or might not, but insisted Tehran was already “in a lot of trouble” and eager to negotiate, reported Al Jazeera.
Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Trump brushed off questions about a potential US military strike, saying, “I can’t say that … You don’t seriously think I’m going to answer that question.”
He continued with a characteristically cryptic stance: “You don’t know that I’m going to even do it. You don’t know. I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
While the US has publicly denied involvement in Israel’s ongoing military campaign targeting Iranian-linked assets, Trump’s remarks added to growing speculation about a broader regional escalation.
Shifting to diplomacy, the former president, who is seeking re-election, claimed Iran was now seeking talks. “Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate,” he said, adding that he had criticised Tehran’s delay in engaging. “I said, ‘Why didn’t you negotiate with me before – all this death and destruction.’ … You could have done fine. You would have had a country.”
An Iranian semiofficial news agency has denied “rumors” that an Israeli airstrike targeted the home of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It’s the first time media in Iran has explicitly acknowledged the Islamic Republic’s paramount leader was a target.
The report came from the Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Fars described the rumors as showing “the U.S. and the Zionist regime’s anger and confusion in the face of the supreme leader’s firm statements made today.”
Iran has strongly denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iranian officials had requested a meeting at the White House, calling his remarks false and cowardly.
“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to ‘take out’ Iran’s Supreme Leader,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a post on X.
The response came shortly after Trump told reporters that Iranian officials had reached out to him for negotiations.
Rejecting any notion of talks under pressure, Iran’s mission added, “Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance.”
The statement echoed sentiments previously expressed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has repeatedly said that Iran “does not respond well to the language of threat.”
No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to “take out” Iran’s Supreme Leader.
— I.R.IRAN Mission to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) June 18, 2025
Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT…
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is expected to be deployed to Europe next week, placing a third US aircraft carrier within striking distance of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, CNN reported, citing a US official and two other sources familiar with the matter.
Although the Ford’s deployment to the US European Command theater had been scheduled since late last year, it is now likely to be positioned in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, close to Israel, due to the ongoing regional tensions.
At the same time, another US carrier is reportedly en route to the Middle East and may either join or relieve the USS Carl Vinson, the report said.
Aircraft carriers are key tools in the US military’s strategy to project power globally. Each carrier is capable of launching dozens of strike aircraft and intercepting enemy missiles or drones. These floating airbases are typically accompanied by a fleet of warships equipped to counter aerial, surface, and underwater threats.
The United States is arranging evacuation flights and cruise ship departures to help American citizens leave Israel amid the ongoing conflict, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on Wednesday.
“Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel — US Embassy in Israel @usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures,” Huckabee posted on his personal X account. The message was later shared via the official US embassy handles.
The development comes as the US embassy in Jerusalem remains closed until at least Friday. Huckabee did not provide a timeline for when the evacuations would commence.
He urged US citizens currently in Israel to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), a free service that enables US nationals to receive important updates from the State Department and facilitates easier location in emergencies.
Iran issued an evacuation warning on Wednesday for the residents of the Israeli city of Haifa, state television reported, on the sixth day of fighting between the two foes.
"A few minutes ago, an evacuation notice was issued to Zionist settlers in Haifa to protect them from Iranian missile attacks," state TV said.
It showed an image of the area to be targeted accompanied by Hebrew text saying: "Please leave the reported area immediately -- in the next few hours, armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will operate in this area... to attack the military infrastructure of the Zionist regime."
At least two aircraft registered to the Iranian government have landed in Oman’s capital, Muscat, according to navigational data cited by Al Jazeera. A third plane operated by Iran’s privately owned Meraj Airlines also landed in the Omani capital, the report said.
The Iranian government has not made any official announcement about the purpose of these visits. Oman has historically served as a key mediator between Tehran and Washington, especially during past nuclear negotiations.
Iran announced Wednesday heavier internet curbs, accusing Israel of misusing the network for military purposes amid ongoing fighting between the longtime foes, reports AFP.
"Temporary restrictions have been imposed on users' access to the internet," the communication ministry said in a statement carried by Fars news agency, adding that the decision was due to "the aggressor's abuse of the country's communication network for military purposes." Iran already began restricting the internet after Israel's surprise attack on Friday.
Iran’s state broadcaster has urged citizens to delete WhatsApp from their phones, alleging that the messaging platform is collecting user data and transmitting it to Israel, as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.
According to a report by The New York Times, Iranian state television claimed that WhatsApp and Instagram, both owned by Meta, were gathering personal information including the last known location and communications of users and handing it over to Israel. The broadcaster referred to Israel as “the Zionist enemy” and asserted that the data was tagged with the names of individuals.
The allegations, however, were made without providing any evidence.
Meta responded on Tuesday, strongly denying the charges. “We’re concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most,” the company said in a statement. “All of the messages you send to family and friends on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one except the sender and recipient has access to those messages, not even WhatsApp.”
The allegations come at a time when Iran is experiencing widespread internet disruptions.
Iran's foreign ministry summoned Germany's ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supporting Israel's attacks on the Islamic republic.
"Following the shameful statements made by the German Chancellor in support of Tel Aviv's aggression against our country, the country's (Germany's) ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry," state TV reported.
ap-mz/ysm
Iranian media said Wednesday that Israel briefly hacked the state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets.
On its Telegram channel, the Hamshahri daily newspaper shared a video of the brief disruption with a text saying "hackers infiltrated state television and broadcast a call asking people to take to the streets."
Iran's state television later warned viewers that this was "due to cyberattacks carried out by the Zionist enemy that is disrupting the satellite transmission."
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he has not yet made a decision on whether to join Israel in bombing Iran and warned that the country's current leadership could fall as a result of the war.
A change in Iran's government "could happen," he told reporters at the White House.
In a video message to Israeli citizens, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump for “standing by our side” as a “great friend” to Israel, and said he and the US president are in regular contact.
