{"id":2539,"date":"2025-06-21T14:11:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T14:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/2539\/"},"modified":"2025-06-21T14:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T14:11:10","slug":"2nd-week-of-israel-iran-war-starts-with-renewed-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/2539\/","title":{"rendered":"2nd week of Israel-Iran war starts with renewed strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The second week of the Israel-Iran war<\/a> started with a renewed round of strikes targeting an Iranian nuclear research facility<\/a> near Isfahan. <\/p>\n

Talks in Geneva on Friday between European foreign ministers and Iran\u2019s top diplomat failed to produce a breakthrough. U.S. President Donald Trump continued to weigh his country\u2019s military involvement as concerns spiked over potential strikes on Iranian nuclear reactors.<\/p>\n

Still, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue but stressed Tehran wasn\u2019t interested in negotiating while Israel continued attacking.<\/p>\n

Here is the latest:<\/p>\n

Iran acknowledges detaining German bicyclist on suspicion of spying<\/p>\n

Iran on Saturday acknowledged for the first time it had detained a German bicyclist on spying allegations, likely an effort by Tehran to pressure Germany amid its war with Israel.<\/p>\n

The semiofficial Mehr news agency published footage of the unnamed man\u2019s arrest, without saying when the arrest occurred. However, it described the cyclist as being detained in Markazi province, home to the Arak heavy water reactor.<\/p>\n

The German news agency dpa reported the arrest took place last year and that the bicyclist is being held in Tehran\u2019s notorious Evin prison, home to Westerners and political prisoners.<\/p>\n

The German Foreign Ministry declined to comment Saturday. <\/p>\n

Israeli army says it is now targeting Iranian military infrastructure<\/p>\n

The Israeli army said it began striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran. <\/p>\n

It was unclear what the targeted sites were. <\/p>\n

Shortly after, Iranian state media reported that the sound of large blasts was heard in two cities in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan. Air defenses were reported to be activated in both locations. <\/p>\n

A large column of smoke had also risen above the port city of Mahshahr, Fars news agency said, while \u201cfrightening explosions\u201d were heard in the provincial capital of Ahvaz.<\/p>\n

Macron voices deep concern over Iran\u2019s nuclear program <\/p>\n

The French president said Saturday this happened during a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who initiated the call.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere again, my position is clear: Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful,\u201d Macron posted on social media, adding that diplomatic efforts should continue to resolve the current crisis. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran.\u201d <\/p>\n

Macron said he also asked for the release of two French citizens being held in Iran on espionage charges since 2022.<\/p>\n

Iranians are left with no internet access again <\/p>\n

Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org<\/a> reported on Saturday that the limited internet access that had come back up in Iran has once again \u201ccollapsed.\u201d <\/p>\n

The group said on X that the disconnect came after \u201ca brief period when residents could exchange messages with the outside world.\u201d<\/p>\n

A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days, isolating Iranians.<\/p>\n

Iran cited concerns about Israeli cyberattacks for the shutdown of mobile and web services. But many Iranians and activists see it as another example of state information control and targeted internet shutdowns the Islamic Republic has deployed during periods of protests and unrest.<\/p>\n

Internet slowly trickles back in Iran<\/p>\n

Iranians on Saturday began to see some internet access restored, giving people the opportunity to call friends and family for the first time in days. <\/p>\n

Those in the diaspora posted on social media about connecting to FaceTime or WhatsApp to call relatives they had been worried about. <\/p>\n

Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week<\/a> for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. That left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next and if their family or friends were among the victims. <\/p>\n

Tasnim News Agency, closely affiliated with Iran\u2019s government, quoted the information minister as saying that access to \u201cinternational\u201d internet should be restored across the country by 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Turkey urges Islamic unity against \u2018Israeli problem\u2019<\/p>\n

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the Middle East is faced with an \u201cIsraeli problem\u201d and called on Islamic countries to take a collective stand and show solidarity with Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael\u2019s ongoing aggression and occupation policies clearly show that there is an Israeli problem in our region that needs to be addressed,\u201d Fidan said in an opening speech at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Saturday.<\/p>\n

He also warned that Israel\u2019s actions could trigger broader regional instability.<\/p>\n

Italians evacuated from Iran arrive in Azerbaijan<\/p>\n

The Italian foreign ministry said the 24 Italians are the second group to evacuate via Azerbaijan\u2019s Baku.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter about nine hours of travel and a very long wait at the border, the group was welcomed by representatives of the Italian Embassy in Baku, and then moved to the airport of the Azerbaijani capital to wait to return to Italy with the first available flights,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n

