The latest escalation between Israel and Iran has entered its eighth day. Here’s what you need to know, compiled from verified sources by the_farsight.
Trading missiles, airstrikes and sites hit
- On June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran, describing the measure as preemptive. The two countries have long maintained one of the most hostile relationships, with Iran vowing to eliminate Israel.
- On the other hand, Israel has been warning for decades that Iran is close to developing nuclear bomb capabilities, and its attacks come in the wake of the existential threat such capabilities pose to Israel.
Israel attacks
- Israel targeted nuclear and missile facilities and military bases in various parts of Iran, including the capital city Tehran, on the first day of its attack—striking the Natanz area, the largest uranium enrichment site in Iran, killing three senior Iranian military officers, including the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, and six top nuclear scientists.
- On June 19, Israeli jets bombed a nuclear reactor under construction in Kondab, which is south-west of Tehran.
- According to Iranian authorities, at least 657 killed, including 263 civilians, and over 2,000 were wounded in Israeli strikes.
Iran attacks
- Iran immediately began retaliatory attacks. Iran has fired around 20 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at central and southern Israel, targeting sites in Beersheba, Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Holon, including the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba.
- According to Israeli authorities, 24 civilians have been killed and 271 wounded as of June 20.
- Since the attack began, the two countries have been engaging in continuous air strikes.
Who said what?
- On June 13, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced that Israel had launched a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear and missile sites. He said Israel would not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and warned of further actions until the threat was neutralised.
- In the aftermath of the initial attack, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned the Israeli airstrikes, calling them “acts of nuclear terrorism.” He declared Iran’s right to retaliate and warned that escalation would have serious consequences for Israel and any country supporting it.
- “We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollah regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” Netanyahu said in a video message on the second day of the conflict. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned, “If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn.”
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in statements ahead of his Europe visit, said Iran would not accept a ceasefire unless Israel halted its attacks. He emphasised that Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes were lawful responses under international norms.
- In his formal communication with the United Nations on June 13, Araghchi explicitly labelled the attacks a “declaration of war”, and warned that Iran would utilise “all diplomatic, legal, and defensive avenues” in response.
- In a Truth Social post on June 17, US President Trump called Khamenei an “easy target” and added the US “would not kill him, at least not for now.” He praised Israel’s military actions as “brilliant” and “very successful.”
- President Isaac Herzog of Israel said Iran’s attack on Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba was a “war crime,” and called on the international community to hold Iran accountable.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned both Israeli and Iranian strikes on civilian infrastructure. He called for immediate de-escalation and for both parties to uphold international humanitarian law.
Diplomacy
- On June 13-14, Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise against their regime. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi initiated contact with Gulf intermediaries and US envoys.
- On June 15-17, Iran reached out to Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to mediate a ceasefire framework with the US and Israel. Iranian officials conveyed via Gulf channels a conditional willingness to discuss nuclear terms if Israeli strikes stopped. Iran confirmed multiple phone calls between Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff but ruled out formal talks until Israeli attacks ceased.
- Meanwhile, Israel coordinated closely with the US, pressing for military and political backing.
- On June 16, the G7 meeting released a note affirming Israel’s “right to defend itself”. It described Iran as the “principal source of regional instability and terror,” asserting that “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
- On June 18, Russia warned of a “Chernobyl-style catastrophe” from Israeli strikes on Bushehr and cautioned against US involvement. Moscow evacuated some Russian personnel and called strikes on peaceful nuclear missions “illegal and unacceptable”. Meanwhile, Israel’s President Herzog criticised the UK for its silence, warning Europe could be next in Iran’s missile range.
- EU foreign ministers—including David Lammy, Johann Wadephul, and Jean-Noël Barrot—held talks in Geneva with Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi on June 19. They urged both sides to cease hostilities, return to the JCPOA framework, and pursue verifiable commitments on Iran’s nuclear program.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in a call with Netanyahu, voiced support for Israel’s right to defend itself—but stressed the urgent need for diplomatic engagement.
- As of June 20, Iran reiterated through public and diplomatic messaging that its nuclear program remains peaceful and that retaliation was legitimate under international law.
- Additionally, Tehran has been appealing to Russia, China, and non-aligned nations to pressure Israel and the US to halt military actions. Iran is using diplomatic forums such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to highlight what it terms Israeli “aggression” and seek wider condemnation.
US possible intervention
- A nuclear deal talk was scheduled to take place in Oman on June 15 between Iran and the US.
- A couple of days before the attack, President Trump had warned that an Israeli attack on Iran was imminent. In 2020, Trump had ordered a drone strike in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, that killed Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ division responsible.
- Initially, the US insisted on a diplomatic solution, but there are mixed signals now with the US military action on the table.
- On June 13, he urged Iran to agree to a nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” suggesting through his Truth Social post that the next attacks could be “even more brutal.” Trump wrote that Iranian leaders “didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!”
- On June 17, he posted, “IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
- On June 18, Khamenei delivered his first televised address since Israel began its attacks on Friday, warning that any US military intervention would be met with “irreparable consequences.”
- In the latest news from a White House press briefing, Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether the US would intervene militarily, stressing that diplomacy was still under consideration. While analysts point out that the ongoing indecisiveness stems from divisions within the president’s inner circle.
- White House Press Secretary confirmed ongoing consultations and emphasised that diplomacy is still being explored.
Israel in Palestine
- Meanwhile, the Israeli military has since May 27 continued targeting Gazans seeking food and other essential supplies, killing over 400 and injuring over 3,000 at all four distribution centres across the Gaza Strip, operated by the Israel-US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
- Following Israel’s military response to the 2023 Hamas attack, the total toll in Gaza stands at over 55,700, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, while independent researchers and experts estimate the figures to be around 80,000. However, UNESCO, in a press statement on May 27, cited that over 50,000 children have been killed or injured—calling the situation “unimaginable horrors.”
