LIVE West Asia crisis: Israel Katz calls for the ‘non-existence’ of Ayatollah Khamenei

Iran seems to be off the internet overnight, as of Day 7 of the Iran-Israel conflict precipitated by Israel's assault starting 13 June, last Friday.

Israel said it struck the "inactive nuclear reactor" in Arak, Iran, last night; it has also targeted Natanz again. Iran has scored a direct hit on Israel's Soroka Hospital.

Neither side has declared death tolls for the day or last night.

POTUS Donald Trump claimed yesterday Iran reached out to him to help negotiate an end to the conflict, adding he 'may or may not' join Israel's strike force. (Before that, Ayatollah Khamenei had said categorically that Iran will not surrender, following the POTUS message calling for 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER'.)

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More in yesterday's blog

Alexei Likhachev, the head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, told reporters that several dozen Russian workers had already been evacuated from Bushehr and others could follow suit quickly if necessary.

Likhachev warned that an Israeli strike on the Bushehr reactor could trigger a catastrophe comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

He voiced hope that the Israeli leadership will “have sufficient understanding and common sense not to allow even an accidental hit”.

Earlier, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia is particularly concerned about security at the plant in Iran's southern port of Bushehr and the Russian personnel there.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said that over 200 Russian workers are involved in building two more nuclear reactors in Bushehr. “We agreed with the Israeli leadership that their security will be ensured,” he said.

The Israeli military has said that Iran used a missile with multiple warheads in its attack today, posing a new challenge to Israel's defences.

Instead of having to track one warhead, missiles with multiple warheads can pose a more difficult challenge for air defence systems like the Iron Dome.

Iran's blackout has now lasted well over 24 hours.

NetBlocks, a monitoring group that tracks internet outages, said Iran's nationwide internet blackout had lasted over 24 hours as of Thursday afternoon, making it the most severe disruption since the anti-government protests of November 2019.

Some 2,400 stranded Israelis are on their way to Israel aboard a cruise ship that has departed from Cyprus' main Limassol port.

They had reached Cyprus after their Israeli-bound passenger aircraft was diverted to the island at the onset of a missile exchange between Israel and Iran last week. Many others stranded in other countries came to Cyprus, the closest European nation to Israel, in hopes of catching a flight or a boat trip back to Israel.

Cyprus' chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin says approximately 6,500 Israelis were in Cyprus, which has become a key transit point for foreign nationals fleeing Israel as well as the many Israelis who want to go back home.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi has said in a televised speech that Israel's military operations against Iran constitute a dangerous development for the entire West Asian region.

He said Iran repeatedly asserted that it doesn't want to produce nuclear weapons or use them, and praised the nation's “effective response”, saying it placed Israel in an unprecedented position.

“The enemy hoped to achieve a major accomplishment through this aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, but it failed, and the failure of this aggression clearly resulted in losses and damage,” said al-Houthi.

He dismissed US president Donald Trump's remarks about Iran's unconditional surrender as “nonsense and madness”, and affirmed that Houthi operations against Israel will persist, including those targeting Israeli maritime activity.

Images of Iranian civilians killed by Israeli strikes have started to appear on billboards around Tehran, locals report.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has said that the military “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist”. He was speaking of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

According to Israel's health ministry, today's retaliatory barrage from Iran has injured at least 240 people in Tel Aviv and elsewhere, four of them seriously.

Meanwhile, an unnamed Israeli official said said its airstrikes have destroyed around two-thirds of Iran's ballistic missile launchers. The official said that Iran likely still has over 100 active missile launchers.

“We are hitting all the chain of production, from the military factory all the way to the launcher itself, we're stopping all of the elements,” the official said. Israel estimates that before Friday, 13 June, Iran had around 2,000 ballistic missiles.

The official would not comment on Israeli impact on Iran's nuclear programme. "We said we're going to damage severely the nuclear facilities, but we didn't say we're going to destroy it totally,” the official said. “We know our limits.”

Defence minister Katz's statement also included a claim that the Iranian supreme leader personally ordered a strike on Israel’s hospitals. An Iranian statement that followed has noted that Israel has, in the service of genocide in Gaza, already attacked every hospital in the strip.

