LIVE West Asia crisis: Iran thanks India, the world for ‘victory’ against Zionist regime and US

The ceasefire between Iran and Israel, brokered by US President Donald Trump, appears to be holding for now, though tensions remain high following reported violations by both sides. Within hours of the truce taking effect, Iran is said to have launched a missile strike, while Israel reportedly conducted an assault on Tehran.

Meanwhile, US intelligence assessments have raised concerns that recent American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites may not have achieved their objective. Reports suggest the bombings only delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by a few months, rather than inflicting lasting damage. The White House has firmly denied these claims, dismissing them as inaccurate and unhelpful speculation.

President Trump, addressing the violations in a televised speech, publicly rebuked both Iran and Israel. He used strong language, including a rare on-air expletive, to criticise the breaches and ordered Israeli forces to cease operations and return their fighter jets.

Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, has since reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to the ceasefire—on the condition that Israel also adheres to it. According to Iran’s Nournews, cited by Al Jazeera, Pezeshkian stated that Iran remains open to dialogue and will safeguard national interests at the negotiating table.

More in yesterday’s live updates

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei, confirmed on Wednesday that the country's nuclear facilities had been “badly damaged” in American strikes over the weekend.

Speaking on Al Jazeera, Baqaei refused to go into detail but conceded that the 22 June strikes by American B-2 bombers using bunker-buster bombs had been significant. “Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure,” he said.

Iran 'extends its heartfelt gratitude to all noble and freedom-loving people of India — including the esteemed citizens, political parties, honorable members of Parliament, non-governmental organizations, religious and spiritual leaders, university professors, members of the media, social activists, and all individuals and institutions who, in recent days and in various forms, stood firmly and vocally with the great nation of Iran,' its embassy in New Delhi says in a statement.

'The messages of solidarity, moral support, public statements, and active participation in peace-oriented gatherings and initiatives, during a time when the Iranian people were under brutal military assault by the occupying Zionist regime, have been a source of deep encouragement. These gestures clearly reflect the awakened conscience of nations and their commitment to justice and the principles of international law,' the message continued.

'The solidarity of world nations with the people of Iran is not simply a political stance — it is an affirmation of the universal values of justice, legality, and global peace,' the statement added.

Iran said it 'has consistently emphasized the need to uphold the principles of international law and to resist expansionist and aggressive policies. We firmly believe that the unity and solidarity of nations serve as a powerful bulwark against war, violence, and injustice'.

The message ended 'Jai Iran — Jai Hind'.

European shares slipped and Asian benchmarks advanced on Wednesday as a fragile truce between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding.

Oil prices rebounded slightly after falling about 6 per cent on Tuesday on hopes that the brief war will not hinder the global flow of crude.

US benchmark crude gained 1.3 per cent to USD65.20 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 1.1 per cent to USD66.92.

Lower oil prices could give the Federal Reserve leeway to cut interest rates to help the US economy. Its chair, Jerome Powell, said Tuesday the central bank is waiting to see how the economy evolves before deciding whether to reduce its key interest rate, a stance directly at odds with President Donald Trump's calls for immediate cuts.

“For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,” Powell said in testimony Tuesday before the House Financial Services Committee.

In early European share trading, Germany's DAX fell 0.4 per cent, giving up early gains, to 23,540.08 and the CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.2 per cent to 7,603.30. Britain's FTSE 100 was flat at 8,758.48, while US futures were little changed.

Shares advanced in Asia, where Tokyo's Nikkei 225 picked up 0.4 per cent to 38,942.07.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong advanced 1.2 per cent to 24,474.67 and the Shanghai Composite index jumped 1 per cent to 3,455.97.

“The world can now move on to face other difficult choices like tariffs and things like that. So I think the market is well on its way to rebound and could again reach new levels,” said Frances Lun, CEO of GEO Securities in Hong Kong.

In South Korea, the Kospi edged less than 0.1 per cent higher to 3,108.25, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 also was barely changed, at 8,559.20.

Taiwan's Taiex gained 1.1 per cent and the Sensex in India was up 0.8 per cent. In Bangkok, the SET added 0.3% after the Thai central bank opted to keep its key interest rate unchanged.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 climbed 1.1 per cent, following up on big gains for stocks across Europe and Asia, after Trump said late Monday that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire.” The main measure of Wall Street's health is back within 0.8 per cent of its record set in February after falling roughly 20 per cent below during the spring.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.2 per cent and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.4 per cent.

The fear throughout the Israel-Iran conflict has been that it could squeeze the world's supply of oil, which would pump up prices for gasoline and hurt the global economy. Iran is a major producer of crude, and it could also try to block the Strait of Hormuz off its coast, through which 20 per cent of the world's daily oil needs passes on ships.

Now, oil prices have dropped so much in the last two days that they're near where they were before the fighting began nearly two weeks ago.

Pope Leo XIV urged the warring sides in the Israel-Iran war to “reject the logic of bullying and revenge” and choose a path of dialogue and diplomacy to reach peace as he expressed solidarity with all Christians in the Middle East.

Speaking at his weekly Wednesday general audience, the American pope said he was following “with attention and hope” recent developments in the war. He cited the biblical exhortation: “A nation shall not raise the sword against another nation.”

The ceasefire is so far holding after the 12-day Iran–Israel conflict, which involved Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and the US intervening by dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful.

