Tel Aviv, explosion at Norwegian ambassador's residence. White House: Iran can produce atom bomb in 2 weeks

American Airlines Group Inc. suspended daily flights from the US to the Qatari capital, while United Airlines Holdings Inc. suspended service to Dubai due to military action and rising tensions in the Middle East. American acted after the US Embassy in Qatar warned US citizens in the country and its staff to "exercise increased vigilance." According to a notice posted Thursday, 19 June on the US State Department's website, the embassy advised people to be aware of their surroundings, to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, to exercise caution in places publicly associated with the US, and to "maintain a low profile."

American's daily flight from Philadelphia to Doha is suspended until 22 June, the airline said. The last flight from Doha to Philadelphia departed today. "We will continue to monitor the situation with the utmost attention to safety and will further adjust our operations as necessary," American said. United suspended daily flights between its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Dubai on Thursday, and said it would resume service "when it is safe."

The new intelligence chief of the Iranian Pasdaran is Sardar Khadami. The official IRNA news agency wrote this today.

In a decree, Army General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Sardar Majid Khadami as the new head of the IGRC Intelligence Organisation. Khadami takes over from Mohammad Kazemi, the former intelligence commander of the Pasdaran, who was killed in the Israeli raids on 15 June.

Leader Naim Qassem says Hezbollah "is not neutral" in the face of the new conflict in the region and "will act as it sees fit in the face of this brutal Israeli-American aggression". Qassem's statement comes after the US special envoy for Syria issued a warning against Hezbollah's involvement in the conflict.

The authorities of Bat Yam, the locality near Tel Aviv that was hit by Iranian missiles on Sunday, announced that Maria Peshkarova, the Ukrainian woman who had arrived in Israel in December 2022 to care for her daughter Anastasia, an eight-year-old girl suffering from leukaemia, who was killed along with her grandmother in the bombing of the building in which they lived, has also been extracted from the rubble and identified. This brings to nine the number of victims, including three children, in Bat Yam.

The IAEA never said Iran was producing atomic weapons. "We have said that there is no evidence of systematic organised activities to manufacture a nuclear weapon". Thus in an exclusive interview with Tg1 the director general of the UN Atomic Agency Rafael Grossi, stressing that the agency has verified that Tehran has enriched uranium well above levels for civilian use. "Iran is the only country in the world to do a process of enriching uranium to 60 per cent, almost at military level, which is eventually for the manufacture of a nuclear weapon".

The UK, France and Germany will hold talks with the Iranian foreign minister on Friday, in a final attempt to avoid an escalation of the Middle East conflict and a possible US intervention. The Financial Times writes. The talks, which are scheduled to take place in Geneva and will be attended by the foreign ministers of the three European countries, will take place against the backdrop of the latest statements by US President Donald Trump, who has speculated that he may participate in Israel's offensive against Iran.

'It is better to address the issue through negotiations rather than through conflict.... The risk of escalation across the region is clear,' said the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. He added that the UK 'fully recognises' Israel's right to self-defence, 'but the principle must be to reduce tension'.

President Donald Trump has been briefed on both the risks and benefits of bombing Fordow, Iran's most secure nuclear site, and is convinced that decommissioning it is necessary because of the risk of weapons being produced in a relatively short period of time. Several sources told Cbs News. The president "believes there are not many alternatives," one source said. "Completing the task means destroying Fordow."

The US armed forces have initiated a series of precautionary measures to protect assets and personnel deployed in the Middle East, as tensions rise between Israel and Iran. According to CNN reports, all aircraft not stationed at the Al-Udeid base in Qatar were evacuated in recent days and transferred to other locations. The move is linked to the risk of possible retaliation by Tehran, should Washington decide to join Israel in an attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

Satellite images from today show the runways of the base almost empty. US Navy ships stationed at the naval base in the Kingdom of Bahrain have also left the port, two defence officials confirmed. (The base is strategically located in the Persian Gulf, a short distance from the Iranian coast).

Iran could show 'flexibility' on the nuclear talks if the US succeeds in convincing Israel to cease hostilities, the Reuters news agency reports, citing diplomatic sources. According to the sources, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a conversation with US envoy Steve Witkoff, said that Tehran would be 'ready to return to nuclear talks, but would not be able to do so if Israel continued to bomb'. Araghchi and Witkoff have had several telephone talks since the beginning of the crisis in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution, but according to sources, this was the first contact initiated by Washington.

Iran and the United States have been in direct contact since Israel's attacks began. Reuters reports this, citing diplomatic sources. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has spoken several times on the phone with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.

