17:00 PM (IST): " Temporary restrictions have been imposed on the country's internet," Says Iran while confirming Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of Revolutionary Guard Missile Program, being killed in Israeli strikes.

15: 40 PM (IST): Israel Air Force continues to intercept drones launched from Iran towards Israel.

14.40 PM (IST): "It will of course, escalate and it will have an immediate impact on us. As far as I know, Iran did not give Israel any provocation to launch an attack. Israel went ahead and waged war on a country on its own accord. If the global powers remain silent on this, it will be truly unfortunate. What Israel has done is very similar to what Russia did to Ukraine." - Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah

13: 40 PM (IST): International reactions continue to come in as governments around the world respond to the unfolding developments in the Middle East with Turkiye condemning the Israeli strikes on Iran.

In a dramatic escalation of regional tensions, Israel launched “preemptive” strikes on Friday targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and key military sites, igniting fears of a broader Middle East conflict. The attack came just hours after former US President Donald Trump warned that a “massive conflict” could erupt in the region.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Israel would suffer severe consequences for the attacks that killed two senior military commanders and top nuclear scientists in Iran.

Explosions echoed through the Iranian capital early Friday morning. Iranian state television confirmed the blasts and said that Iran’s air defence systems were at “100 percent operational capacity”.

After the strikes, Israel imposed a state of emergency. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned the public and the world: “Following the State of Israel's preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future.”

The timing of the attacks has raised intense speculation about a potential Iran retaliation, adding further to an already unstable region.

Israel is currently striking Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/YzYr0CneRz
— AF Post (@AFpost) June 13, 2025

Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, and Senior Revolutionary Guards commander Gholam Ali Rashid were killed after Israel targeted multiple locations in Iran. According to Tasnim news agency nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi "were targeted and martyred".

The Israeli military says Iran has launched a counter-attack of more than 100 drones, which Israel says it has begun to intercept outside of Israeli territory. A state of emergency was declared in Israel.

Trump: “It Could Very Well Happen”

On Thursday, Trump suggested Israeli military action was on the horizon, warning of the precariousness of the current diplomacy. “I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen,” he said at the White House when questioned about an Israeli offensive.

While saying that a "pretty good" Iran nuclear deal was "fairly close", Trump recognized that the Israeli move had the potential to sabotage or even scuttle talks. He noted that a military strike could either “blow it” or, paradoxically, “might help it actually.”

While Trump did not divulge details of his Monday conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he made his stance clear: “I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it.”

An American official confirmed that there had been no US involvement in Israeli attacks.

Oil Prices Surge Amid Conflict Fears

The short-term impact of the attack echoed throughout international energy markets. Oil prices surged by as much as 6 percent, a reflection of investor concern over the increasing turmoil in a region that remains vital to worldwide oil supply.

Trump's government also said it was cutting embassy personnel in Iraq, a region long suffering from proxy wars by Iran-allied militias.

The United States, while not coming close to the military intervention, is an ally of Israel on the military and diplomatic front. Washington has endorsed Israel's right to defend itself, especially since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack blamed by Israel on Tehran-backed militants.

Israel Demands Global Action on Iran's Nuclear Activities

In a simultaneous diplomatic development, Israel is again urging unified international action following the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s condemnation of Iran for not living up to its nuclear commitments.

The IAEA's scathing resolution opens the door for European states to trigger a "snapback" regime, restoring UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). That mechanism expires in October.

Trump, in his initial presidency, unilaterally pulled the US out of the JCPOA and reinstated sweeping sanctions against Iran. Israel has long been opposed to the agreement, asserting it does little to stop Iran's nuclear drive.

Iran Hits Back: Enrichment Plans and Rhetoric

In defiance of mounting international pressure, Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami dismissed the IAEA resolution as “extremist”, accusing Israel of orchestrating the move through its influence on global diplomacy.

“Extremist”, he declared, capturing the Iranian stance on what it views as unfair treatment by the West.

As a result, Iran has made defiant new promises to increase its uranium enrichment program. The regime will introduce a new enrichment facility at a secret, secure location soon, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, has said.

Iran also plans to substitute all of the first-generation centrifuges with advanced sixth-generation ones in its Fordo uranium enrichment facility, a giant leap towards increasing the capacity for enrichment.

Iran presently enriches uranium to 60 percent levels, far beyond the 3.67 percent level set in the 2015 nuclear accord. At 60 percent, it is still short of the 90 percent mark required to make a nuclear bomb, but it is a dangerously close trajectory that has unsettled world leaders.

Tensions at Breaking Point

Friday’s developments have set the stage for an explosive confrontation between Israel and Iran, with potential implications for neighboring states, global security, and the non-proliferation regime.

With Iran vowing retaliation, and Israel remaining on high alert, the world watches anxiously as diplomatic efforts to prevent war face their most serious challenge in years.

As Netanyahu’s government adopts a posture of less restraint following the Hamas attacks, and Iran continues to assert its nuclear “rights,” the possibility of a full-blown regional war can no longer be dismissed as remote.

The balance of deterrence that has precariously held for years now hangs in the balance.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Related Topics