‘Earlier today, our powerful Armed Forces accurately eliminated an Israeli Military Command, Control & Intelligence HQ and another vital target. The blast wave caused superficial damage to a small section of the nearby, and largely evacuated, Soroka Military Hospital,’ reads the statement.

‘The facility is mainly used to treat Israeli soldiers engaged in the Genocide in Gaza 25 miles away, where Israel has destroyed or damaged 94 [per cent] of Palestinian hospitals.

‘It is the Israeli regime and not Iran that initiated all this bloodshed, and it is Israeli war criminals and not Iranians who are targeting hospitals and civilians,’ it continues.

‘Hundreds of innocent Iranians have been murdered in cold blood since Israel launched its illegal war against the Iranian people last week.

‘We call on Israelis to heed our evacuation orders before strikes and to avoid proximity to military and intelligence sites. Our powerful Armed Forces will continue to pummel the criminals who target our people until they cease and pay for their criminal aggression against our nation.

Gaza had 36 sizeable hospitals before Israel’s retaliatory aggression after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack. They are now all significantly damaged or utterly destroyed, and hugely short of necessary health supplies as basic as anaesthesia for many months, reports from the field have repeatedly said.

Unconfirmed reports say that the US president’s ‘Doomsday plane’, an E-4B, has landed near Washington.

The last time this happened was on 9/11, after the Twin Towers were attacked, in 2001.

The aircraft also known as the Nightwatch is built to withstand nuclear blasts and serves as a mobile command centre for the US president and the commanders of the US defence forces during global emergencies.

Its activity typically signals the highest levels of military alert.

Ehud Barak, former prime minister of Israel, has claimed in a TV interview that Israel and the US simply cannot destroy the nuclear facilities in Iran.

War with Iran now has no logical justification; Iran's nuclear programme cannot be destroyed without a regime change, he argued.

“The US does not want to enter into a war with Iran because they have never won a war — not in Korea, not in Vietnam, not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan!,” he added.

Therefore, he concluded, “The US must enter into negotiations and reconciliation with Iran.”

Even on 13 June — when it all began — while being interviewed by CNN, Barak had said the Israeli onslaught, even if aided by the US, cannot possibly delay Iran’s nuclear projects anyway by more than “several weeks... a month”, maybe “a few months” at most.

So what is Israel really trying to do here?

Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed his shock at POTUS Donald Trump's policy on Iran in a TV interview: "Foreign policy spread through tweets is crazy. But that's exactly what this guy is doing.

"You know, [director of national intelligence] Tulsi Gabbard, who has every reason to be confident in her words, previously said that Iran has not taken any steps to build a bomb. On Monday [16 June], we received confirmation that the intelligence has not changed. Our president is basically ignoring all intelligence. I have no idea what the current US policy is on this.”

“I am the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and if I have no idea, what do the American people know? And what do our friends, the few friends we have left in other countries, know?

"Last week he said that Israel could do it on its own, without our help. Then we started helping them with their defence. Now he's tweeting his threats...

"What does 'unconditional surrender' mean? Who should Iran surrender to? As I said about war in the Middle East, it is easy to start but difficult to end," said the senator.

IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi has repeated in a CNN interview with veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour that the agency has no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear bomb.

"We did not find in Iran elements to indicate that there is an active, systematic plan to build a nuclear weapon. We have not seen elements to allow us as inspectors to affirm that there was a nuclear weapon that was being manufactured or produced somewhere in Iran," he said.

He added that Israel's current bombardment of Iran, which targets its nuclear facilities in particular, is actually preventing the IAEA from investigating further.

Trump had on 17 June said that, contrary to what his intel chief Tulsi Gabbard had reported, Iran was very close to developing nuclear weapons. "I don't care what she says" were his exact words.

Even as Israel voiced its outrage at Iranian missiles hitting a hospital in the centre of Tel Aviv, Israeli academic Ori Goldberg said in a TV interview, “It's important to mention that there really are various sensitive installations and headquarters very near to the hospital because Israel places its military HQs in the midst of civilian neighbourhoods and towns.”