There are no immediate reports of impacts in populated areas or injuries in the Iranian ballistic missile attack launched on northern Israel. This was stated by Magen David Adom, the Jewish state emergency service, quoted by the Times of Israel. According to initial assessments by the IDF, at least 10 missiles were launched by Iran in the attack. Sirens sounded in northern Israel.

Hackers with possible ties to Israel have taken more than $90 million from Nobitex, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The group that claimed responsibility for the hacker attack disclosed on Thursday what it called the company's complete source code. "The remaining assets in Nobitex are now completely out in the open," the group wrote on its Telegram account. The stolen funds were transferred to addresses bearing messages critical of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, blockchain analysis company Elliptic wrote in a blog post.

According to Elliptic, the attack was not financially motivated, as the wallets the hackers poured money into 'actually burned funds to send a political message to Nobitex'. The hacker group, Gonjeshke Darande - 'Predatory Sparrow' in Farsi - accused Nobitex of helping the Iranian government evade Western sanctions on the country's fast-moving nuclear programme and transferring money to militants, in a post on X in which it claimed the attack. Nobitex appears to have confirmed the attack. Its app and website were down as it assessed 'unauthorised access' to its systems, it said in a post on X.

The US is preparing for a possible military strike against Iran as tensions rise after the exchange of fire with Israel and the Iranian missile that hit a hospital in Beersheba, causing some minor injuries. According to informed sources quoted by Bloomberg, senior federal officials are planning a possible raid as early as the weekend, while President Donald Trump has stated that he has 'ideas about what to do' and that the final decision will be made 'a second sooner than necessary'. Trump, initially in favour of dialogue, has changed his tone in recent days, partly under pressure from senators such as Lindsey Graham to join the conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said today on X that the missile attack that damaged theSoroka hospital in southern Israel actually 'precisely eliminated an Israeli military command, control and intelligence headquarters and another vital target'.

According to Araghchi, the explosion caused only 'superficial damage to a small part' of the hospital, 'mainly used to treat Israeli soldiers engaged in genocide in Gaza, some 40 kilometres away, where Israel has destroyed or damaged 94% of Palestinian hospitals'.

The Iranian minister added that 'it is the Israeli regime and not Iran that started all this bloodshed, and it is the Israeli war criminals and not the Iranians who are targeting hospitals and civilians', recalling that 'hundreds of innocent Iranians have been killed' by Israeli raids.

Fumi si levano da un edificio del complesso ospedaliero di Soroka dopo che è stato colpito da un missile sparato dall’Iran a Beersheba, Israele, giovedì 19 giugno 2025. (Foto AP/Leo Correa)

A regime change in Tehran is not the goal of the Israeli military campaign, but the operations could create the conditions for a popular uprising, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"People ask me: are we aiming for the fall of the regime? This might be an achievement, but it is up to the Iranian people to rise up for their freedom. Freedom is never cheap, it is never free. Freedom requires the subjugated people to rise up, and it is up to them.

Air raid warning sirens resound in northern Israel over missile launches from Iran. This is stated by the IDF.

Tehran is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the attack on Iran. This was confirmed by a member of the Parliament's National Security Committee quoted by Tass: 'The possible closure of the Strait is one of the options currently on the table'.

Twenty Air Force fighter jets just concluded a wave of attacks in western Iran. The raids targeted ground-to-ground missile infrastructure and soldiers of the Iranian armed forces. An Israeli source said: 'Two thirds of the Iranian launchers were damaged,' Channel 12 reports citing Reuters.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is having a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The main topic of the conversation is the military crisis between Iran and Israel, the possible consequences on the regional framework and the situation in Gaza.

"All options are open, it is better not to talk about it in the media". This is how Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, on a visit to the Soroka hospital hit by Iranian missiles this morning, responded to the question of whether he thinks now is the time to eliminate Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. On US involvement in the attacks in Iran, the prime minister said that "it depends on Trump, he knows the game". On the overthrow of the ayatollahs' regime, Netanyahu stated that "2,500 years ago Cyrus liberated the Jewish people, now the Jewish people are helping the Persian people to liberate themselves".

"The very fact that the Americans, friends of the Zionist regime, have come on the scene and are saying these things is a sign of the weakness and incapacity of that regime." This was stated by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the context of the conflict between Israel and the Islamic Republic. "I would like to tell our dear nation that if the enemy perceives that you fear him, he will not let you go. Continue to behave as you have done so far, continue to behave strongly," the Iranian leader added in a message on X.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei 'cannot be allowed to continue to exist', Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in Holon, a suburb of Tel Aviv hit by an Iranian missile attack this morning. "Khamenei openly declares that he wants to destroy Israel. He considers the destruction of Israel a goal," Katz told reporters in ;;day seven of the war with Iran launched by Israel, and added: "Such a man cannot be allowed to continue to exist."

