TEHRAN'S HELLFIRE: IRAN-ISRAEL STANDOFF CONTINUES
Strikes in Israel have resulted in the demolition of two nuclear facilities, according to the UN, as Iran contends that it has launched a hypersonic missile assault.
The Iron Dome, Israel's air defense system, deflects missiles blasted from Iran, over Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 17, 2025. The United Nations nuclear watchdog declared Israeli strikes on Wednesday shattered two structures crafting centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear program near Tehran, while Iran swore it launched hypersonic missiles into the heart of Israel as adversaries exchanged blows for the sixth day.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top man, vowed merciless vengeance against Israel's leadership hours after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Iran's surrender. Trump, maintaining his aloofness regarding Israel's aerial bombardment, nonetheless warned that his patience was fast evaporating.
The long-range barrage erupted last Friday, when Israel attacked Iran with a torrential bombing campaign provoking Iran to fire volleys of missiles and drones. After the Israeli military alerted civilians to flee a Tehran district for safety, Israeli jets thundered into the capital early Wednesday.
"Over fifty Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran region during the past few hours," the Israeli military proclaimed, asserting that multiple weapons-manufacturing facilities were obliterated.
"In the broad effort to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was struck," they added.
Centrifuges are indispensable for uranium enrichment, a delicate process capable of producing nuclear reactor fuel or, in prolonged form, the core of a nuclear reactor.
The International Atomic Energy Agency disclosed that the destruction of two structures in Karaj - a satellite city of Tehran - producing centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear program had occurred on Wednesday. Furthermore, the agency confirmed that an attack on a site in Tehran targeted a building where advanced centrifuge rotors were crafted and tested.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards boasted they had dispatched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv.
"The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles" was launched, the Guards announced in a statement broadcast on state television. Hypersonic missiles scorch through the heavens at more than five times the speed of sound and can flexibly navigate mid-flight, making them tough to track and intercept.
No missile struck Tel Aviv overnight despite Iran's assertions that its attacks were repeatedly jolting Tel Aviv's shelters. Still, AFP images revealed Israel's air defense systems shifting into action to intercept missiles over the bustling hub.
Iran vexed Israel by sending a "swarm" of drones towards Israel, while the Israeli military declared it had thwarted a total of 10 drones released from Iran. The Israeli military also admitted losing one of its drones over Iran.
'Unconditional surrender'
Trump ignited speculation about American intervention when he abandoned the G7 summit in Canada, where the leaders of the wealthy democracies incited calm but backed Israel's "right to defend itself." Back in Washington on Tuesday, Trump demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender."
He also bragged that the United States could effortlessly liquidate Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (whack him!), at least not for now," Trump exuded on his Truth Social platform.
Trump convened with his National Security Council to discuss the conflict. No public statement issued after the hour-and-twenty-minute meeting.
American officials reiterated that Trump has not yet made a decision concerning intervention.
Hours later, Khamenei countered with a post on Twitter, saying: "We must mete out a fierce response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will reveal no mercy towards the Israelis."
Evacuations
Israel's assaults have reserved nuclear and military sites around Iran, as well as residential areas. Residential areas in Israel have received punishment too, and foreign governments have frenziedly evacuated their citizens from both countries.
Since Friday, at least 24 people have perished in Israel, and hundreds have been injured, according to Netanyahu's office.
Iran claimed, on Sunday, that Israeli strikes had claimed at least 224 lives, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. However, it has not published an updated toll since then.
More than 700 foreigners inhabiting Iran have traipsed into neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia since Israel embarked on its campaign, according to government figures.
On Tuesday in Tehran, lengthy queues formed outside bakeries and gas stations as citizens scrambled to squadron up on supplies.
Iran's ISNA and Tasnim news agencies declared, on Wednesday, that five individuals suspected of espionage for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had been detained, on allegations of tarnishing the country's image online.
Air raid sirens frequently blared in Tel Aviv, prompting some residents to relocate to an underground parking lot abiding a shopping mall.
"We've decided to put up camp here until it's all clear, I suppose," Mali Papirany, 30, shared with AFP.
Nuclear facilities
After a prolonged shadow conflict, Israel said its surprise air campaign aimed to forestall Iran from amassing nuclear weapons - an aspiration Tehran denies.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog disclosed that there appeared to have been "direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls" at Iran's Natanz facility.
Israel has preserved ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimates it possesses 90 nuclear warheads.
The conflict has derailed an ongoing sequence of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran stating, after the commencement of Israel's campaign, that it would no longer negotiate with the United States while under assault.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Trump held a pivotal role in relaunching diplomacy with Iran, where any attempts at "regime change" would channel "chaos."
"War-and-conflicts continue between Iran and Israel, with both nations engaging in air strikes and missile attacks. The political tension escalates as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran threatens unconditional vengeance against Israel's leadership."
"Media reports reveal that important general news involves the disruption of nuclear facilities in both Iran and Israel, with the United Nations nuclear watchdog confirming recent attacks targeted centrifuge production facilities in Iran and Iran's Revolutionary Guards boasting about their hypersonic missile capabilities."