Israel has, meanwhile, repeatedly alleged that the Hamas militants in Palestine do exactly this: hide in plain sight in civilian areas, which is what 'forces' Israel to target Gaza's hospitals, schools, refugee camps, ambulances and even UN and Red Cross/Crescent operations.

“The very fact that the Zionist regime’s American friends have entered the scene and are saying such things is a sign of that regime’s weakness and inability,” posted Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei on X.

He went on to express his certainty that Allah the Almighty God will "certainly, definitely grant victory to the Iranian nation, to the truth, and to the side that is in the right".

'In view of the recent developments between Israel and Iran, the Government of India has decided to evacuate from Israel those Indian nationals who wish to leave,' the ministry of external affairs has said in a press release minutes ago.

The Embassy of India in Tel Aviv will be making the necessary arrangements, the statement said.

'All Indian nationals are requested to register themselves with the Embassy of India in Tel Aviv at (https://www.indembassyisrael.gov.in/indian_national_reg), if not already registered. In case of any queries, they may contact the 24/7 Control Room established at Embassy of India, Tel Aviv: telephone numbers: +972 54-7520711; +972 54-3278392; email: cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in,' the statement continued.

As Israel's airspace is still closed to commercial flights (barring repatriation flights for Israelis coming back home), travel out of the country for Indian citizens will be facilitated by the Indian mission through the land borders until they can be flown back from another nation in the region.

Last year, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had noted there are over 18,000 Indians working as caregivers or in other professions in Israel. This was around the time a sizeable batch of Indian construction workers left for the region — just before the government of India issued a travel advisory against going to Israel.

Will the West Asia crisis have spiralled out of control or containment when NATO leaders meet in The Hague next week (24–26 June)?

The city saw a massive 'Red Line' protest on Monday, 16 June, in solidarity with Palestine — including 'Trump niet welkom' posters.

The Hague, of course, is also home to both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court as well — both considering the question of Israel's war crimes and with the latter having already issued a warrant for the arrest of PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

Read more about what to expect from the summit and about security at The Hague

Chinese president Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have spoken on the phone about the situation in West Asia, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The phone conversation this afternoon, 19 June, comes almost a week after Israel initiated a large-scale military attack on Iran on 13 June, which led to retaliation from Iran.

On Tuesday, 17 June, Xi had called for de-escalation in the Israel–Iran conflict to avoid further tensions in the Middle East, while emphasising that Beijing was prepared to “play a constructive role” in restoring peace, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, who has been a consistent critic of Benjamin Netanyahu, believes US president Donald Trump “smells an easy victory”. This was what he said when asked on Channel 4 why he thinks Trump changed his mind about joining Israel’s war against Iran.

He went on to add, however, that “this may not be easy and [may] not a victory”.

He also explained why the US’ direct involvement in the West Asia conflict could be catastrophic: “Think of Vietnam, think of Afghanistan, think of Iraq…,” Levy said, “think of Israel’s never-ending war in Gaza… If the US intervenes, then Iran is likely to hit back at US bases, which will force Trump to do more, and send in troops and then Russia could blink…”

Levy said this could lead to a new world war.

“Trump smells an opportunity to do something which will succeed after all the failures… but someone has to whisper in his ear that this can also end as a catastrophe,” Levy suggested.

Tel Aviv stock market drops 3 per cent, total losses estimated at $475 billion — so claimed the Tehran Times, a leading Iranian national daily, at just past noon today.

Is Russia's president Vladimir Putin sending a coded message to POTUS Donald Trump?

"My hope is that Mr. Trump is not just a politician, a person whom the American people entrusted with his country’s future. He is also a businessman," Putin has said, per the TASS news agency.

"I see his habit of calculating everything as an advantage. Since he is a rich man, he is good at math. He can calculate what this or that measure with regard to Russia may entail, how much it will cost to taxpayers, how much it will cost to the US economy."

While there is no mention of Iran or Israel in this, could this be a nod to the POTUS' supposed deliberation on joining the war in West Asia?

