Israel, Iran trade new strikes as nuclear talks stall

A missile launched from Iran is intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, June 21, 2025

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks early Saturday, a day after Tehran ruled out nuclear negotiations under threat, while European powers sought to revive diplomacy.

Around 2:30am local time, air raid sirens sounded across central Israel, including Tel Aviv and parts of the West Bank, following reports of missile launches from Iran. Israel’s air defence systems intercepted several projectiles, lighting up the sky and shaking nearby areas with explosions.

At the same time, Israel retaliated with strikes targeting missile storage and launch facilities inside Iran.

Emergency services reported fires in residential buildings in central Israel, caused by falling debris from intercepted missiles. No casualties were immediately reported, but the situation remained tense.

An Israeli military official confirmed that five ballistic missiles were fired by Iran, though none reportedly caused direct hits.

The latest escalation comes after Israel initiated airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites last week, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Tehran. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

Iranian officials report significant casualties, including military leaders and nuclear scientists, while Israeli authorities say 24 civilians have died from Iranian attacks. Independent confirmation of these figures is not yet available.

Tehran has continued to target strategic areas such as Tel Aviv, while Israel claims to have hit dozens of military and research facilities in Iran, including sites suspected of nuclear weapons development.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there would be no negotiations with the United States while Israeli attacks continued. Still, he travelled to Geneva for meetings with European ministers to explore diplomatic options.

The United States has signalled that it will wait before deciding on direct involvement, with the President saying he hopes both sides will “come to their senses,” though he ruled out pressuring Israel to ease its response.

Meanwhile, hundreds of foreign nationals have reportedly left Iran since the conflict intensified.

At the United Nations, Israeli officials stated that strikes would continue until Iran’s nuclear capabilities were dismantled. Iran’s representative called for international intervention and voiced concerns about potential US involvement. Russia and China urged an immediate de-escalation.

A senior Iranian official said Tehran was open to discussing uranium enrichment limits but rejected any demand to halt enrichment entirely, particularly under ongoing military pressure.