"We would like to warn Washington against military intervention in this situation, which would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this about a possible US attack on Iran. Tass reports.

An Israeli military official said on Thursday that "it was a mistake" on the part of a military spokesman to state earlier that day that Israel had struck the Bushehr nuclear site in Iran.

The official merely confirmed that Israel hit the nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan and Arak in Iran.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urges "all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease hostilities as soon as possible", recalling that "the international community should work to calm the situation" and that "dialogue and negotiation are the fundamental way out". Xi, speaking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, called for 'strict compliance' with international law and 'the protection of civilians in the context of tensions between Iran and Israel'. China 'stands ready to continue to improve communication and coordination with all and play a constructive role for peace in the Middle East'.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation today during which they condemned the Israeli attacks on Iran and called for a negotiated solution to the conflict. This was reported by Russian presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov as quoted by the Ria Novosti news agency.

A ceasefire is "the top priority" in the conflict between Israel and Iran, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who in telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart - in the Beijing state media report - said that "the use of force is not the right way to resolve international disputes". Xi Jinping urged 'all parties to the conflict, especially Israel, to cease hostilities as soon as possible', pointing out that 'the international community should work to calm the situation and that 'dialogue and negotiation are the fundamental way out'. Xi called for 'strict compliance' with international law and 'the protection of civilians in the context of tensions between Iran and Israel'.

- Iran accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of being a 'partner' in Israeli aggression.

Widespread blackout of access to the main Iranian websites this morning, in the wake of the restrictions imposed yesterday as a precautionary measure by the authorities in Tehran against fears of Israeli cyber infiltration and sabotage. This was reported by NetBlocks, the British Internet watchdog. The blockade is allegedly precluding access to information for millions of Iranians, according to opposition sources abroad, who in turn report being unable to access sites based in their home country.

-US President Donald Trump will meet a 'humiliating death' if the US joins Israel in attacking Iran. This is the word of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose note was picked up today by Iran International, a London-based news channel linked to the opposition abroad. "Trump," warns Raisi, "has yet to answer for the blood of Qasem Soleimani (the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard killed in Iraq in 2020, ed.) and is awaiting the vengeance of the Iranian nation. A humiliating death awaits him (if he attacks), and he will surely be felled by the hand of the oppressed world'.

At least 639 certified dead and 1,329 wounded is the indicative death toll from the Israeli-led raids against Iran since 14 June updated today by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), an independent Iranian human rights non-governmental organisation. The NGO estimates that the majority were civilians. The Israeli attacks affected a total of 21 provinces. Hrana's figures - released in spite of the lack of complete official numbers and the restrictions of the authorities in Tehran - were taken over by Iran International, a London-based website linked to the opposition abroad.

One of the main air bases in the Middle East used by the US military saw many of the aircraft that are usually on its runway disappear over the weekend. Al Udeid Air Base, just outside Doha, Qatar, is the advanced headquarters of the US Army's Central Command. Usually, the airbase is filled with transport planes, fighter jets and drones. In a satellite photo taken yesterday by Planet Labs PBC and analysed by the Associated Press, the airport runway was empty. The US military has not confirmed the movements of the vehicles. However, this comes after the ships of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain were also taken away. This is a typical military strategy to ensure that combat ships and aircraft are not destroyed in the event of an attack.

''I don't even want to discuss this possibility. I don't want to''. This is how Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of the possibility that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could be killed in the ongoing conflict with Israel. "It seems right to me that everyone should look for ways to end hostilities and that the parties involved should reach an agreement in order to secure Iran's interests, including peaceful nuclear activity, and Israel's interests from the security point of view,'' Putin said in a press briefing.

Beijing 'opposes any act that violates the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries, and opposes the use or threat of the use of force in international relations'. This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun at a press conference, responding to a question about US President Donald Trump, who had warned that he was considering military intervention in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ''ordered intensified attacks against military and strategic targets in Iran and government targets in Tehran''. With the aim of ''eliminating threats to the state of Israel and destabilising the Ayatollahs' regime'. This was announced by Katz himself, who called Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a ''coward'' and said he would be ''held accountable'' for his ''war crimes''. The reference is to the ballistic missile launched by Iran that hit the Soroka hospital in southern Israel. "The cowardly Iranian dictator hides deep inside a fortified bunker and deliberately launches attacks against hospitals and residential buildings in Israel," Katz said.

