Smoke billows from Israeli strikes on central Tehran, Iran, June 23, 2025

EA on International Media: Will Trump Go to War with Iran?

UPDATE 0138 GMT:

Iranian State outlet IRNA is confirming that the Supreme Leader was killed by the strikes on his compound.

Outlets are also reporting the killing of the Supreme Leader’s daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law.

The fate of the Supreme Leader’s sons — including Mojtaba, touted by some analysts as a possible successor — is unknown.

UPDATE 2221 GMT:

The toll has risen to 108 killed from a strike on a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran.

The Minab Prosecutor’s Office in Homorzgan Province issued the update.

UPDATE 2216 GMT:

A woman in her 40s who was critically wounded by an Iranian ballistic missile strike on Tel Aviv has died, first responders say.

Three people, including a woman in her 90s, were hospitalized. Another 17 were lightly hurt.

UPDATE 2212 GMT:

Donald Trump has added to the clamour over the possible demise of the Supreme Leader.

Trump posted on Truth Social that “one of the most evil people in history” is dead: “This is not only justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans.”

UPDATE 2114 GMT:

The warring sides are putting out conflicting accounts about the fate of the Supreme Leader and other senior Iranian officials.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson says “a number of the most senior leaders of Iran”, including the leader of the Revolutionary Guards and the Supreme Leader’s senior advisor Ali Shamkhani, were “targeted” and killed. He did not mention the fate of Ayatollah Khamenei.

But an American official said the US believes Khamenei is dead, along with five to 10 top Iranian leaders.

Iranian semi-official Tasnim and Mehr news agencies insisted that the Supreme Leader is “steadfast and firm in commanding the field”.

The ⁠head of public relations at the Supreme Leader’s office accused enemies of “mental warfare”.

UPDATE 2000 GMT:

A senior Israeli official has told Reuters that the Supreme Leader has been killed and his body found.

UPDATE 1914 GMT:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that with the destruction of the Supreme Leader’s compound, “all indications show this tyrant is no longer with us”.

Satellite images show the compound sustained heavy damage; however, Ayatollah Khamenei is believed to be in a bunker at another location.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the Supreme Leader and President Masoud Pezeshkian are both “safe and sound”.

Baghaei said “some commanders” had been “martyred”. He was “not in a position to confirm” whether members of Iran’s senior leadership targeted by the US and Israel were unharmed.

Netanyahu addressed Iranians:

This is an opportunity to do something. Do not sit with your arms crossed, because this moment will come and you will be demanded to go out of the streets in the masses, because you have to complete this work, and you have to bring down and eradicate this regime.

UPDATE 1910 GMT:

At least 201 people have been killed and 747 wounded by US and Israeli strikes, reports the Iranian Red Crescent.

The humanitarian organization said 24 of 31 Iranian provinces had been affected.

Three Kuwaiti soldiers were injured by shrapnel when a base housing US personnel was struck by Iranian retaliation, said a Defense Ministry spokesman. A total of 12 people were wounded, including minor injuries from strikes on Kuwait’s international airport.

US Central Command said there have not been any American casualties in the region.

UPDATE 1726 GMT:

The toll from a strike that hit a school in southern Iran has risen to 85 killed, said an official on State TV.

The school is in Minab in the Homorzgan region in southern Iran.

UPDATE 1722 GMT:

An official from the European Union’s naval mission said vessels are receiving VHF transmissions from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz”, through which 20% of the world’s seaborne gas trade and 25% of seaborne oil passes.

UK Maritime Trade Operations agency also said that it received multiple reports from vessels about messages over the closure of the Strait.

The European official said Iran had not formally confirmed any order.

UPDATE 1716 GMT:

The five-star Fairmont hotel in Dubai has apparently been set afire by an Iranian retaliatory strike.

Video on social media showed an object striking the hotel, followed by an explosion.

Authorities in the UAE confirmed that an incident occurred at a building in the upscale Palm Jumeirah area. There was no word on casualties.

UPDATE 1515 GMT:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says the Supreme Leader is alive “as far as I know.”

Speaking with US outlet NBC live from Tehran, Araqchi said, “Almost all officials are safe and sound and alive. We may have lost one or two commanders but that is not a big problem.”