The group included an Italian doctor and his partner, an Iranian woman, and their 18-month-old child, the ministry said.<\/p>\n

Another convoy from Iran could depart from Tehran as early as Monday. <\/p>\n

The first group that arrived in Italy via Baku in recent days had 34 Italian nationals. <\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s foreign ministry also said it chartered a flight to help evacuate its citizens from Israel via Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Evacuees in Cyprus recall missiles flying overhead<\/p>\n

Noah Page says it\u2019s one thing to watch missiles crisscrossing the sky on the news and another to experience it firsthand. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou see it on the news, you see everything, but you never really expect it to actually hit you when you\u2019re there,\u201d the Ohio-native told the Associated Press.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs someone who grew up in Canada, it\u2019s so foreign to me to even think about missiles or a war and you hear about it on the news and it\u2019s just so separate from you,\u201d said Pe\u2019er, a 23-year-old who didn\u2019t want to give her last name. \u201cIt sort of felt like fireworks at first until the reality of the situation set in. I need to run or I might end up hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Page and Pe\u2019er were among an estimated 1,500 other young people from around the world visiting Israel who were evacuated by cruise ship on Saturday to Cyprus, the closest European country to Israel, at around 270 kilometers.<\/p>\n

It was the second such trip by the cruise ship bringing people out while ferrying stranded Israelis back to their homeland. <\/p>\n

Florida native Alex Rosenblum had been in Israel before in times of war, when the sounds of sirens urging citizens to rush to shelters had become almost routine. But he says this time it was different.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis situation with Iran has been a lot scarier because there\u2019s a big difference between a rocket and a missile,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The three young people found safety in underground shelters when digital alerts were sent out. <\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Araghchi says it will be \u2018very dangerous\u2019 if US gets involved in war<\/p>\n

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it would be \u201cvery, very dangerous for everyone\u201d if the United States becomes actively involved in the war with Israel.<\/p>\n

He spoke to reporters in Istanbul on his way home from talks in Geneva.<\/p>\n

Araghchi said American military involvement \u201cwould be very unfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n

UN refugee agency calls for de-escalation <\/p>\n

The UNHCR said Saturday that the intensity of the attacks is already triggering population movements in Israel and Iran: Some from Tehran and other parts of Iran have crossed into neighboring countries while shelling has caused people in Israel to seek shelter elsewhere in the country and, in some cases, abroad.<\/p>\n

The agency urged states in the region to respect the right of people to seek safety where needed and to facilitate humanitarian access.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis region has already endured more than its share of war, loss, and displacement \u2014 we cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root,\u201d the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said. \u201cThe time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there\u2019s no quick way back \u2014 and all too often, the consequences last for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tehran vows to make Grossi \u2018pay\u2019<\/p>\n

A senior adviser for Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed in a social media post Saturday to make the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency \u201cpay\u201d once the war with Israel is over. <\/p>\n

Ali Larijani\u2019s threat comes as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi<\/a> has become a major target for many Iranian officials who say his conflicting statements about the status of Iran\u2019s nuclear program incited the Israeli surprise attack<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n

Grossi told the United Nations\u2019 Security Council Friday that while Iran has the material to build a nuclear bomb, it appears they have no plans to do so. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The second week of the Israel-Iran war started with a renewed round of strikes targeting an Iranian nuclear…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[97,3489,3494,3492,3495,3498,69,3500,57,3497,3499,83,3461,99,3462,3493,3501,3491,3463,50,3496,80,3490,96,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-2539","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-2024-2025-mideast-wars","9":"tag-abbas-araghchi","10":"tag-alex-rosenblum","11":"tag-ali-khamenei","12":"tag-ali-larijani","13":"tag-azerbaijan-government","14":"tag-donald-trump","15":"tag-filippo-grandi","16":"tag-general-news","17":"tag-humanitarian-crises","18":"tag-internet-access","19":"tag-iran","20":"tag-iran-government","21":"tag-israel","22":"tag-israel-government","23":"tag-italy-government","24":"tag-jordyn-woods","25":"tag-mark-erlander","26":"tag-mideast-wars","27":"tag-news","28":"tag-noah-page","29":"tag-politics","30":"tag-rafael-grossi","31":"tag-war-and-unrest","32":"tag-world","33":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114721763272837518","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}