Iran's state news agency IRNA has shared images of a 'No to War with Iran' demonstration outside the White House in Washington DC. People seen in the images include those in appearing to be conservative practising Jews.

One placard reads 'Jews worldwide Condemn (sic) Zionist attack on Iran' and continues 'End of Zionism = Peace'.

A banner read 'Hands Off Iran' and another said 'Arms Embargo Now'.

An LGBTQIA+ Pride banner was seen hung on a wall in the backdrop of the protest. Palestine flags were being waved by several protestors.

Other placards demanded there be 'No US-Israeli War on Iran' and that the US 'Stop Arming Israel'.

Iran has long maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. However, it also enriches uranium up to 60 per cent, a short technical step from the weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent enrichment, defence analysts claim.

Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich at that level.

Israel, meanwhile, is the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East — but does not acknowledge having such weapons, has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and does not submit to inspections by the IAEA.

The ability of Iran to inflict the damage on it has Israel in its retaliation — while under strong economic sanctions for over three decades and despite Israel's sudden, unexpected attack to cripple it overnight — has analysts stumped.

Read more here

A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded.

In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds.

Iran's the state-run IRNA news agency reports that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will meet his European counterparts in Geneva, as an Israeli airstrike campaign continues to target his country

Araghchi will travel to Geneva for the meetings on Friday, 20 June.

Days ago, a statement from the G7 summit in Canada saw several European leaders — France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz and Italy's Georgia Meloni — sign a statement backing Israel's 'right to self-defence' in this conflict and declaring Iran the cause of regional instability.

This, despite the conflict having begun with Israel's assault on Iran while it was in nuclear talks with the US. Iran then ruled out a 'negotiation under threat' as President Trump of the US called for Tehran residents to evacuate since Iran had not signed the deal as urged.

"We saw missiles in the sky and heard bombs in our neighbourhood... We were petrified", says MBBS student Mir Khalif, his voice still trembling with fear, as he stepped out of the Delhi airport after being evacuated from war-hit Iran under Operation Sindhu.

Read more here

Iran's embassy in India shared a note on X, with a map, showing the "exact" targets of its strike on Tel Aviv — and repudiating Israeli claims that it had attacked a hospital in a residential area.

The target sites, Iran claims, were:

• the Central command headquarters for communications, control and intelligence of the Israeli Army (IDF C4I HQ)

• the main military intelligence and operations building of the Israeli Army in the Gav-Yam Technology Park, Tel Aviv.

It added: 'Since these targets are located next to the Soroka Military Hospital, the hospital was affected by the blast wave but sustained no significant damage.'

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and UK National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell on Thursday, stressing the need for de-escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict. Abdelatty called on the E3—comprising the UK, France, and Germany—to engage Iran through all available diplomatic channels and pursue compromises aimed at calming regional tensions.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have ordered the military to ramp up strikes on strategic targets in Iran following Tehran’s latest wave of ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities. Katz accused Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of launching “deliberate attacks” on hospitals and residential buildings from a fortified bunker, calling him a “cowardly dictator.”

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned the US on Thursday against direct involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, stating that Tehran has “all necessary options on the table” to defend itself, according to state media. He cautioned that any US action in support of Israel would provoke a strong Iranian response, urging Washington to “at least stand by” if it cannot stop Israeli aggression.

An Iranian missile struck Soroka Medical Centre in southern Israel early Thursday, injuring several people and causing extensive damage, according to officials. Israeli media showed footage of shattered windows and smoke billowing from the site. Separate strikes hit a Tel Aviv high-rise and wounded 16, three seriously.

Meanwhile, Israel targeted Iran’s Arak nuclear reactor as the conflict entered its seventh day, with both sides exchanging heavy fire despite Israel’s air defences intercepting most incoming missiles. Emergency protocols remain active in Israeli hospitals across the country.

For a detailed news report, click here.

