White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared President Donald Trump's intentions about a potential US invasion of Iran. Video / AFP
Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Friday, a week into the war between the longtime enemies. Here are the latest developments:
Iran meetings
European top diplomats are meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.
European diplomats met with Iran's Foreign Minister to discuss de-escalation and Iran's nuclear programme. Photo / AFP
Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Britainand the EU are urging de-escalation, with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy saying the next two weeks are “a window... to achieve a diplomatic solution”.
Separately, the UN Security Council is also due to convene on Friday for a second session on the conflict, at Iran’s request with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday.
Trump waiting to decide
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel’s strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a “substantial” chance of negotiations to end the conflict.
US President Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether to join Israel’s strikes on Iran. Photo / Getty Images
The Wall Street Journal reported Trump told aides he approved attack plans but is holding off to see if Iran will give up its nuclear programme.
Tehran ally Moscow said any US military action “would be an extremely dangerous step”, while pro-Iran groups in Iraq threatened retaliatory attacks.
Dozens of US military aircraft were no longer visible at a US base in Qatar on Thursday, satellite images showed – a possible move to shield them from potential Iranian strikes.
Iran appointed a new chief of intelligence at its Revolutionary Guards on Thursday, the official Iran news agency said, after his predecessor was killed in an Israeli strike last week.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets cabinet members at the Presidential Palace in Tehran, Iran, this week to discuss the conflict. Photo / Getty Images
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division, Irna said.
He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers – Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri – in an Israeli strike.
Hospital strike
A hospital in southern Israel was hit as Iran fired “dozens” of missiles at the country, officials said.
The Soroka Hospital in Beersheba was left in flames, and its director Shlomi Codish said 40 people had sustained injuries.
An Iranian missile struck Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, Israel, leaving 40 people injured. Photo / Getty Images
Iran said the main target of its missile attack was not the hospital but a nearby military and intelligence base.
UN rights chief Volker Turk urged restraint from Iran and Israel, saying it is “appalling to see how civilians are treated as collateral damage in the conduct of hostilities”.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay a “heavy price”.
Nuclear sites, missile launchers
The Israeli military said it struck an “inactive nuclear reactor” in Arak in overnight raids on Iran that also saw the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz targeted again.
European diplomats met with Iran’s FM in Geneva to discuss de-escalation. Photo / Rod Emmerson
It said the strike on the Arak site was carried out “to prevent the reactor from being restored”.
Iranian atomic energy chief Mohammed Eslami condemned the “barbaric and unlawful attack” on Arak, asking the UN nuclear watchdog to intervene.
Netanyahu told Israeli public broadcaster Kan that Israel had destroyed “more than half” of Iran’s missile launchers since last Friday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said more than 100 “combat and suicide” drones were launched at Israel on Thursday, while Iranian media reported blasts in Tehran.
Death toll
The body of a woman was recovered on Thursday from a building struck by an Iranian missile four days earlier, taking the overall death toll in Israel to 25 since the war began, according to Israeli authorities.
The death toll is rising as a hospital and nuclear sites have been targeted in the Iran-Israel conflict. Photo / Getty Images
Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
Authorities have not issued an updated toll since.
Iranian police announced the arrest on Thursday of 24 people accused of spying for Israel.
Authorities in Israel and Iran have announced arrests for espionage and other charges since the war began last Friday.
The UN is urging restraint as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates with new attacks. Photo / Getty Images
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel, cautioning that the actual figure was likely higher.
Iran imposed a “nationwide internet shutdown” on Thursday – the most extensive blackout since widespread anti-government protests in 2019 – internet watchdog NetBlocks said.
The shutdown “impacts the public’s ability to stay connected at a time when communications are vital”, NetBlocks wrote on X.
