Iran-Israel conflict LIVE: More than 400 killed since start of war, says Iran
'War-like situation' enters second week but no end in sight despite diplomatic efforts by top European nations; at least 430 people dead, 3,500 injured in Iran
Hours of talks aimed at de-escalating fighting between Israel and Iran failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough as the war entered its second week with a fresh round of strikes between the two adversaries.
European ministers and Iran's top diplomat met for four hours Friday in Geneva, as President Donald Trump continued to weigh U.S. military involvement and worries rose over potential strikes on nuclear reactors.
European officials expressed hope for future negotiations, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue while emphasizing that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continued attacking.
“Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes,” he told reporters.
No date was set for the next round of talks.
Netanyahu warns of longer fight
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue “for as long as it takes” to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear programme and arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israel's top general echoed the warning, saying the Israeli military was ready “for a prolonged campaign.” But Netanyahu's goal could be out of reach without U.S. help.
Also Read: Trump, Netanyahu acting in tandem to subdue Iran?
Also Read: West’s domination of the rest at the core of Israel’s attack on Iran
Live Updates
- 21 Jun 2025 11:12 AM IST
Operation Sindhu: 517 Indian nationals brought back from Iran so far, says MEA
More than 500 Indian nationals have returned home from Iran under Operation Sindhu so far, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday.
The MEA shared the update about the status of the evacuation operation in a post on X.
- 21 Jun 2025 10:47 AM IST
Indian nationals willl be evacuated, says Israeli Ambassador
Amid the escalation of military confrontation between Israel and Iran, Israeli Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has said that his country is in "constant contact" with the Ministry of External Affairs on the subject of evacuation of Indian nationals from there.
In an interview with PTI Videos at the agency's headquarters here on Friday, Azar also said that "whatever message we get from the Indian government, we take it very seriously" in order to make sure that all Indian citizens are safe.
His remarks came in response to a query on the evacuation of Indians residing in Israel amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
"We are in constant contact with the MEA, on all subjects that have to do with evacuation of civilians. We've been cooperating since the beginning of the war, and this cooperation continues. We have open channels, and whatever message we get from the Indian government, we take it very seriously in order to make sure that all Indian citizens are safe," Azar said.
- 21 Jun 2025 9:19 AM IST
Iran rules out nuke talks
Iran has declared it will not resume negotiations over its nuclear programme while facing what it describes as ongoing attacks, just hours after Israel’s defense minister warned of a "prolonged" confrontation with Tehran.
The statement came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with European diplomats in Geneva, where they pressed him to revive diplomatic efforts with the U.S. to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal.
- 21 Jun 2025 7:45 AM IST
Evacuated students from Iran land in Delhi
''The Indian government has done a lot for us, I can't express what peace you feel when you reach your own country," said an Indian national, after landing in Delhi from Mashhad, Iran, late Friday night.
The returnee, who had gone to Iran on a pilgrimage, was among 290 Indians evacuated under the government's 'Operation Sindhu' amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel.
The flight brought back mostly students from Jammu and Kashmir, along with others from Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, and West Bengal. As they arrived at the airport, chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' echoed through the terminal. Some evacuees were seen hugging each other, overwhelmed by the relief of being home.
One of the returning students, an MBBS scholar at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, described the experience as "a journey full of struggles," but credited the Indian Embassy and the government for their timely intervention. "Our parents were extremely worried. The help we received from our embassy was immense," the student said.
The Ministry of External Affairs launched 'Operation Sindhu' last week to bring back Indian nationals stranded amid worsening conflict and air travel disruptions in the Middle East. On Thursday, 110 students had already arrived via Armenia and Doha.
- 21 Jun 2025 7:39 AM IST
Putin says he has reached out to Iran and Israel
President Vladimir Putin has said he has secured Israel's pledge to safeguard Russian personnel at Iran's Russia-built nuclear power plant and that he has reached out to both sides to try to end the week-old war.
Answering questions on a variety of issues at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin also warned Ukraine that it could lose more territory if it keeps rejecting Russia's conditions for peace.
Putin said Russia has proposed "some ideas” for a possible settlement between Iran and Israel that are currently being discussed.
He said Moscow asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the security of Russian personnel who are working to construct two more reactors at the nuclear power plant in Iran's port of Bushehr and that he also raised the issue with US President Donald Trump.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed with that, and President Trump has promised to support our legitimate demands,” Putin said.
But he strongly rejected allegations that Moscow has failed to back its ally, Tehran, saying the Kremlin has maintained good ties with both Iran and Israel. He noted that Israel is home to nearly 2 million people from Russia and other former Soviet nations, “a factor that we always have taken into account".
At the same time, Putin said, Russia has always met its obligations to Iran, adding that Moscow has firmly backed Tehran's right for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
He voiced concern about the spiralling conflict, saying we “are strongly worried about what's going on around the Iranian nuclear facilities and possible consequences”.
Asked about Moscow's goals in Ukraine, Putin said the Russian military is moving to extend a buffer zone in Ukraine's Sumy region following a Ukrainian incursion last year into Russia's neighbouring Kursk region.
- 21 Jun 2025 7:36 AM IST
Tulsi Gabbard was wrong on Iran, says Trump
President Donald Trump has said that his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was “wrong” when she previously said that the US believed Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon, and he suggested that it would be “very hard to stop” Israel's strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a possible ceasefire.
Trump has recently taken a more aggressive public stance toward Tehran as he's sought more time to weigh whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility. Buried under a mountain, the facility is believed to be out of the reach of all but America's “bunker-buster” bombs.
After landing in New Jersey for an evening fundraiser for his super political action committee on Friday, Trump was asked about Gabbard's comments to Congress in March that US spy agencies believed that Iran wasn't working on nuclear warheads.
The president responded, “Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?” Informed that it had been Gabbard, Trump said, “She's wrong.” In a subsequent post on X, Gabbard said her testimony was taken out of context “as a way to manufacture division”.
“America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly,” she wrote. “President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.” Still, disavowing Gabbard's previous assessment came a day after the White House said Trump would decide within two weeks whether the US military would get directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. It said seeking additional time was “based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future”.
