A tentative truce faltered Tuesday when Israel vowed to retaliate after saying Iran launched missiles into its airspace more than two hours after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect. Iran's military denied firing on Israel, state media reported — but explosions boomed and sirens sounded across northern Israel midmorning. Earlier, both Israel and Iran had accepted the ceasefire plan to end their 12-day war.
Israel said it had identified missiles launched from Iran more than two hours after a ceasefire began on Tuesday. Sirens sounded across northern Israel. The latest barrage came after Israel and Iran accepted a ceasefire plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to end their 12-day war that roiled the Middle East, after Tehran launched a retaliatory limited missile attack on a US military base in Qatar.
Israel and Iran on Tuesday accepted a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to end their 12-day war that roiled the Middle East, after Tehran launched a retaliatory limited missile attack on a US military base in Qatar. The acceptance of the deal by both sides came after Tehran launched a final onslaught of missiles targeting Israel that killed at least four people early Tuesday morning, while Israel launched a blitz of airstrikes targeting sites across Iran before dawn. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had agreed to a bilateral ceasefire with Iran in coordination with Trump. Iranian state television reported that the ceasefire went into effect at 7:30 a.m., but Iranian officials have not commented since Trump's announcement. Hours earlier Iran's top diplomat said the country was prepared to halt airstrikes. Trump says ceasefire is in effect.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it detected a sixth wave of missiles from Iran, minutes after US President Donald Trump lauded the ceasefire between both countries. At least 3 people were killed and eight others were injured in missile attack by Iran on Beersheba. This comes after Trump, in a post on Truth Social, lauded the ceasefire deal between both countries stating, “We couldn’t have made today’s “deal” without the talent and courage of our great B-2 pilots, and all of those associated with that operation. In a certain and very ironic way, that perfect “hit,” late in the evening, brought everyone together, and the deal was made!!!”
Russia is ready to help Iran in various ways, depending on what Tehran requests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday. “Everything depends on what Iran needs,” Peskov said in response to a question at a briefing. “We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete." Peskov added that Russia has openly declared its stance on the Iran-Israel war, calling it an important form of support for Tehran. “We have stated our position. This is also a very important manifestation, a form of support for the Iranian side,” he said. He also noted that Iran has been a recurring subject in recent talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump. “The topic of Iran itself was repeatedly discussed by the presidents during their recent conversations,” Peskov told reporters.
Iran's underground enrichment site at Fordo was hit again Monday while Iran fired a salvo of missiles and drones at Israel and warned the United States that its military now has a “free hand” to attack American targets in the wake of the Trump administration's massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The Fordo facility was one of those hit in Sunday's attack, and it was struck again on Monday, Iranian state television reported. There was no immediate word on damage nor who launched the attack, though Israel said earlier it was conducting airstrikes on Iran. In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility already following the Sunday's US airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. “Given the explosive payload utilized ... very significant damage ... is expected to have occurred,” said Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. With the strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel's war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the US had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound 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. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of damage. In Iran, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes hit areas around Iran's capital, Tehran, midday. It wasn't immediately clear what had been targeted. In Vienna, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that given the "explosive payload utilized and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred.” He added that “at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordo.” Also Monday, Iranian Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to "act against US interests and its army.” Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles. The U.S. described its Sunday attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear sit, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear programme, but President Donald Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates.
A suspected Israeli airstrike hit the gate of Iran's notorious Evin prison in Tehran, Iranian state television reported Monday. Iranian media speculated the strike may be from a drone. The report shared what appeared to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike. The prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Israel did not immediately acknowledge carrying out the strike. Evin also has specialised units for political prisoners and those with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both US and European Union sanctions.
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.mWith the strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel's war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the US had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound 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. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of damage. In Iran, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes hit areas around Iran's capital, Tehran, midday. It wasn't immediately clear what had been targeted. In Vienna, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that given the "explosive payload utilized and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred.” He added that “at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordo.”
Also Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to "act against US interests and its army.” Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East, many in locations within range of short-range Iranian missiles. The US described its Sunday attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear sit, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear programme, but President Donald Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates. Mousavi described the American attack as violating Iran's sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. In the wake of the American attacks on Iran, calls came from across the globe for de-escalation and the return to diplomacy to try and resolve the conflict. On Monday, the European Union's top diplomat said the bloc remained “very much focused on the diplomatic solution.” “The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge,” Kaja Kallas said at the start of a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels where Iran has jumped to the top of the agenda. “Especially closing of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is something that would be extremely dangerous and not good for anybody,” Kallas said, referring to a maritime route crucial for oil transport. After Sunday's attacks, Iranian officials repeated their longtime threats of possibly closing the key shipping lane.
Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only, previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. As he arrived in Brussels on Monday for a meeting with his EU counterparts, German Foreign Minister renewed calls for Iran to agree again to direct talks with the United States but says Europe still has a role to play. “We already made it very clear to the Iranian side that a real precondition for a settlement to the conflict is that Iran be ready to negotiate directly with the U.S.,” he said, while adding that the European group known as the E3 “will contribute what we can.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was meeting on Monday in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of Iran's key allies.
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 this weekend with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the statement in Vienna. “Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Gross said. He added that “at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordo.”
Israeli military in a statement on Monday said it attacked six Iranian airports in western, eastern and central Iran, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, an Iranian military central command spokesperson called US President Donald Trump a “gambler”, warning that while he may have started the war, Iran will be the one to finish it. “Mr. Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” he said in a video statement.
US warns of Tehran against retaliation: Trump issued a fresh warning to Tehran, saying that there will be “either peace or tragedy” if it chooses to retaliate moments after US military strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s key nuclear facilities. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not. Future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier,” he said.
Iran’s response to US strikes: Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani on Sunday told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that “Iran had repeatedly warned the warmongering US regime to refrain from stumbling into this quagmire” and the Iranian military will now decide the “timing, nature and scale of Iran’s proportionate response” to US strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme, as reported by AP. He also accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of succeeding in getting Trump to do the West’s “dirty work” and hijacking US foreign policy by “dragging the US into yet another costly and baseless war.”
Strategic facilities in the southern Israel have been damaged and power supply has been disrupted, Iranian military said citing Israel electric company. Reports indicate that Iranian missiles have hit targets in five locations: Safed, Lachish south of Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Beisan, Fars News Agency reported. Israeli planes have been flying over the Mediterranean Sea for more than 40 minutes and are unable to land due to Iranian missile attacks, Fars News Agency reported citing Israeli media.
IDF sounded sirens nationwide as Iran launches another missile attack. A foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei Monday said Tehran adheres to international law and only targets “specific and legitimate military targets.” Baghaei also said he expects Russia to play an active role between Tehran and Washington in this time of conflict. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is currently in Moscow to speak with President Vladimir Putin, as reported by Reuters.
Iran on Monday hanged a third man accused of being a spy of Israel's Mossad intelligence service since Israel's war on the Islamic Republic began. Activists fear more people will be executed in Iran, particularly after its theocracy issued a Sunday deadline for people to turn themselves in over spying. The judiciary's Mizan news agency identified the executed man as Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh. Amnesty International previously had raised his case, saying he was held in Ghezal Hesar prison in Iran's Alborz province. On Sunday, Iran hanged another man, Majid Mossayebi, whose case only became public after his execution. On June 16, Iran hanged Esmail Fekri.
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.