The highest ranking Iraqi Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, warned against targeting the Iranian leadership and said that war between Iran and Israel could plunge the entire region into chaos. Any attack on Iran's leadership could trigger 'widespread chaos that would aggravate the suffering of its people and severely damage the interests of all,' the cleric said.

"The Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva is one of the best in Israel and serves the entire Negev region, treating Israelis of all faiths and our Palestinian neighbours who come specifically for treatment. Its devoted staff - Jews and Arabs - work side by side in extraordinary harmony, united by the mission to heal," said Israeli President Isaac Herzog. "I send strength and support to the medical teams, patients and residents of Beer Sheva and all the towns attacked this morning in Israel. At times like these, we are reminded of what is really at stake and the values we are defending."

"The missile fired at the Soroka Medical Centre is an act of terrorism and crosses a red line". This was denounced - pointing the finger at Iran - by the Israeli Health Minister, Uriel Buso.

"This is a war crime by the Iranian regime, deliberately targeting innocent civilians and medical teams committed to saving lives. The Ministry of Health was prepared in advance and, thanks to the immediate actions we took, a major disaster was averted,' he said.

'Iran will continue to exercise its right to self-defence, with pride and courage, and we will make the aggressor repent and pay for his grave mistake,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, accusing Israel of wanting to 'spread the flames in the region and beyond'.

"Iran has proven with facts what it has always publicly pledged: we have never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons. Otherwise, what better pretext for developing these inhuman weapons than the current aggression against the only nuclear-armed regime in the region?" he added on X.

North Korea has condemned the start of Israeli air strikes against Iran, calling them a 'horrific act' of aggression. A Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed "serious" concerns over the moves by Israel, a state accused of increasing the risks of a new all-out war in the Middle East and of being, with US and Western support, "a cancer" that threatens peace. "The current grave situation that the world is witnessing clearly demonstrates that Israel, supported and sponsored by the US and the West, is a cancerous entity for peace in the Middle East and the main culprit in the destruction of global peace and security," the official said, according to the dispatch relayed by the official Kcna news agency, in what is the first official comment on the hermit state affair.

Pyongyang called the Israeli attack on Iran a "horrible act of aggression" that violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a sovereign state and an "unforgivable crime against humanity. The Zionists who have brought a new war to the Middle East and the forces behind the scenes that support them, even zealously, will be held entirely responsible for the destruction of international peace and security," the official added. Having established diplomatic relations in 1973, North Korea and Iran are known to have close ties in spite of international sanctions against their weapons programmes. Pyongyang and Tehran have also supplied arms to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. When tensions emerged in the Middle East, the North denounced Israel and expressed its support for Iran or Syria when necessary to show solidarity with an anti-American stance

US President Donald Trump has told his top aides that he has approved plans to strike Iran, but to wait to see if Tehran will abandon its nuclear programme, according to sources in the Wall Street Journal, which cites the Iranian Fordow enrichment plant as a possible US target; it is buried under a mountain and generally considered by military experts to be out of reach of all but the most powerful bombs. Asked whether he had decided whether or not to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, Trump replied: 'I might, I might not'. And he reiterated his insistence on Iran's unconditional surrender: 'Next week will be very important, maybe less than a week'.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had earlier declared that his country would not surrender and warned that any US military intervention would have irreparable consequences. The US military has strengthened its forces in the Middle East in recent days. A third US Navy destroyer has entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a second US carrier strike group is heading towards the Arabian Sea. Although the Pentagon has stated that the military build-up is purely defensive, it better positions the US in case Trump decides to join the Israeli attacks against Iran. It could also be a tactic to pressure Iran into chapters or concessions.

The US is reportedly preparing for a possible attack on Iran in the coming days, probably over the weekend. The Bloomberg news agency reports this, citing administration officials who say that the situation continues to evolve and things could change. The possibility of a US attack over the weekend is a sign that Washington is assembling the necessary infrastructure in the Middle East to go directly to war against Iran.

A wave of about twenty ballistic missiles was launched from Iran on Israel this morning: some of the launchers directly hit buildings in Tel Aviv, Holon and Ramat Gan in the centre of the country. The Magen David Adom rescue service reports that there are wounded.

Israel attacked the Iranian heavy water reactor in Arak, as reported by Iranian state television, for which, in any case, there would be "no danger of radiation leakage". The plant had already been evacuated before the attack, which was announced on 'X' by the IDF, which had also called on the population to flee the area.

A missile fired by Iran directly hit the large Soroka hospital in Beer Sheva, southern Israel. Rescuers report severe damage at the scene and the risk of collapse. Four areas in central and southern Israel were directly hit by ballistic missiles fired by Iran a short while ago. According to initial reports, the town of Gush Dan was hit and there is damage to a structure in the Negev.