An Israeli official has said that the strikes killed the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour; Defense Minister Aziz Nazarzadeh; and the head of Iranian intelligence services.

Araqchi said he spoke to “colleagues” in Gulf States, to tell them Iran had no intention of attacking them while targeting US bases in self-defense.

He criticized the Trump Administration for engaging in negotiations as recently as Thursday in Geneva, and then launching an attack.

“There is no communication right now, but if America wants to talk to us, they know how they can contact me,” the Foreign Minister said.

UPDATE 1509 GMT:

UN Secretary General António Guterres has condemned the US-Israel strikes and Iran’s response.

I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability. I strongly encourage all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table.

I reiterate that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN charter. The charter provides the foundation for the maintenance of international peace and security.

UPDATE 1336 GMT:

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has posted:

Netanyahu and Trump’s war on Iran is wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate.

Trump has turned ‘America First’ into ‘Israel First’— which always means ‘America Last’.

Our powerful armed forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve.

UPDATE 1212 GMT:

French President Emmanuel Macron has said this morning’s attacks have “grave consequences for international peace and security”.

“The current escalation is dangerous for everyone. It must stop,” he said.

The UK Government said, “Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution….We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict.”

UPDATE 1209 GMT:

Satellite images published by the New York Times show the destruction of the Supreme Leader’s compound in Tehran.

UPDATE 1158 GMT:

Israeli officials claim the likely assassinations of the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour; Defense Minister Aziz Nazarzadeh; and the head of Iranian intelligence services.

Pakpour became head of the Guards after Israel killed his predecessor, Gen. Hossein Salami, at the start of its 12-day war last June.

UPDATE 1153 GMT:

The governor of Homorzgan Province in southern Iran claims at least 40 people have been killed and 45 wounded in a strike on a school in Minab.

A Revolutionary Guards brigade in the area was reportedly targeted.

The semi-official Mehr News Agency said at least two students have been killed by an attack on a school east of Tehran.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed they hit hundreds of military targets this morning, including missile launchers.

UPDATE 1147 GMT:

An Israeli military official has briefed journalists that the US-Israel strikes have been planned for months.

He said Israel’s mission is to “significantly reduce and degrade the Iranian regime’s capabilities”. Operations would continue “as long as necessary” seeking a “bigger change, for years to come”.

He said Iran’s air defense system was a priority target. He refused to confirm or deny assassination attempts on the Supreme Leader but said, “The Iranian regime has the blood of tens of thousands on its hands….A lot of their leadership is involved in efforts aiming at the destruction of Israel and military planning, so they can be targets.”

UPDATE 1143 GMT:

Videos and images indicate strikes in Tehran; Kermanshah in western Iran near the border with Iraq; on the Revolutionary Guards brigade in Minab in Homorzgan province; in Bushhehr in southern Iran on the Persian Gulf; and on Iranian army bases near Chabahar close to the border with Pakistan.

The military complex in Parchin, which reportedly produces chemical weapons has been struck, as well as a Revolutionary base near Mount Damarvand.

A site in Kahrizak near Iran, where many hundreds of slain protestors were in a morgue last month, has been hit. Another video indicates that the house of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in downtown Tehran has been struck.

UPDATE 1105 GMT:

An Israeli official has confirmed that the Supreme Leader and President Masoud Pezeshkian are being targeted in the US-Israeli strikes.

The results of the strikes are currently unclear, the official said.

UPDATE 1100 GMT:

One person has been slain in Abu Dhabi in the UAE amid Iran’s launch of several missiles.

The Emirati Defense Ministry said it “successfully intercepted a number of Iranian missiles”, but debris cause some material damage and killed an Asian national.

UPDATE 1055 GMT:

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement:

At a time when the great test of history has arrived, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, inspired by the great epic heritage of this land and relying on God almighty, with faith in the promise of divine victory and relying on national power, will not hesitate to defend our beloved homeland with all their might.

History is proof that Iranians have never surrendered to foreign aggression. This time too, the response of the Iranian nation will be decisive and will make the aggressors regret their criminal act….

Now is the time to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military aggression. We have been more prepared for defense than ever before, as we promised.

The Supreme National Security Council urged people to leave Tehran and other major cities “to stay safe from the malice of these two regimes”.

