The Tehran skyline amid Israeli bombing on 23 June 2025. [Telegram]
Israel on Monday launched an intense round of bombing in Iran, targeting military and security sites across the Iranian capital and the Fordow nuclear site as the war entered its eleventh day.
A local Iranian official said Israel had attacked the Fordow nuclear enrichment site, 48 hours after the US bombed the facility.
The Israeli military is “carrying out strikes of unprecedented force against regime targets and agencies of government oppression in the heart of Tehran”, Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Monday.
Katz said the Basij headquarters, the notorious Evin Prison, the ‘Destruction of Israel’ clock in Palestine Square, and the internal security headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards had all been hit.
There are no reports of prisoners hurt in the strike, which was apparently intended to allow the detainees to escape
Israeli media floats end to war
Israeli officials on Sunday indicated they may be prepared to end the war if Iran wants to return to negotiations, according to Israeli news outlets.
“If tomorrow Khamenei stops the fire and says he wants to end this – we will accept that,” one official was quoted as saying by Yedioth Ahronoth.
Iran’s top diplomat in Russia to meet Putin following US strikes
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will hold “important” talks with key ally Vladimir Putin on Monday, 48 hours after a major US attack on Iran’s key nuclear facilities.
Moscow is a crucial backer of Tehran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner since Israel launched a wave of attacks on 13 June, strikes that triggered Iran to respond with missiles and drones.
Russia condemned the Israeli and US strike but has not offered military help and has downplayed its obligations under a sweeping strategic partnership agreement signed with Tehran just months ago.
Araghchi thanked Putin for condemning US strikes on Iran ahead of the talks on Monday, telling him Russia stood on “the right side of history”.
The official IRNA news agency reported Sunday that Araghchi would “hold consultations with the president and other senior officials of Russia regarding regional and international developments following the military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran.”
Putin initially pitched himself as a possible mediator between Iran and Israel, but on Friday said he was only “suggesting ideas”, after US President Donald Trump pushed back against a role for the Kremlin leader.
Russia’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned the US strikes as “irresponsible,” after having previously warned against military intervention.
Iran arrests Ukrainian intelligence agents: local media
Iranian security services on Sunday arrested three Ukrainian intelligence agents in Isfahan, according to local media.
The spies were planning to target a drone factory in the area, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Iran has detained dozens of people accused of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad since the war erupted on 13 June.
Three people have been executed over the past week after being convicted of espionage.
The judiciary said it hanged a man found guilty of working with Israeli intelligence on Monday – the second execution in less than 24 hours.
Mossad is thought to have established a deep network of informants inside Iran who have provided intelligence on the Iranian military and the Revolutionary Guards.
Israeli officials say the agency smuggled drones into Iran ahead of the attack, enabling it to strike Iranian targets from inside the country’s borders.
EU warns Iran against shutting Strait of Hormuz
An Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz would be dangerous and “not good for anybody”, the EU’s top diplomat said on Monday.
“The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge, especially the closing of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is something that would be extremely dangerous and not good for anybody,” Kaja Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers.
Iran’s Press TV reported on Sunday that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council needed to make a final decision on whether to close the strait, after parliament was reported to back the measure. About 20% of global oil and gas demand flows through the channel.
(Agencies and TNA staff)
