Israel-Iran conflict: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran will 'never surrender', warns off US

The United Nations Security Council will convene Friday to discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, council president Guyana said.

Following a first, urgent meeting after Israel attacked last Friday, this second session was requested by Iran, with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday.

Iranian media said Wednesday that Israel briefly hacked the state television broadcast, airing footage of women's protests and urging people to take to the streets.

On its Telegram channel, the Hamshahri daily newspaper shared a video of the brief disruption with a text saying "hackers infiltrated state television and broadcast a call asking people to take to the streets."

Iran's state television later warned viewers that this was "due to cyberattacks carried out by the Zionist enemy that is disrupting the satellite transmission."

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he has not yet made a decision on whether to join Israel in bombing Iran and warned that the country's current leadership could fall as a result of the war.

A change in Iran's government "could happen," he told reporters at the White House.

Iran's foreign ministry summoned on Wednesday the Swiss ambassador, who represents US interests in the Islamic republic, over recent remarks by President Donald Trump.

"Following the irresponsible and threatening statements of the American president, the Swiss ambassador, as the guardian of this country's interests in Tehran, was summoned to the ministry of foreign affairs," state TV reported, without elaborating.

Iran's foreign ministry summoned Germany's ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supporting Israel's attacks on the Islamic republic.

"Following the shameful statements made by the German Chancellor in support of Tel Aviv's aggression against our country, the country's (Germany's) ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry," state TV reported.

France's President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday urged Israel to end strikes on targets in Iran not linked to nuclear activities or ballistic missiles, his office said.

Addressing a national security council meeting, he "noted his concern over the current escalation, with Israeli strikes increasingly hitting targets not linked to Iran's nuclear or ballistic programme, and a mounting number of civilian victims in Iran and Israel", it said.

Macron said it was "necessary to urgently end these military operations, which pose significant threats to regional security".

France is planning along with European partners to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel, the country's presidency said Wednesday, after President Emmanuel Macron chaired a national security council meeting.

Macron at the meeting ordered Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to draw up in the coming days "an initiative with close European partners that would propose a demanding negotiated settlement to put an end to the conflict," the presidency said in a statement, without giving details on the nature of the plan.

An Israeli strike on Wednesday hit near police headquarters in the Iranian capital of Tehran, wounding a number of policemen, state media reported, as fighting between the two foes raged.

"Some buildings around the headquarters of the National Police were attacked, and a number of our colleagues were injured," the official IRNA news agency reported citing a police statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for his "support in defending Israel's skies" on Wednesday, as Israel exchanged fire with Iran for a sixth day.

"I want to thank President Trump, a great friend of the state of Israel," Netanyahu said in a televised statement. "I thank him for being at our side, and I thank him for the support of the United States in defending Israel's skies."

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had launched a new wave of attacks targeting missile systems and storage sites in western Iran, as it kept up its barrage of strikes across the country.

"Aircraft are flying over surface-to-surface missile launch and storage sites. They are striking those attempting to reactivate sites that have already been hit," the military said in a statement, adding that the operations were taking place in western Iran.

Iran launched hypersonic missiles in a new wave of attacks against Israel on Wednesday, state TV reported, as fighting between the two foes raged for the sixth day.

The Fattah hypersonic missiles "have successfully penetrated the Israeli regime's defenses," state TV reported.

Iran announced Wednesday heavier internet curbs, accusing Israel of misusing the network for military purposes amid ongoing fighting between the longtime foes.

"Temporary restrictions have been imposed on users' access to the internet," the communication ministry said in a statement carried by Fars news agency, adding that the decision was due to "the aggressor's abuse of the country's communication network for military purposes." Iran already began restricting the internet after Israel's surprise attack on Friday.

The Israeli military has confirmed that missiles were launched from Iran toward Israeli territory.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the army said in a statement.

Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24, verified by Al Jazeera, shows two Iranian government-registered aircraft landing in Muscat, Oman. A third jet belonging to the privately owned Meraj Airlines also touched down in the Omani capital.

Tehran has yet to comment on the visit. Oman has long played a mediating role in US-Iran nuclear negotiations.

The US ambassador to Israel on Wednesday announced plans for evacuating Americans by air and sea as Israel's war with Iran raged for a sixth day.

The embassy is "working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures" for "American citizens wanting to leave Israel," Ambassador Mike Huckabee posted on X.