“Schools and universities will be closed until further notice, banks will continue to operate and government offices will operate at 50% capacity,” it said.

UPDATE 0925 GMT:

Explosions are reported in the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait, which all have US military bases.

Bahrain says the service center of the US 5th Fleet has been targeted.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry says all incoming Iranian missiles were intercepted: “The threat was dealt with immediately upon detection, in accordance with the pre-approved security plan.” Mobile phone alerts are urging people to stay indoors.

A senior Iranian official said there are “no red lines” to the regime’s response to the Israeli and US strikes.

“We are telling Israel clearly to prepare for what is coming.
Our response will be public….All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become legitimate targets.

UPDATE 0915 GMT:

In a recorded speech, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US-Israeli attacks will enable Iranians to topple the regime and establish a “free, peace-seeking Iran”.

Israel and the United States embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran. I thank our great friend, president Donald Trump, for his historic leadership.

UPDATE 0838 GMT:

As air raid sirens sound across northern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv, “defense sources” say one missile launched from Iran has been intercepted.

Another struck an open area. There are no immediate reports of injuries.

UPDATE 0833 GMT:

The Israel Defense Forces report the sounding of air raid alerts:

UPDATE 0824 GMT:

Residents in Tehran reported two rounds of explosions around 10:30 a.m. on the Pasteur area. Both the Presidential office and the offices of the National Security Council are in the district.

Wounded were being taken away in ambulances. No assassination has been confirmed yet.

The offices of the Supreme Leader and the Assembly of Experts were targeted.

A “significant number” of deaths and injuries are being reported at Revolutionary Guards headquarters.

Explosions are also reported in Qom, Tabriz, Kermanshah. Lorestan, Khorramabad, and Karaj.

Cyber-attacks are slowing Internet access.

UPDATE 0752 GMT:

Donald Trump has confirmed the US military’s launch of “major combat operations” because Iran was rebuilding its nuclear program.

He told the Revolutionary Guard to surrender their arms: “You will be treated fairly with total immunity or you will face certain death.”

The United States military has undertaken a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.

We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world, and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs – or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called – to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people including many Americans.

And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

UPDATE 0741 GMT:

Iranians report explosions across multiple cities, including the capital Tehran and Isfahan in the center of the country.

An Iranian official confirmed several ministries in southern Tehran have been targeted.

Mobile service has now been cut off. There are long queues at gas stations in Tehran, with many people trying to leave.

The Revolutionary Guards outlet Fars reports a wave of cyberattacks, with several major Iranian news agencies experiencing” severe disruptions in their operations”.

UPDATE 0733 GMT:

An Israeli officials says the Government is preparing for “several days of conflict” with Iran.

They confirmed strikes were conducted jointly with the US, targeting “Iranian regime sites and military facilities”.

Amos Yadlin, Israel’s former intelligence chief, said the aim of the current operation is to “dramatically weaken the regime and its military capabilities”.

“You cannot bring down a regime from the air” but you can restrict what it can do, including to its own people, he declared.

UPDATE 0710 GMT:

A US official has confirmed to the Times of Israel that American forces participated in this morning’s attacks on Iran.

Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on Saturday morning.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a “preemptive strike”, as a state of emergency was declared across the country in the expectation of Iranian retaliation.

The Administration has threatened for weeks to attack Iran, amassing a naval fleet with two aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and missiles off the Iranian coast. However, Trump Administration officials said earlier this week that “the politics are a lot better” if Israel struck first.

The Administration initially issued its threat during nationwide protests against the regime last month. After the bloody suppression of the protests, the Trump camp continued the buildup, saying the threat was necessary because of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The Trump camp maintained the military pressure as Donald Trump’s envoys, real estate developer Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, engaged in three sets of talks with Iranian officials led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

After the third set on Thursday, Araqchi and Omani mediators said “good progress” was being made, with the next round of discussions expected next week.

But Witkoff and Kushner were silent, and White House officials subsequently said there had been no advance. Donald Trump told reporters:

Israel carried out a 12-day war against Iran in June 2025, killing more than military commanders and trying to assassinate political leaders.

The US assisted the Israelis with “bunker buster” strikes on the Fordoo uranium enrichment facility, buried inside a mountain, before Donald Trump demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu halt the strikes.