Iran warns of 'irreparable damage' if US joins Israel fight

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected US President Donald Trump's call for an unconditional surrender in response to Israeli strikes. He made the comments in a statement read out on Iranian television. has more.

Israel says it is conducting strikes as blasts are heard in Tehran Khamenei vows to fight on, rejects Trump's calls for "unconditional surrender" Israel eases some restrictions on population Dozens killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, health authorities say

Below is a roundup of the latest developments on the Israel-Iran conflict and the wider crisis in the Middle East on Wednesday, June 18, 2025:

Israel to ease domestic restrictions in place since the start of the conflict

Israel is set to ease some of the domestic restrictions imposed on the local population due to the conflict with Iran.

While school activity will still not take place, some of the country's workplaces will be able to return to operation, on condition of having a shelter within reach.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the country aims to "reopen" its economy, while also continuing the "intense fight against Iran."

"While we continue our intense fight against Iran until the threats are removed, we will also reopen the economy, ease restrictions, and restore Israel to paths of creativity, activity, and security," Katz was quoted as saying in a statement.

The restrictions are due to be eased starting at 06:00 pm (1500 GMT/UTC) on Wednesday.

Israeli army confirms striking Tehran in fresh wave

The Israeli army said it is currently attacking what it called "the Iranian regime's military targets" in the capital Tehran.

This comes after blasts had been reported in the eastern parts of the city, while at least five columns of smoke could be seen, according to a local journalist cited by the French AFP news agency.

Blasts heard in eastern Tehran — reports

A new series of explosions has been heard in different areas in the eastern part of Tehran, according to reports, with smoke visible in the east.

The French AFP news agency reported of "strong" blasts in the area, while local outlet NourNews said the explosions had been heard in different areas of the Iranian capital's eastern parts.

German president pushes for return to diplomacy

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that there could still be a return to dialogue, despite the escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran.

"It's now important that there is a return to negotiations," German news agency DPA quoted Steinmeier as saying during a visit to Tokyo.

Steinmeier said this prospect "presupposes that there will be no further escalation in the Middle East, that the conflict between Israel and Iran does not turn into a conflagration for the entire region."

If a wider regional conflict could be prevented, Steinmeier believed there was still a chance of finding a way back to negotiations.

Gaza health authorities say 30 killed by Israeli fire

Health authorities in Gaza on Wednesday reported 30 people killed by Israeli gunfire and strikes.

Medics said airstrikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people. Five other people were reported killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The Palestinian territory's civil defense agency reported that 11 of the people killed had been awaiting aid trucks.

Civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told the AFP news agency that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded "after the occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells ... at thousands of citizens" who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza reported that 397 Palestinians had been killed and more than 3,000 wounded while trying to get food since aid deliveries restarted in late May.

The war was preceded by an attack by Hamas-led militants in Israel in October 2023, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage, according to Israel. Israel's ongoing military offensive has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

Israel's military said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food at aid sites. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and taking "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm."

'Iranian nation will not surrender' — Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday refused to heed US President Donald Trump's call for an unconditional surrender.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public remarks since Friday in a statement that was read live on Iranian TV by a presenter.

"Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender," the statement on Wednesday said.

"The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," it added.

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Two centrifuge production facilities struck in Iran — IAEA

The UN's nuclear watchdog said it had information that two facilities in Iran that made centrifuge parts have been hit.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said: "The TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center, were hit." The agency added that both sites had previously been under IAEA monitoring.

"At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured," the IAEA wrote on X.

Centrifuges are machines used in enriching uranium, a process necessary for nuclear power and also nuclear weapons development.

Iran's UN ambassador warns of response 'without restraint' to Israeli strikes

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Ali Bahreini, said the country would "respond strongly" to Israel's "aggression" as well as to the United States, should it join the hostilities.

"We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land," he told reporters in Geneva. "We will respond seriously and strongly, without restraint."

Bahreini accused the United States of being "complicit in what Israel is doing."

"We have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody — including the United States," he said

Bahreini also said Israeli strikes on nuclear sites were an act of "war against humanity."

"The deliberate targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities not only constitutes a grave violation of international law and UN Charter but also risks exposition of all people in our neighborhood to possible hazardous leak," he said.

"This is not an act of war against our country," he said. "It is war against humanity."

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. Israel and the United States accuse Iran of working toward a nuclear weapon.

The comments come as thousands flee Tehran and other major cities as Israel and Iran continuing launching strikes on one another.

US President Donald Trump has called for Tehran's unconditional surrender.

How close is Iran to getting a nuclear bomb?

According to Iran's government, its nuclear program is purely civilian. Israeli officials, however, say it is aimed at making a nuclear bomb. Iran's high levels of uranium enrichment mean that the step to weapons-grade uranium is very small.

Israel has justified its recent attacks on Iran by saying the country is too close to developing a nuclear bomb.

Such a development would undoubtedly pose an existential threat to Israel, as Iran's regime has repeatedly declared its intention to destroy Israel.

Despite Tehran's insistence that its nuclear program serves only civilian purposes, many members of the international community see military potential in it.

Click here to read 's analysis on Iran's prospects of developing a nuclear weapon.

Greece repatriates 105 nationals from Israel

The Foreign Ministry in Greece announced that it had repatriated 105 citizens and their family members from Israel.

"The people repatriated were transported to Athens from Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt, onboard C-130 and C-27 Greek air force planes," it said in a statement.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the flight also returned citizens from other countries, including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Georgia, Switzerland, the United States, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Sweden.

Visitors have been rushing to leave Israel amid the increased hostilities with Iran.

China evacuates nearly 800 nationals from Iran with more to follow

China's Foreign Ministry said nearly 800 citizens had been evacuated from Iran since Israel began launching strikes last week.

"Currently ... 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing.

He said another 1,000 people were in the process of being transferred.

Guo went on to say some Chinese nationals had also been evacuated from Israel.

Where does Donald Trump stand on the Israel-Iran conflict?

Israel 's assault on Iran was discussed with Washington before it was launched. "There were no surprises here," Fox News anchor Brett Bair said after an interview with US President Donald Trump last Friday.

The US government has made clear that it was not actively involved in the attack, although questions arose as to whether this would remain the case when the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was rerouted from the South China Sea to the Middle East.

And, on Tuesday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the United States knew the exact location of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

"He is an easy target, but is safe there," Trump wrote. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now."

Click here to read 's analysis about Trump's stance on Iran.

First repatriation flight arrives back in Israel

The first plane carrying Israelis who were stranded abroad because of flight cancellations has landed at Ben Gurion Airport.

"Just a short while ago, the first flight of Operation Safe Return landed at Ben Gurion Airport," the AFP news agency quoted a statement by the Israeli airports authority as saying.

The flight had been operated by national carrier El Al and brought Israelis home from Larnaca in Cyprus.

Israel's airspace has been closed since the escalation in hostilities with Iran on Friday, stranding tens of thousands of citizens whose flights to Tel Aviv were canceled.

Israel's Transportation Ministry has said as many as 150,000 citizens are abroad, and about one-third of them are trying to get home.

IDF reports striking Iranian centrifuge production site among other targets

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said warplanes had struck an Iranian centrifuge production site in Tehran, along with a number of weapons factories in the latest series of strikes.

"More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets ... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," the IDF said in a post on X.

"As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted."

The IDF said Iran was using the site to "expand the scope and rate of its uranium enrichment for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons."

Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear energy program is for civilian purposes only.

Israel's military also said that a number of weapons factories were hit, "including facilities for producing raw materials and components used to assemble surface-to-surface missiles."