Page 2 - Latest Updates on Iran-Israel conflict: What to expect next

Iran executes man for spying for Israel, another for IS group sabotage

Iran executed two men in separate cases Wednesday, accusing one of spying for Israel and another of being a member of the Islamic State group, state media reported. A report by the judiciary news website Mizanonline identified the alleged spy as Rouzbeh Vadi, who was accused of relaying classified information to Israel's intelligence service, the Mossad. Authorities said Vadi provided information about an Iranian nuclear scientist who was killed during Israel's June airstrikes on Iran, according to the report, which did not identify the scientist or the time and place of Vadi's arrest. Vadi met the Mossad officers five times in Vienna, Austria, the report said. Israel's ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, said in June that Israel's 12-day war on Iran included targeted strikes that killed at least 14 physicists and engineers involved with Iran's nuclear program. Iran has hanged seven people for espionage during the conflict with Israel, sparking fears from activists that the govern

Iran appoints moderate leader Ali Larijani as top security council chief

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed veteran politician Ali Larijani as the new secretary for the country's highest security body, the Supreme National Security Council, state media reported on Tuesday. The decree, reported by the state-run IRNA news agency, marks Larijani's return to a post he previously held for two years from 2005 to 2007. He replaces Gen. Ali Akbar Ahmadian, who had been in the role since 2023 Larijani, 67, a moderate conservative, has served as an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in recent years. Khamenei holds the final say on all state matters in the country. He also served as parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020, when Pezeshkian worked as his deputy. The appointment is seen as a sign that Iran's theocracy is seeking to shift from a hardline course toward a more moderate one. It came a day after Iran announced the creation of a new defence council to handle defensive plans and improve the armed forces' capabilities, following att

Iran founds new Supreme National Defence Council after attacks by Israel

Iran founded a new defence council after attacks in June by Israel and the US, Iranian state media reported Monday. Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the country's highest security body, made the decision to establish the Supreme National Defence Council, which will be headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, the report said. The council will handle defensive plans and improve the capabilities of Iran's armed forces. Members will include the speaker of Parliament, the head of the judiciary and the chiefs of military branches and related ministries, the report said. The defence, intelligence and foreign ministries are expected to be council members, although the report did not provide those details. Iran's decision follows a 12-day air war by Israel and the US that led to the deaths of nearly 1,100 people including military chiefs and commanders. A ceasefire has been in force since shortly after the airstrikes targeted Iran's major nuclear facilities. Iran had a similar counc

Iran, European nations to hold first nuclear talks since Israel ceasefire

Iran said Monday it would hold renewed talks this week with European nations over the country's nuclear program, with discussions to be hosted by Turkey. The talks, to be held in Istanbul on Friday, will be the first since a ceasefire was reached after a 12-day war waged by Israel against Iran in June, which also saw the United States strike nuclear-related facilities in the Islamic Republic. A similar meeting had been held in the Turkish city in May. The discussions will bring Iranian officials together with officials from Britain, France and Germany known as the E3 nations and will include the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. The topic of the talks is clear, lifting sanctions and issues related to the peaceful nuclear programme of Iran," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in his weekly briefing. He said the meeting will be held at the deputy ministerial level. Under a 2015 deal designed to cap Iran's nuclear activities, Iran agreed to toug

Iran may hold nuclear talks with UK, France, Germany next week: Report

The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran - from which the United States withdrew in 2018

Iraq confirms drone attack 'findings' without naming who targeted its bases

Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to the decisive findings of an investigation published on Friday. The report of an investigative committee formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani did not identify who was behind the attacks that targeted radar and air defense systems last month. The attacks on several military bases, including some housing US troops, damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and at Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar province. Iraqi army spokesperson Sabah Al-Naaman said the investigation had reached decisive findings. He said the drones used were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched from locations inside Iraqi territory. All drones used in the attacks were of the same type, indicating that a single actor was behind the entire campaign, he said. Al-Naaman said the investigation had identified the entiti

Israel says it 'deeply regrets' Gaza church strike, promises investigation

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the IDF said that early findings showed fragments from a shell fired during military operations in the area may have hit the church by mistake

Orthodox Party quits Israeli cabinet but throws Netanyahu a lifeline

A key governing partner of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday it is quitting the government, leaving him with a minority in parliament. The Shas ultra-Orthodox party said it was leaving over disagreements surrounding a proposed law meant to grant wide military draft exemptions to its constituents. A second ultra-Orthodox party quit earlier this week over the same issue.

Satellite images show Iran strikes hit US communications dome at Qatar base

An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the US military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analysed Friday by The Associated Press show. The US military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage likely due to the fact that the US evacuated its aircraft from the base home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command ahead of the attack. Trump also has said Iran signalled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air ..

Mar-a-Lago drone threat? Khamenei's former aide says Trump may be a target

Former Khamenei adviser Mohammad-Javad Larijani has hinted that US President Donald Trump 'can no longer sunbathe at Mar-a-Lago' - warning a drone could hit him - amid tense US-Iran ties

Israel says Iran could recover enriched uranium at nuclear site hit by US

While Israeli officials suspect uranium remains at Isfahan, experts say any attempt by Iran to retrieve it would require a highly complex and difficult recovery effort

As wars rage in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine, is the UN struggling for relevance?

The UN faces growing criticism for its limited role in major conflicts, as Gaza, Iran and Ukraine expose the body's structural weaknesses and crisis of legitimacy

1,060 people killed in war with Israel, death toll could rise: Iran govt

Iran's government has issued a new death toll for its war with Israel, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise. Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, gave the figure in an interview aired by Iranian state television late Monday. Ohadi warned the death toll may reach 1,100 given how severely some people were wounded. During the war, Iran downplayed the effects of Israel's 12-day bombardment of the country, which decimated its air defences, destroyed military sites and damaged its nuclear facilities. Since a ceasefire took hold, Iran slowly has been acknowledging the breadth of the destruction, though it still has not said how much military materiel it lost. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, has said 1,190 people were killed, including 436 civilians and 435 security force members. The attacks wounded anothe

Iran's Prez Pezeshkian says he's open to talks with US despite strikes

Pezeshkian claimed the Trump administration authorised Israeli attacks on Iran that began on June 13

After Iran victory, Gaza war looms over Trump, Netanyahu's third meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump might look to take a victory lap on Monday after their recent joint strikes on Iran, hailed by both as an unmitigated success. But as they meet for the third time this year, the outwardly triumphant visit will be dogged by Israel's 21-month war against Hamas in Gaza and questions over how hard Trump will push for an end to the conflict. Trump has made clear that following the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, he would like to see the Gaza conflict end soon. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu could give new urgency to a US ceasefire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas, but whether it leads to a deal that ends the war is unclear. The optics will be very positive, said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington. But behind the victory lap are going to be some very serious questions. Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the US for bringing a

Israel launches airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthis; rebels retaliate

Israel's military launched airstrikes early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen's Houthi rebels, with the rebels responding with missile fire targeting Israel. The attacks came after a suspected Houthi attack targeting a ship in the Red Sea that caught fire and took on water, later forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. The Israeli military said it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif. These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies, the Israeli military said. The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said it attempted to intercept the missile, but it appeared to make impact, though there were no immediate reports of injuries from the attack.