Israel has reported the killing of three additional Iranian commanders in its ongoing bombing campaign against the Islamic republic. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar asserted that this action has delayed Tehran’s purported progress toward developing a nuclear weapon by two years.
The Israeli military stated that a strike in Qom, south of Tehran, successfully targeted Saeed Izadi, a high-ranking Iranian official responsible for coordinating with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, alongside two other commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who were also killed overnight.
As Israel persisted in its assaults on Iran’s nuclear and military positions, Mr. Saar commented in an interview that, according to his country’s assessments, they have “already delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb”.
“We will do everything we can to eliminate this threat,” Mr. Saar told the German newspaper Bild, emphasizing that Israel’s offensive would carry on.
Israel announced a second attack on Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site after its air force confirmed it had also targeted missile storage and launch sites in central Iran.
The military later stated it was also targeting military infrastructure in southwestern Iran.
US President Donald Trump indicated yesterday that Tehran has a “maximum” of two weeks to avoid potential American air strikes, as Washington considers whether to support Israel’s campaign.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned that France and its European partners would intensify discussions with Iran.
“I am convinced that there is a way out of war and to avoid even greater dangers,” Macron stated on X after his phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“To achieve this, we will increase the negotiations initiated by France and its European partners with Iran.”
The Iranian President @drpezeshkian called me.
I reiterated my firm demand: Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris must be released. Their inhumane detention is unjust. I expect them to return to France.
I also expressed my deep concern about Iran’s nuclear program.…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 21, 2025
The developments come as Iran and Israel have engaged in fresh hostilities, a day after Tehran stated it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat, while Europe attempts to maintain peace talks.
Shortly after 2:30 AM in Israel, the Israeli military alerted of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, prompting air raid sirens in parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Interceptions were witnessed over Tel Aviv, accompanied by explosions resonating throughout the metropolitan area as Israel’s air defense systems engaged.
Simultaneously, Israel initiated another round of attacks targeting missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran, as stated by the Israeli military.
Reports from the Fars news agency indicated that Israel struck the Isfahan nuclear site early this morning, claiming there were no hazardous leaks or risks to the population.
According to a security official, Israel conducted multiple strikes, including on the Isfahan site, asserting that “most of the explosive sounds heard during these attacks were related to air defense activity”.
There was no “leakage of hazardous materials”, the official was quoted as saying.
An Israeli military representative mentioned that Iran launched five ballistic missiles, with no immediate reports of missile impacts observed.
There were no initial casualty reports.
Israeli first responders entered a building struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa.
The emergency service released images depicting a fire on the roof of a multi-story residential building in central Israel. Local media reported that the fire stemmed from debris of an intercepted missile.
Israel commenced its attacks on Iran over a week ago, asserting that its longstanding adversary was nearing the capacity to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran, which insists its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes targeted at Israel.
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it neither confirms nor denies this.
Its air assaults have reportedly resulted in the deaths of 639 individuals in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based organization that monitors human rights in Iran.
The fatalities include top military officials and nuclear scientists.
Yesterday, it was announced that the Irish embassy in Tehran has temporarily closed due to escalating clashes.
Within Israel, authorities have reported 24 civilian fatalities resulting from Iranian missile attacks.
Reuters could not independently verify the casualty figures for either side.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz indicated that the military had eliminated a veteran commander in the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ overseas unit, in a strike on an apartment in Qom.
The commander killed was identified as Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force.
Talks are showing little progress.
Iran has consistently targeted Tel Aviv, a metropolitan region of approximately four million residents and the country’s economic hub, where critical military assets are also located.
Israel claims to have targeted numerous military positions, including missile production facilities, a research institution it claims is involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran, and military installations in western and central Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi asserted that there is no room for negotiations with the US “until Israeli aggression ceases.” However, he arrived in Geneva yesterday for discussions with European foreign ministers, aiming to pave a path back to diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump reiterated that he may take up to two weeks to decide whether the United States should join the conflict on Israel’s side, allowing time “to see whether or not people come to their senses,” he stated.
Mr. Trump expressed doubt that he would urge Israel to scale back its airstrikes to facilitate ongoing negotiations.
“I believe it’s very difficult to make that request right now. If someone is winning, it’s more challenging to do that than if someone is losing, but we’re prepared, willing, and able, and we’ve been talking to Iran, so we’ll see what unfolds,” he mentioned.
Iran’s UN representative Amir Saeid Iravani presented photographs while speaking during a United Nations Security Council meeting regarding the conflict.
The Geneva discussions yielded minimal signs of progress, and Mr. Trump expressed skepticism that negotiators could achieve a ceasefire.
“Iran prefers to speak to us rather than Europe. Europe is not positioned to assist in this situation,” Mr. Trump remarked.
Since the onset of the air conflict, hundreds of US citizens have evacuated Iran, according to a US State Department communication reviewed by journalists.
Israel’s representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, informed the Security Council that his country would continue its attacks “until Iran’s nuclear threat is dismantled”.
Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for action from the Security Council, expressing concerns over reports that the US might join the conflict.
Russia and China have demanded immediate de-escalation.
A senior Iranian official informed Reuters that Iran is open to discussing uranium enrichment limitations but will reject any proposal that prevents it from completely enriching uranium, “especially during the current strikes by Israel”.
A UAE official has called for a swift conclusion to the Iran-Israel conflict, warning of a “difficult aftermath” if the war is prolonged.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, indicated that the ongoing conflict is “setting back” the prosperous Gulf region.
“The longer a war lasts, the more perilous it becomes,” he communicated to journalists in a briefing on Friday. “I believe any prolonged confrontation or war between Israel and Iran will lead to significant challenges ahead.”
US President Donald Trump has granted Iran a “maximum” of two weeks to engage in negotiations to avoid potential US airstrikes; however, Tehran has declared it will not engage in talks while under attack.
“De-escalation is of utmost importance,” Gargash stated. “We still believe there is a path back to negotiations on these matters.”
The Middle East continues to grapple with the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which toppled Saddam Hussein but left the nation fragmented and unstable.
A significant risk from the current conflict is disruption to the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, a passage that accounts for one-fifth of global oil production.
“This war contradicts the regional order that Gulf countries aspire to establish, which is centered around regional prosperity,” Mr. Gargash added.
“We believe this is setting us back, not just in the UAE but for the entire region.”