“Let us listen to this voice that comes from on High,” Leo said. “Heal the lacerations caused by the bloody actions of recent days, reject all logic of bullying and revenge, and resolutely take the path of dialogue, diplomacy and peace.”

The day after the shaky truce was established, the BBC anchor from Jerusalem saying 'We know [Donald Trump] was on the phone to Netanyahu ordering Israeli planes that were on the way to bomb Iran should be turned around' got trolled by netizens for having effectively advertised that the POTUS could therefore also have stopped the genocide in Gaza over the last several months.

Ukrainian drone hunters found some unusual debris from last week's strikes, with new tech... But with Russia manufacturing its own Shahed drones (with knowhow originally from Iran), will Israeli strikes actually hamper its increasingly successful campaign in Ukraine?

Read more here

Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Israel’s war in Gaza should also be brought to an end now.

Speaking in the national parliament on Tuesday, 24 June, Merz said “the moment has come” for a ceasefire in the enclave between Israel and Hamas.

Germany, which with the US, Canada and several European nations, has long upheld Israel's 'right to self-defence' — most recently at the G7 Summit, in reference to the 'nuclear threat' of Iran — had also on 27 May criticised the Netanyahu regime's military assault on Gaza, saying the scale of Palestinian civilian harm can no longer be justified as a 'fight against Hamas', and had warned Israel against alienating its 'closest friends'.

Sophie van der Tann, a journalist with ARD who has been reporting from Israel, has claimed that not only is the media still barred from entering Gaza, but now they are pressured into selective reporting of the impact of Iranian strikes on Israel.

The Israeli military censor, van der Tann claimed, is happy to have journalists play up the impact on civilian facilities but wants to shroud the strikes that have affected military sites and personnel, because of their 'strategic' impact. 'The problem is,' in van der Tann's words, that this creates an imoression that the strikes are directed at exclusively civilian spaces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the Iran-Israel ceasefire and called for “close dialogue” to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit late Tuesday (24 June 2025).

Erdogan “expressed his satisfaction with the ceasefire achieved between Israel and Iran through President Trump’s efforts, hoping it would be permanent,” AFP said quoting to a statement from his office.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump announced that Iran and Israel had agreed to a staggered ceasefire aimed at officially ending their 11-day conflict.

The ceasefire followed a sharp escalation over the weekend, when the U.S. joined Israel in targeting Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday (22 June), prompting a retaliatory strike by Iran on a U.S. base in Qatar late Monday (23 June). The exchange appeared to mark the end of the confrontation.

Israel’s army on Wednesday confirmed that seven of its soldiers were killed in combat operations in the southern Gaza Strip, as the war with Hamas continues.

According to AFP, the Army’s website reported that five soldiers and a platoon commander from the same battalion “fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip.” A seventh soldier was also killed, but his name has not been disclosed as his family has not granted permission.

With these casualties, the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the war began now exceeds 430. The conflict was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Following Israel’s agreement to a ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the focus would now shift back to operations in Gaza.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed the death of a fifth staff member in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Mahmoud Barakeh, a logistics worker at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, was killed on Sunday while returning home.

In a statement, the ICRC described his death as a “profound personal loss” and a stark reminder of the daily dangers faced by humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza. Barakeh is survived by his wife, three sons, and two daughters.

The US House of Representatives has voted decisively to set aside a resolution to impeach President Donald Trump for launching military strikes on Iran without Congressional approval. The motion, introduced by Democrat Rep. Al Green of Texas, was tabled in a 344–79 vote, with most Democrats joining Republicans to block the effort—at least for now.

Green, who cited constitutional concerns, said no president should have the unchecked power to take the nation to war. “The Constitution is going to be meaningful or it’s going to be meaningless,” he said. The measure sparked minimal debate but revealed deep divisions within the Democratic caucus.

Iran has executed three men accused of spying for Israel, just a day after the ceasefire between the two nations came into effect. According to Iran’s judiciary, Idris Ali, Azad Shojai, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul were convicted of attempting to smuggle equipment into the country for assassination plots in collaboration with the "Zionist regime". The executions were carried out on Wednesday morning, the judiciary confirmed. The development adds fresh tension to the fragile truce now in its second day.

The US Embassy in Israel has resumed normal operations and consular services as the ceasefire between Iran and Israel holds for a second consecutive day. Shelter-in-place orders for US government staff and their families have been lifted, according to a statement on the embassy’s website.

Passport and visa services will return to normal, with full operations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv set to resume from Monday, 30 June. However, travel restrictions remain in place for US personnel outside the greater Tel Aviv area, including Herzliya, Netanya, Even Yehuda, Jerusalem, and Beersheva.

President Donald Trump has dismissed media reports suggesting that recent US strikes on Iran only delayed its nuclear programme by a few months. Posting on Truth Social, he declared, “THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!” The White House continues to deny claims of limited damage from the weekend operation.

The Trump administration has postponed classified briefings for Senate and House members seeking clarity on the recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The Senate session is now set for Thursday, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to attend. The House briefing, confirmed by Speaker Mike Johnson, will follow on Friday.

The delay comes amid growing bipartisan pressure for transparency, with lawmakers questioning the legal basis and intelligence behind the strikes. Despite CIA and intelligence leaders being scheduled to brief Congress, some officials say no new intelligence has been shared since March—when the US assessed Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon.

Trump, meanwhile, doubled down on his ceasefire claims, declaring on social media that an "Official END" to the conflict was agreed, even as skirmishes briefly resumed.

For a more detailed news report click here