By SAM MEDNICK, JON GAMBRELL and DAVID RISING
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel and Iran exchanged strikes every week into their conflict Friday as President Donald Trump weighed U.S. navy involvement and new diplomatic efforts acquired underway.
Trump has been weighing whether or not to assault Iran by hanging its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried underneath a mountain and broadly thought of to be out of attain of all however America’s “bunker-buster” bombs. He stated he’ll determine inside two weeks whether or not the U.S. navy will get immediately concerned within the conflict given the “substantial probability” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s International Minister Abbas Araghchi seemed to be en path to Geneva for conferences with the European Union’s prime diplomat and counterparts from the UK, France and Germany. A airplane together with his regular name signal took off from the Turkish metropolis of Van, close to the Iranian border, flight-tracking information from FlightRadar24 confirmed. Iran usually acknowledges his departure hours afterward.
Britain’s overseas secretary stated he met on the White Home with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff to debate the potential for a deal that might cool the battle.
Earlier than his flight, Araghchi stated on Iranian state tv that his nation was “not searching for negotiations with anybody” so long as Israel’s assaults continued, underscoring the diplomatic challenges forward. He additionally accused the U.S. of collaborating with Israel, noting that Trump usually used “we” in social media posts and interviews speaking concerning the assaults on Iran.
“It’s the Individuals who need talks,” he stated in feedback Thursday that had been broadcast Friday. “They’ve despatched messages a number of occasions — very critical ones — however we made it explicitly clear to them that so long as this aggression and invasion proceed, there may be completely no room for speak or diplomacy. We’re engaged in respectable self-defense, and this protection is not going to cease underneath any circumstances.”
He added that he anticipated the Switzerland talks to focus solely on Iran’s nuclear program, and that Iran’s missile capabilities had been “for defending the nation” and never up for dialogue.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated prime European diplomats in Geneva will make a “complete, diplomatic and technical provide of negotiation” to Iran, as a key response to the “menace” represented by Iran’s nuclear program.
“Nobody can severely consider that this menace may be met with (Israel’s) present operations alone,” he instructed reporters on the sidelines of the Paris Air Present, saying some vegetation are closely fortified and no person is aware of precisely the place all uranium enrichment is going down.
“We have to regain management on (Iran’s nuclear) program by means of technical experience and negotiation.”
Iran had beforehand agreed to restrict its uranium enrichment and permit worldwide inspectors in to its nuclear websites underneath a 2015 take care of the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in change for sanctions reduction and different provisions.
After Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal throughout his final time period, nonetheless, Iran started enriching uranium to greater ranges and limiting entry to its services.
-
Smokes rises from a constructing of the Soroka hospital complicated after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photograph/Leo Correa)
1 of 2
Smokes rises from a constructing of the Soroka hospital complicated after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photograph/Leo Correa)
Israel says air marketing campaign will goal extra websites
Israel stated it carried out airstrikes into Friday morning in Iran with greater than 60 plane hitting what it stated had been industrial websites to fabricate missiles. It didn’t elaborate on the areas. It additionally stated it hit the headquarters of Iran’s Group of Defensive Innovation and Analysis, identified by its acronym in Farsi, SPND. The U.S. prior to now has linked that company to alleged Iranian analysis and testing tied to the potential growth of nuclear explosive gadgets.
It additionally carried out airstrikes focusing on the areas round Kermanshah and Tabriz in western Iran, the place the navy stated 25 fighter jets struck “missile storage and launch infrastructure elements” Friday morning. There had been reviews of anti-aircraft fireplace within the areas.
Iran didn’t instantly acknowledge the losses, and has not mentioned the harm achieved to date to its navy within the weeklong conflict.
“We’re strengthening our air management within the area and advancing our air offensive,” Israeli navy spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin instructed reporters.
“We have now extra websites to strike in Tehran, western Iran and different locations.”
Israeli airstrikes additionally reached into the town of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early Friday, Iranian media reported. The Israeli navy had warned the general public to flee the world round Rasht’s Industrial Metropolis, southwest of the town’s downtown. However with Iran’s web shut off to the surface world, it’s unclear simply how many individuals may see the message.
Harm from missiles in southern Israel
In Israel, the paramedic service Magen David Adom stated Iranian missiles struck a residential space in southern Israel inflicting harm to buildings, together with one six-story constructing. They’ve offered medical therapy to 5 individuals with minor accidents reminiscent of bruises, smoke inhalation, and anxiousness, it stated.
Later Friday, as Araghchi’s airplane approached Geneva, Israel’s navy warned of extra incoming Iranian missiles and air raid sirens blared in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
On Thursday, a minimum of 80 sufferers and medical employees had been wounded in a strike on the Soroka Medical Heart within the southern metropolis of Beersheba.
After that assault, Israel’s protection minister threatened Iranian Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the Iranian missile crashed into the hospital. Israel’s navy “has been instructed and is aware of that so as to obtain all of its targets, this man completely shouldn’t live on,” Protection Minister Israel Katz stated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he trusted that Trump would “do what’s finest for America.” Talking from the rubble and shattered glass across the hospital, he added: “I can let you know that they’re already serving to so much.”
The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes focusing on nuclear and navy websites, prime generals and nuclear scientists. Not less than 657 individuals, together with 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and greater than 2,000 wounded, in keeping with a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, in keeping with Israeli military estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel’s multitiered air defenses, however a minimum of 24 individuals in Israel have been killed and lots of wounded.
Iran has lengthy maintained its nuclear program is for peaceable functions. However it’s the solely non-nuclear-weapon state to complement uranium as much as 60%, a brief, technical step away from weapons-grade ranges of 90%.
Israel is broadly believed to be the one Center Jap nation with a nuclear weapons program however has by no means acknowledged it.
The Israeli air marketing campaign has focused Iran’s enrichment web site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops round Tehran, a nuclear web site in Isfahan and what the military assesses to be most of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers. The destruction of these launchers has contributed to the regular decline in Iranian assaults because the begin of the battle.
Gambrell and Rising reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Related Press author Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
Initially Revealed: