Israel-Iran conflict LIVE | Iran to close Hormuz Strait, vows to avenge bombings
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says US has committed a "grave violation" of the UN Charter, adding that these events will have everlasting consequences
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is heading to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (June 23) in the wake of US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
Calling Russia a “friend of Iran,” the foreign minister warned that Iran “reserves all options to defend its security, its interests, its people...All options are on the table.”
Addressing a press conference in Istanbul, Araghchi said with the overnight strikes on Iran, “there is no red line” that the US has not crossed. He said the last red line “and the most dangerous one was what happened only last night when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities.”
Araghchi said Washington is “fully responsible” for what actions the Islamic Republic takes next in retaliation against the US strikes on its various nuclear sites. “The warmongering, a lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression,” he added.
He also made it clear that diplomacy is not an option after a US strike on its nuclear facilities. He said while the “door to diplomacy” should always be open, “this is not the case right now.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday conveyed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian India’s “deep concern” over Iran’s conflict with Israel and called for immediate de-escalation of the situation through “dialogue and diplomacy”.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said the American military struck three sites in Iran, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear programme in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran's threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict.
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Live Updates
- 23 Jun 2025 6:53 AM IST
Trump says he's open to regime change in Iran
President Donald Trump suggested that could he see Iran rejecting its government leadership, after officials in his administration stressed that the White House was not seeking a regime change.
“It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change', but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!” The statement marked something of a reversal from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's Sunday morning news conference when he said that regime change was not part of the mission in the aerial bombardment of three Iranian nuclear sites.
- 22 Jun 2025 8:59 PM IST
Rubio says next steps are up to Iranian govt
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the next steps are up to the Iranian government.
“If the regime wants peace, we're ready for peace. If they want to do something else, they're incredibly vulnerable. They can't even protect their own airspace,” Rubio said on CBS’s Face the Nation.
Rubio also warned against Iranian attacks on countries in the region that host American military forces.
“That's exactly why they are there. All those bases are there because those countries are afraid Iran will attack them,” Rubio said. “Those bases are there because those countries are petrified.”
- 22 Jun 2025 8:34 PM IST
Iranian missile fired after US strikes causes heavy damage in Tel Aviv
Hours after the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites, Iran launched more than 40 missiles toward Israel on Sunday, wounding 23 people and destroying apartment buildings and homes in three cities.
At an impact site in Tel Aviv, the blast had sheared off the face of a multistory residential building and damaged several others — including a nursing home — in a radius of hundreds of metres. But few people were wounded, as many residents had been evacuated and others made it to bomb shelters.
Deputy Mayor Haim Goren, who assisted at the scene, said it was nevertheless "miraculous" that more people were not hurt. Relatives and health aides helped residents — many with wheelchairs or walkers — to leave the nursing home, where windows were blown out up to the top on the 11th floor.
“It's like a typhoon came through my apartment,” said Ofer Berger, who lives near the impact site on the seventh floor of a high-rise. “All of the apartments in this area are destroyed,” he said.
Emergency services said one person was moderately wounded by shrapnel in Sunday's missile barrage while dozens of others were lightly injured.
Berger said he hoped the war with Iran would end soon. “Most of the tit-for-tat strikes like this end with a lot of tears,” he said.
Residents sat with their pets and suitcases outside the damaged buildings. One person sat next to a shopping cart filled with Buddha statues and a child's bicycle.
Families gathered what they could and stepped gingerly around piles of glass and twisted metal. Dozens of volunteers from an organisation called “One Heart” showed up to help residents salvage their belongings. (AP)
- 22 Jun 2025 8:32 PM IST
Kin of pilgrims from UP's Ballia stranded in Iran seek Centre's help
The family members of five people, who had gone to Iran for a religious pilgrimage, from Rasra town in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district on Sunday sought the Indian government's assistance for their safe evacuation and journey back home.
The five pilgrims -- Syed Asad Ali Bakar, Syed Mohammad Muztaba Hussain, Syed Mohammad, Shama Jahan and Syed Nazmusqib -- are stranded in Tehran amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
Atif, a resident of Rasra, told PTI that the members of his family reached Iran after visiting Iraq on May 25 for pilgrimage.
All are currently safe in a hotel in Tehran, he said.
Atif said that another local Masiur Rahman also went with them, but he returned to India from Iraq on June 7.
The family members of the workers from Barabanki district stranded in Israel also expressed concern for their safety.
The workers are reportedly living in bunkers and are in constant contact with the Indian Embassy.
Many factories have been closed in Israel due to the war, forcing the Indian workers to spend their days in bunkers, the family members lamented. PTI
- 22 Jun 2025 8:31 PM IST
Vance says Iran renewed chance to pursue 'path of peace' after US attack
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that America “does not seek war” with Iran in the aftermath of a surprise attack overnight on three of that country's nuclear sites while Vice President JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran a renewed chance of negotiating with Washington.
The mission, called “Operation Midnight Hammer,” involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance, Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference.
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Hegseth added.
Caine said the goal of the operation — destroying nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — had been achieved.
“Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” Caine said.
Vance said in a television interview that while he would not discuss “sensitive intelligence about what we've seen on the ground,” he felt “very confident that we've substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon.”
Pressed further, he told NBC's “Meet the Press” that “I think that we have really pushed their program back by a very long time. I think that it's going to be many many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon.” The vice president said the US had “negotiated aggressively' with Iran to try to find a peaceful settlement and that Trump made his decision after assessing the Iranians were not acting “in good faith.” "I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbours, not to a threat to the United States and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears,” Vance said. (AP) - 22 Jun 2025 8:07 PM IST
Air India group avoids Iran, Iraq, Israel airspace; AI Express cancels some flights
Air India Group is avoiding certain airspace in the Middle East, resulting in longer flight durations while Air India Express is cancelling some services due to the evolving situation, according to sources.
The group has two airlines — Air India and Air India Express — and the latter operates a significant chunk of the services to the Middle East with narrow-body planes.
"Amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region, Air India Group confirms that our flights currently do not operate over the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel.
"As a proactive measure, we will be progressively avoiding the use of certain airspace over the Persian Gulf in the coming days, opting instead for alternative paths for flights to destinations, including the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait," Air India said in a statement on Sunday.
As per the statement, the adjustment may lead to extended flight durations for these services as well as for select flights to/from Europe and North America.
Air India Express reportedly decided to cancel some flights connecting cities in the Middle East due to lower load factors. Lower load factor implies less booking for a particular flight.
There have been no official comments from Air India Express on the flight cancellations.
Air India operates flights to Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, and Jeddah in the Gulf region.
- 22 Jun 2025 7:11 PM IST
US entered conflict after witnessing ‘Israel’s impotence’: Pezeshkian
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the US attack on his country’s nuclear sites revealed that the latter is the main force behind Israel’s military campaign and that it “joined the arena after witnessing Israel’s impotence”, according to Iranian news agency IRNA. - 22 Jun 2025 7:04 PM IST
Iran to close Hormuz Strait: State media
The Iranian parliament has agreed to close Hormuz Strait, the world's most critical oil corridor, its state media has reported.
