Now ‘CAR BOMBS’ obliterate Iranian nuclear scientists in Tehran during Israeli blitz on city as residents flee… and Trump claims Israel tried to assassinate Supreme Leader

Iran has claimed that Israel has detonated five car bombs in Tehran. They were among a series of attacks that killed 14 of Iran’s nuclear scientists.

Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that they were set off by Israel-linked groups, although these claims have not yet been verified.

Israeli officials have denied partaking in the bombings.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a call earlier today.

The pair discussed the ‘grave situation’ in the Iran-Israel conflict, according to a Downing Street statement.

‘The Prime Minister reiterated that his priority is diplomacy and dialogue, in order to de-escalate as quickly as possible,’ it said.

Fox News have shared the full interview with Israeli Prime Minister on its official X account. You can watch it below.

The Israeli Air Force has launched a wave of strikes on dozens of surface-to-surface ballistic missile targets in western Iran, the IDF said in a post on X.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ‘urgent action’ was needed to prevent the Iran-Israel conflict engulfing the Middle East, in a call with US counterpart Donald Trump on Sunday.

‘President Erdogan hailed the recent comments by US President Trump concerning a resolution of the conflict between Israel and Iran… and stressed that urgent action is needed to prevent a catastrophe that could enflame the whole region,’ the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

During the call, Erdogan said the ‘spiral of violence unleashed by Israel’s attacks on Iran have caused irreparable economic and civil damage to both sides’ and called for moves to ‘halt this dangerous escalation’, it said.

The official account of the IDF said in a post on X that Isreal would continue its ‘defense policy’ until at least 8pm on Tuesday.

Here’s a bit more detail on the earlier post stating that Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A senior U.S. administration official told the press agency on Sunday: ‘Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership.’

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top U.S. officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program.

They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan.

The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When asked about Reuters report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel’s Special Report With Bret Baier. said: ‘There’s so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that.

‘But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we’ll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.’

Netanyahu believes Israel’s airstikes have set Iran back ‘quite a bit’, adding ‘I think they were completely surprised’.

He also told interviewer Bret Baier that Isreal has secured a ‘free highway to Tehran’ after securing air superiority agianst Iran’s forces.

‘We can now pick off the targets we need in Tehran and in other places,’ he added.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 406 people and wounded another 654 in Iran, according to Washington-based Human Rights Activists.

Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

In Israel, at least 10 people were killed in Iranian strikes overnight and into Sunday, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service, bringing the country’s total death toll to 13.

Here’s another exerpt from Netanyahu’s interview with Fox News earlier today, in which he told Bret Baier that Iran sees Trump as ‘enemy number one’.

Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel have killed five Ukrainian nationals, including three children, in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, Kyiv said on Sunday.

The five were killed Saturday in the ‘massive’ Iranian strikes when a missile hit a residential building in the city, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

Tayyip Erdogan told Donald Trump in a phone call on Sunday that Ankara was ready to play a facilitator role to resolve the conflict between Israel and Iran, the Turkey President’s office said.

Erdogan welcomed Trump’s latest statement on a possible peace between Iran and Israel, his office said.

He also urged his US counterpart to take action immediately to prevent a disaster ‘that could set the region on fire’.

Reuters is reporting that Donald Trump recently vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran Supreme Leader, according to two US officials.

When asked about the claims in an interview, Netanyahu said: ‘I’m not going to get into that.’

Netanyahu has said that Israel’s military attacks could result in a regime change in Iran.

He is currently speaking to Fox New’s Bret Baier on his ‘Special Report’ program in one of his first interviews since Israel’s attacks on Iran began on Friday.

Israel president Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed he informed the US and President Donald Trump about the country’s attacks on Iran on Friday ahead of time.

Israel’s government has confirmed that the death toll of Iranian strikes has risen to 14, after another body was recovered in the city of Bat Yam.

Speaking during a visit to Greenland, French president Emmanuel Macron has said he hopes the ‘coming hours will bring calm and a road forward for discussion, to avoid any escalation of nuclear capabilities, acquisition of nuclear capacities in Iran, and to prevent any unrest in the region.’

He added: ‘We will have the opportunity, in a few hours, to revisit this matter with G7 leaders.’

Amir Baram, a director in Israel’s defence ministry, has reportedly held a top-level meeting with the heads of Israel’s biggest defence contractors.

He reportedly called for the pace of weapons production to be accelerated, and for enhanced levels of protection of critical infrastructure.

Baram said: ‘Our defense is not hermetic.’

Shin Bet, Israel’s security service, arrested two Jewish Israelis suspected of carrying out missions on Iran’s behalf.

They were arrested in an overnight raid, and are currently being held and interrogated.

Israeli officials have denied partaking in the detonations of car bombs in Tehran.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar says that while his government expected civilian casualties from its attack on Iran, it ‘didn’t have any other choice.’

He said: ‘When we took this historic decision, tough decision, we knew we will have difficult times and we will face casualties, but saying that, we didn’t have any other choice.’

The IDF has denied claims that it is carrying out strikes on Iran to force the current regime out.

Israel’s cabinet has approved extending the nationwide state of emergency until at least June 30.

President Donald Trump told a news network Sunday it remains possible the United States will become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict and that he would be ‘open’ to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator.

‘It’s possible we could get involved’ in the ongoing battle between the Middle East arch-foes, Trump said in an interview, according to ABC News.

The network added that Trump stressed that the United States is ‘not at this moment’ involved in the military action.

As for Putin being a potential mediator in the conflict, ‘he is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,’ Trump said.

Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said in a post on X on Sunday that Russia can play ‘a key role’ in mediating the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Dmitriev was responding to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the conflict.