A statement attributed to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and released by IRNA, the news agency reads —— "To the residents of the occupied lands in Al-Quds: …the missile strikes will be precise and continuous. As you saw yesterday, Mossad and “Aman” (military intelligence) headquarters, as well as air force bases of the Zionist army, were targeted across various parts of the occupied territories. The Commander of the IRGC had warned: "The gates of hell will be opened upon you." The missiles of the Aerospace Force will not allow you a single moment outside your underground shelters and it has now been days since you’ve seen sunlight. Be certain: the sirens will not fall silent for even a moment. You must choose between a slow death in a hellish life within the shelters, or a swift escape from the lands your forefathers stole; perhaps you’ll find life beyond the hell that is coming."

Even as the UN secretary General called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, Iran’s diplomatic mission at the UN sent out a stern response to President Trump’s claim that Iran seeks a meeting at the White House. "No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to “take out” Iran’s Supreme Leader. Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance. Iran shall respond to any threat with a counter-threat, and to any action with reciprocal measures," the statement reads.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Iran’s underground facilities remain largely unaffected and that the population appeared to be rallying around its leadership. “Iran didn't want our help, If the situation escalates, we’ll see if they will need help…Iran’s agreement with Russia does not have a defence clause. Iran does not ask Russia for help. Iran did not want to cooperate with Russia on air defence previously. Iran fights the fight alone, they’re proud and want to be self-reliant. If the situation escalates, we’ll see if they will need help. For now, they don’t want it," Putin was quoted as saying.

Foreign Minister of Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi in a statement asserted: “By now, the whole world should know that: (1) Iran solely acts in self-defence…Iran has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it. Just like Netanyahu manufactured this war to destroy diplomacy, the world should be highly alarmed about increasing attempts by the failing Israeli regime to get others to bail it out and to expand the flames to the region and beyond. (2) We have never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons. With the exception of the illegitimate, genocidal and occupying Israeli regime, we remain committed to diplomacy. As before, we are serious and forward-looking in our outlook”.

“I am an American. And I am a Jew. And I am damn proud to be both. I love my country. And I also love the place that G-d promised to His chosen people. To those who hate people like me, your rage makes us stronger. You will lose, as everyone who has challenged us has, from Pharoh... to Haman... to Hitler... As the Ayatollah is about to find out. Bombs away” posts Republican Member of the House of representatives Rand Fine. He is the same Congressman who had earlier posted “I want to congratulate Israel on its mostly peaceful bombing of Iran after Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iran last Friday, 13 June.

Meanwhile, social media buzz in the US has been making the wild and unconfirmed claim that President Trump has ordered an attack on Iran, but has not yet given final approval - Trump is reportedly waiting to see if Iran will give up uranium enrichment. The US president is weighing the timing and broader regional implications before giving the green light, is the claim being made.

Netanyahu is not the President of the United States. He should not be determining US foreign and military policy. If the people of Israel support his decision to start a war with Iran, that is their business and their war. The United States must not be a part of it.

US President Donald Trump has approved plans to strike Iran but is yet to make a final decision, with the underground Fordo nuclear site seen as a potential target, CBS News reports. While publicly non-committal, Trump warned Iran is “in a lot of trouble” and may seek negotiations. Meanwhile, Israel launched another wave of strikes in Tehran and urged evacuations in Arak and Khandab as tensions in the region escalate.

Israel has launched an attack on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television confirmed on Thursday. The report stated that there is “no radiation danger whatsoever” as the facility had been evacuated ahead of the strike. Earlier in the day, Israel had publicly warned of the impending attack and urged civilians to leave the surrounding area, amid escalating military exchanges between the two nations.

Oil prices edged lower on Thursday as investors remained cautious amid mixed signals from U.S. President Donald Trump on possible American involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Brent crude slipped 20 cents to $76.50 a barrel, while WTI July futures dipped 4 cents to $75.10. The more active August contract also fell slightly to $73.42. Volatility persisted after Wednesday’s swings, with traders also weighing the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged, Reuters reported.