US President Donald Trump appeared Wednesday to rebuff Vladimir Putin's offer to mediate in the Israel-Iran conflict, saying the Russian president should end his own conflict in Ukraine first.

"He actually offered to help mediate, I said 'do me a favor, mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first, okay?'" Trump told reporters at the White House. "I said 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.'"

Loud blasts were heard Wednesday in central Tehran, an AFP journalist reported, as fighting raged between Iran and Israel for the sixth day.

Multiple blasts have been heard around the city, some of them only minutes apart, the journalist said.

It was not immediately clear whether the blasts were the result of incoming Israeli strikes or Iranian air defence fire.

The Iranian Red Crescent said Wednesday that an Israeli attack took place near its building in Tehran, on the sixth day of an air war between Iran and Israel, noting that the strike appeared to not be targeting the aid group.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Red Crescent reporting an "attack by the Zionist regime near the Red Crescent Peace building."

President Donald Trump said Wednesday his patience has "run out" with Iran but added that it was not too late for negotiations.

Asked when his patience would run out, Trump told reporters: "It's already run out. That's why we're doing what we're doing." However, when asked if it was too late for negotiations, he said: "Nothing is too late."

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, held a phone call today to review the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East and the grave implications for regional and global security.

The two leaders discussed efforts being made to contain the situation and put an end to the escalation, stressing the importance of exercising restraint and pursuing dialogue to avoid further threats to security and stability. 

They underscored their support for all efforts aimed at achieving a solution through diplomatic means

US President Donald Trump left the question of whether the United States will join Israeli strikes on Iran up in the air Wednesday, as he said that Tehran had reached out to seek negotiations.

"I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do," Trump told reporters as he supervised the installation of a new flagpole on the White House South Lawn.

A huge plume of white smoke was seen over southeast Tehran late Wednesday afternoon after a new series of powerful explosions, AFP journalists reported.

The blasts came on the sixth day of the worst confrontation ever between Israel and Iran. The target was not immediately known.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that air force jets had destroyed Iran's "internal security headquarters" after the army announced it was striking military targets in Tehran.

"Air Force jets have just destroyed the internal security headquarters of the Iranian regime - the main arm of repression of the Iranian dictator," Katz said in a statement, vowing to "strike symbols of governance and hit the Ayatollah regime wherever it may be".

A new explosion was heard in northern Tehran, an AFP journalist said, adding that a main thoroughfare had been partially closed.

The blast followed a series of other explosions heard in the eastern quarters of the city. The renowned Valiasr Street that cuts from north to south was also partially closed, the journalist said.

Israel's military said it was striking military targets in Tehran on Wednesday, as AFP journalists reported hearing blasts in the north and east of the Iranian capital.

The Israeli air force "is currently striking military targets belonging to the Iranian Regime in Tehran," the military said in a statement, on the sixth day of the war between the arch foes.

Israel will ease domestic restrictions imposed on its population due to the ongoing war with Iran and will "reopen its economy", Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.

"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 after approving the changes for most of the country starting Wednesday evening.

The family members of British diplomatic staff in Israel have been "temporarily withdrawn" as Iran and Israel continue to exchange fire, Britain's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Relatives of staff working at the UK embassy in Tel Aviv and consulate in Jerusalem were "temporarily withdrawn as a precautionary measure", the Foreign Office said, adding that staff at the mission remain.

Multiple explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, AFP journalists said, with black smoke seen rising in the east.

The series of blasts was heard shortly before 3:30 pm (1200 GMT), on the sixth day of the most intense exchange of fire between arch-foes Iran and Israel.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President Donald Trump and warned the United States it would face "irreparable damage" if it intervenes.

"This nation will never surrender to imposition from anyone," Khamenei said in a speech read on state television. "America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage."

Israel said it struck a nuclear site near Tehran on Wednesday, while Iran said it fired hypersonic missiles as the arch foes traded fire for a sixth day.

Hours after US President Donald Trump demanded Iran's surrender, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed his country would show "no mercy" towards Israel's leadership.

Trump insists the United States has played no part in ally Israel's bombing campaign, but also warned his patience was wearing thin.

After the Israeli military issued a warning for civilians to leave one district of Tehran for their safety, Israeli warplanes hit the capital early Wednesday.

"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 Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv.

"The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles" was carried out, the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state television.

Iran said Wednesday it had detained five suspected agents of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency on charges of tarnishing the country's image online, Iranian news agencies reported.