Iran has claimed that Israel has detonated five car bombs in Tehran.

Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that they were set off by Israel-linked groups.

These claims have not yet been verified.

Reuters is reporting that at least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli attacks.

Etihad Airways has cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv until at least June 22.

It said in a statement: ‘This remains a developing situation, and some disruption and delays may be expected in the coming days.’

Israel has reportedly struck Iran’s Justice and Intelligence ministries, in the heart of Tehran.

The IDF has now said that civilians in central and northern Israel don’t need to seek shelter in bunkers anymore.

US president Donald Trump has urged Iran and Israel to make a deal with each other.

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, he said: ‘Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!

‘Also, during my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades, and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR.

‘I stopped it (Biden has hurt the longer term prospects with some very stupid decisions, but I will fix it, again!). Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River.

‘There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way! Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place.

‘I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!’

Russia’s embassy in Tehran said on Sunday that it was working on the option of evacuating Russian citizens from Iran by a land route.

Explosions have been heard in the Tel Aviv area. It is not currently known what has been hit in the Israeli city, nor how many missiles Iran has fired.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Iraq on Sunday to block Israel from using its airspace and territory to launch attacks on the Islamic republic.

‘We emphasise that the Iraqi government must exercise greater vigilance and protection of its borders and airspace so that Iraqi territory is not misused against the Islamic Republic of Iran,’ said Pezeshkian in a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Iran would pay ‘a very heavy price’ for killing Israeli civilians.

Speaking at the site of a missile strike in Bet Yam, he said: ‘Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children.’

Iran says the death toll from Israel’s strikes is now 128.

Sirens are being sounded across central Israel and Jerusalem, as Iran launches another missile barrage.

The IDF says it is workring to shoot down the missiles.

Officials in the city of Bat Yam have issued a new warning telling people to stay near a protected space.

It comes as the IDF told Israelis across the country to avoid gatherings and public spaces.

The military said: ‘Movement in public areas should be minimised, and public gatherings must be avoided. Upon receiving an alert, enter a protected space and remain there until an official update is issued.’

Israel bombed Yemen overnight in an attempt to kill a top military official in the Houthi group, the New York Times has reported.

An airstrike on the country saw Israel attempt to take out Mohamed Al-Ghamari, the Houthi military’s chief of staff.

It is not currently known if Al-Ghamari was killed or injured in the attack, and the Houthis have not publicly commented on it yet.

Iran has warned of ‘more decisive and severe’ attacks as local media reported 128 had been killed in Israel strikes on Friday and Saturday.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran’s military has so far responded ‘strongly and appropriately’.

Pictured below is a partially collapsed block of flats in Bat Yam after it was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile.

Britons have been warned not to travel to Israel as the conflict with Iran ramps up today.

The Foreign Office is now advising ‘against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories’.

Planning is also believed to be under way to evacuate UK nationals if the situation deteriorates further.

The stark message came as Israel and Iran continued to bombard each other overnight.

Read the full story below.

Two drones launched from Iran towards Israel were shot down over Iraq by the US-led international coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, two Iraqi military officials told news agency AFP.

‘The international coalition at Ain al-Asad (military base) shot down two Iranian drones that were en route to Israel,’ one official said, referring to an Iraqi airbase housing foreign troops in western Iraq.

The drones were shot down overnight Saturday to Sunday, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The other official said the drones were targeted because they entered the defensive perimeter of the anti-jihadist coalition, where troops are instructed to engage any potential threat.

Two explosions have been heard in central Tehran.

Unverified footage posted on X shows three pillars of smoke rising in the city.

According to the Tasnim news agency, missile-like projectiles hit two locations today.

The news agency shared footage of the explosion site, saying it occurred near the central Valiasr Square.

The video showed columns of smoke rising from the area, with debris and shattered glass scattered across the scene. Other media carried similar reports.

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed Iran ‘will pay a heavy price for the murder of civilians, women, and children’.

The Israeli Prime Minister warned ‘it will happen soon’ after he said Tehran had targeted the civilians deliberately in a barrage of missile attacks that were launched overnight.

Netanyahu made the comments on X alongside photos of the PM visiting the city of Bat Yam where flats were destroyed in the strikes.

Iran will pay a very heavy price for the murder of women, children, and innocent civilians – and it will happen soon. I am here at the scene together with the rescue forces and the Home Front Command. On behalf of the people of Israel – we send a hug to the families and once again call on every citizen: obey the instructions – it saves lives.

We are in an existential battle, facing a cruel enemy who is planning destruction. Our soldiers and pilots are operating bravely – above the skies of Iran. This is a war of salvation. We will strike them with one blow – and we will win.

El Al, Israel’s national airline, has cancelled flights going to and from major European cities, as well as Tokyo and Moscow.

It said today that all flights have been cancelled up to and including June 17.

The carrier said: ‘Once approvals are received from the relevant security and aviation authorities, we will do everything possible to allow as many Israelis as possible to return home, gradually resume our regular flight schedule and operate rescue flights from destinations near Israel.’

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has released a list of seven further air force commanders who were killed in Israel’s strikes.

The list includes its head, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

The BBC has reported that explosions have been heard in Tehran’s Shahrak-e Gharb and Saadat Abad neighbourhoods.

Iranian officials have told local media that the capital’s air defence systems have been activated.

Iran’s health minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghand has today said that the majority of those killed by Israeli airstrikes since Friday are women and children.

While no official tally has been given for the entire weekend’s violence, Iran’s UN agency said on Friday that at least 78 had been killed, while 320 were wounded.