Asian shares slipped on Thursday amid deepening Middle East tensions and uncertainty over US monetary policy. President Donald Trump’s warnings of possible direct involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict added to investor anxiety, while Iran’s supreme leader firmly rejected US demands. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 0.7 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng plunged 2 per cent on tech sell-offs, and China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.9 per cent. Oil prices and U.S. futures also declined. Meanwhile, Wall Street closed mixed on Wednesday as the Fed signalled two potential rate cuts by year-end, keeping markets cautious.

Japan has placed military aircraft on standby to evacuate its nationals from Iran and Israel as tensions in the Middle East escalate, top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi announced on Thursday. The Self-Defense Forces aircraft have been moved to Djibouti in preparation.

Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said around 1,000 Japanese citizens are currently in Israel and 280 in Iran. Japanese embassies in both countries are also coordinating ground evacuations by bus to neighbouring nations, as the conflict enters its seventh day, AFP reported.

An Iranian missile barrage struck Israel on Thursday morning, including a “direct hit” on a medical building, according to rescuers, AP reported. Firefighters confirmed damage to the facility and nearby apartment buildings, though there were no immediate reports of casualties. The strikes come amid intensifying hostilities, shortly after Israel launched attacks targeting Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor. Full details on the extent of damage are still emerging.

The first group of Indian students evacuated from Iran amid escalating Israeli airstrikes landed safely in Delhi on Thursday morning under Operation Sindhu, reported. Around 100 students were first moved by road to Armenia on Tuesday before boarding a special flight from Yerevan arranged by Indian authorities.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the Indian Embassy in Iran has been actively helping nationals relocate from high-risk zones to safer areas and facilitating their evacuation through available routes as hostilities in the region intensify.

Australia has begun evacuating its citizens from Israel as the regional crisis deepens, with nearly 3,000 Australians registered for assistance across the Middle East, CNN reported. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that a small group was evacuated by land on Wednesday, with more expected to follow soon as the situation becomes “increasingly dangerous.” She also urged Iran to halt its nuclear weapons ambitions and return to the negotiating table, stating, “Iran has a choice here… to discontinue its program and to return to talks.”

As Iranian missiles and Israeli interceptors streak across Syrian skies, the new government in Damascus has maintained an official silence, despite Syria’s historic ties to both nations. Iran was a key supporter of former President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s 14-year civil war, while Israel continues to occupy the Golan Heights and has carried out repeated strikes since Assad’s ouster. Yet amid the escalating regional conflict, Syrians and their leaders appear keen to remain on the sidelines, watching the crisis unfold without direct involvement, AFP reports.

Around 100 Indian students evacuated from Iran under Operation Sindhu landed safely in Delhi on Thursday morning, CNN reported. This comes as Israel and Iran continue to trade airstrikes in what is now the region’s most intense military confrontation in decades.

Israeli strikes have reportedly killed over 200 people, including senior Iranian military officials, while Iran’s missile retaliation left 24 civilians dead in Israel, according to Reuters. In response, Tehran activated its air defences, intercepted incoming drones, arrested 18 suspected Israeli-linked operatives, and imposed temporary internet curbs amid panic and mass evacuations from the capital.

Oil prices edged lower as investors remained cautious amid uncertainty over potential U.S. intervention in the Israel-Iran crisis. Brent crude fell 37 cents to $76.33 a barrel, while WTI July futures dropped 28 cents to $74.86. Reuters reported that volatility remains high, with traders reacting to mixed signals from President Trump on Washington’s next move.

Tensions in West Asia escalated sharply as Israel’s military issued a warning for civilians to evacuate the area surrounding Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, heightening fears of a direct strike. Former US President Donald Trump declared that his “patience has run out” with Iran, while stressing that diplomatic avenues remain open. Despite this, Trump hinted at possible American military involvement to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions if required. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a mediation effort to resolve the Israel-Iran conflict, suggesting Moscow could broker a solution that safeguards Israeli security while allowing Iran a peaceful atomic programme. When asked how Russia would respond if Israel assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Putin refused to engage with the hypothetical. Iran, on its part, issued a stern warning to the US, with its UN Ambassador in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, asserting that Iran will respond firmly if Washington becomes directly involved, accusing the US of being complicit in Israel’s military actions.