"These mercenaries sought to sow fear among the public and tarnish the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran through their calculated activities online," the Tasnim and ISNA news agencies quoted a statement from the Revolutionary Guards as saying. They added that the arrests had been made in western Iran.

A powerful American bunker-busting bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities, making it President Donald Trump's weapon of choice if he chooses to militarily back Israel.

The GBU-57, a 30,000-pound (13,607 kg) warhead capable of penetrating 200 feet (61 meters) underground before exploding, is missing from Israel's arsenal despite its stated goal of preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb.

Israel's military said Wednesday it struck Iranian centrifuge production facility and multiple weapons manufacturing sites, in the latest round of strikes between the archfoes.

"More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," an Israeli army statement said. "As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted."

"During the wave of attacks, several weapons manufacturing sites were struck, including facilities for producing raw materials and components used to assemble surface-to-surface missiles," it added.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that the "battle has begun" after Tehran launched a hypersonic missile at Israel. This escalation has intensified the already volatile conflict, as the military confrontation between Iran and Israel enters its sixth day on Wednesday.

The Israeli military confirmed the detection of additional missile launches originating from Iran.

Alert sirens have repeatedly sent Israelis rushing to bomb shelters as Iran fired missiles during the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. Officials said most of the missiles fired were intercepted, and Israel’s rescue services had no reports of injuries.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others, a human rights group said Wednesday.

The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of the dead as civilians and 126 as security personnel.

Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s capital early Wednesday after it issued a warning about a new area it could target, a day after US President Donald Trump demanded “unconditional surrender.”

Uncertainty roiled the region and residents of Tehran fled their homes in droves on the sixth day of Israel’s air campaign aimed at Iran’s military and nuclear program.

President Donald Trump met with his national security team in Washington for more than an hour to discuss the escalating Middle East conflict, according to people familiar with the matter, fuelling fresh speculation that the US is on the verge of joining Israel's attack on Iran.

Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the meeting, according to a White House official, as speculation swirled around how the US president might proceed.

White House officials declined to comment or issue a statement following its conclusion.

American weapons are seen as crucial to achieving a more complete destruction of the Islamic Republic's atomic program than anything Israel can do alone. Yet while the US is Israel's closest defence partner and arms supplier, Trump has so far resisted calls from some political allies to join in strikes against Iran and its nuclear program.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that hypersonic missiles were used during the latest attack on Israel, as fighting between the archfoes entered a sixth day.

"The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles" was carried out, the Guards said in a statement carried by state television, claiming that Iranian forces "have gained complete control over the skies of the occupied territories".

The United States said it will close its embassy in Jerusalem until Friday amid the growing military conflict between Israel and Iran, as speculation mounts about possible American intervention.

"Given the security situation and in compliance with Israel Home Front Command guidance, the US Embassy in Jerusalem will be closed tomorrow (Wednesday, June 18) through Friday (June 20)," the embassy said in a statement posted Tuesday to its website.

On the sixth day of conflict between the Middle Eastern foes, officials also "directed that all US government employees and their family members continue to shelter in place in and near their residences until further notice."

President Donald Trump met with his National Security Council Tuesday after calling for Iran's surrender and warning that the United States could assassinate its supreme leader if it wanted.

The embassy state. The embassy statement said there was no current announcement about helping Americans leave the "crisis area."

US President Donald Trump demanded "unconditional surrender" from Tehran and warned the United States could easily assassinate its supreme leader as Iran and US ally Israel traded devastating fire for a sixth day.

The comments fuelled questions over whether Washington will join Israel's attacks after insisting it had no hand in the campaign.

Israeli warplanes targeted drone and missile sites with at least two waves of strikes in western Iran overnight, the military said.

It also said it had killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani in an overnight strike on a "command centre in the heart of Tehran", just four days after his predecessor, Gholam Ali Rashid, was killed in Israel's initial surprise attack.

The new attacks drew retaliatory fire from the Islamic republic, with explosions heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and air raid sirens sounding around Dimona, a southern town home to a nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of hits.

Days after a senior US official said Trump had told Israel to back down from plans to assassinate top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US president appeared to reverse course.

"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 (kill!), at least not for now," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Warning Iran against targeting US interests, he also posted:

"But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin," he added, later posting a message saying: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

Trump and his National Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the conflict, ending after an hour and 20 minutes with no immediate public statement.