JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON – Iran and Israel launched a new wave of attacks early Saturday, following Tehran’s announcement that it would not engage in nuclear talks while facing what it called Israeli aggression. This comes as European leaders struggle to revive diplomatic efforts.According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, Israeli strikes targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility—one of Iran’s largest—though no radioactive leakage was reported. Additional attacks in Qom reportedly killed a 16-year-old and injured two others.The Israeli military confirmed it struck Iranian missile storage and launch infrastructure. Around 2:30 a.m. local time (2330 GMT Friday), air raid sirens sounded across central Israel—including Tel Aviv—and the West Bank, as Iran fired five ballistic missiles. Israel’s air defense systems intercepted them, with explosions visible across the Tel Aviv skyline. One intercepted missile caused a fire on a residential building’s rooftop.Nuclear Tensions EscalateIsrael began its offensive on June 13, accusing Iran of nearing nuclear weapons capability—an allegation Iran denies, maintaining its program is for peaceful purposes. In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone strikes.Israel, believed to possess nuclear weapons (though it does not confirm or deny), has reportedly killed 639 people in Iran through airstrikes, including senior military officers and nuclear scientists, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Iran’s missile strikes have killed 24 civilians in Israel, officials said. Reuters could not independently verify these numbers.President Donald Trump, speaking Friday in New Jersey, claimed Iran could obtain a nuclear weapon “within weeks or months,” contradicting his Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who found no evidence of weapons development.Diplomacy FaltersIran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, while ruling out talks with the U.S. during ongoing attacks, arrived in Geneva to meet with European foreign ministers hoping to restart diplomacy.However, Trump cast doubt on these efforts, saying Europe would not succeed and the U.S. remained Iran’s primary focus. He added he would decide “within two weeks” whether to join the conflict on Israel’s side but said he would not ask Israel to ease its strikes:> “It’s hard to ask someone to stop if they’re winning.”In the latest Israeli strikes, dozens of Iranian military sites were targeted, including missile production centers, a nuclear research facility in Tehran, and other installations across Iran.Iran’s U.N. envoy called for Security Council intervention, expressing concern over potential U.S. involvement. Russia and China urged immediate de-escalation.A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran might consider limiting uranium enrichment but would reject any proposal banning it altogether—especially while under attack.
