Israel attacks Iran’s Fordow nuclear site – Iranian media
Israel carried out a fresh strike on Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site south of Tehran, AFP reports, citing a media outlet in the country.
“The aggressor attacked the Fordow nuclear site again,” Tasnim news agency reported, quoting a spokesperson for the crisis management authority in Qom province where the site is located.
Key events
How could Iran potentially block the Strait of Hormuz?
‘This is our Berlin Wall moment’ – Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi blames Khamenei for the conflict and says he is ready to lead Iran
Here are some images coming to us over the wires
Israel says it was striking Iranian security command centres
Israel says it struck targets in Tehran including Evin prison
IAEA chief expects ‘very significant damage’ at Iran’s Fordow site
Israel attacks Iran’s Fordow nuclear site – Iranian media
Kremlin says Russia deeply regrets and condemns the US strikes on Iran
Israel attacking targets in central Tehran with ‘unprecedented intensity’, Israel Katz says
Any Iranian closure of Hormuz Strait would be ‘extremely dangerous’, EU’s top diplomat says
China warns Israel-Iran war could ‘impact’ global economy
China warns of ‘spillover of war’ risk in Israel-Iran conflict
From shipping, to proxies, to targeting US bases, Iran’s options to strike back are limited
Iran’s military warns US of ‘heavy consequences’ for entering war on Israel’s side
Spain to ask European Council to immediately suspend EU-Israel pact
How could Iran retaliate to US strikes?
Israel’s war on Gaza beginning to threaten its relationship with the EU
‘Chilling pattern’ of Israeli forces firing on hungry Palestinians, UN official says
Oil prices surge
Japan, heavily reliant on Middle East oil, avoids voicing support for US strikes
What is the strait of Hormuz and why does it matter?
‘Obliteration is an accurate term’, Trump says after officials say damage from Iran strikes not yet clear
Israeli aid massacres in Gaza continue as world’s attention turns to Iran
Australia’s ASX plummets more than $10bn after US Iran strikes
Israel has made a ‘grave mistake’, Khamenei’s social media account says
US state department issues ‘worldwide caution’ for Americans
Israel and Iran exchange another round of missiles
Opening summary
JP Morgan Chase is allowing only essential travel in and out of the Middle East for employees, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.
How could Iran potentially block the Strait of Hormuz?
Dan Sabbagh
Any Iranian attempt to close the 33km wide Straits of Hormuz would almost certainly see Tehran trying to mine the two 2km wide shipping lanes with munitions ready to explode if they detect passing traffic.
Sea mines are feared, and Iran is thought to possess several thousand, including the Chinese-made EM-52, which, if it detects a target, launches a rocket from the sea bed, as well as other mines that can lie moored in the water.
However, a challenge for Tehran would be successfully laying the weapons, as the exercise would have to be done relatively quickly and would rely on submarines – three larger Russian-made Kilo-class and a fleet of midget Ghadir-class submarines.
Sea mining could be supported by a combination of anti-ship batteries from the Iranian coast, small fast patrol boats operated by the IRGC and air and sea drones, though any shore-based capability is likely to be promptly attacked by Israel and probably the US.
Clearing mines is a complex task, ideally handled in a relatively uncontested environment, and two US warships, the USS Tripoli and USS Princeton, were damaged by Iraqi mines in the 1991 Gulf War, but the US has considerable military assets in the region.
Nick Childs, an analyst with the IISS, said Iran could “cause very significant disruption and also potentially seriously hazard US and other naval units” seeking to keep the waterway open but “for these reasons, a concerted effort by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz would likely provoke a considerable and comprehensive US military response”.
Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, has called for an end to the strikes on Iran at a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels
Barrot says France is “deeply concerned” about the conflict escalating, which, he says, could be “devastating in the Middle East and have very serious consequences for global stability,” including for France and Europe.
Barrot condemned Iran’s nuclear program, citing it as an existential risk to Israel and Europe, and the Iranian regime’s detention of French citizens.
“This morning, I want to express my thoughts for Jacques Paris and Cécile Kohler, who have been held hostage for three years under deplorable conditions akin to torture,” he says.
Barrot stressed the need for negotiations to take place with the Iranian authorities and rejects any suggestions of “regime change,” arguing that Iranians have the right to “self-detemination” and they trust “the Iranian people, who have heroically resisted the regime whose actions we have condemned, to determine their own future and choose for themselves the time and circumstances to change the regime. It would be illusory and dangerous to think that such a change can be provoked by force and bombs.”
‘This is our Berlin Wall moment’ – Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi
“Today, it is clearer than ever that the Islamic Republic is collapsing,” says Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
Credible reports indicate that Ali Khamenei family and the family of senior regime officials are making preparations to flee Iran. The regime is on its last legs in towns and cities across the country. The military is fractured. The people are united. The foundation of this 46 year tyranny are shaking. This is our Berlin Wall moment, but like all moments of great change, it comes fraught with danger. We stand at a crossroads. One road leads to bloodshed and chaos, the other to a peaceful and democratic transition.
Pahlavi emphasised that for a democratic transition to succeed, Western powers must not extend the current regime a “lifeline.” If that happens, he says, “there will be more bloodshed and chaos, because this regime will not submit or surrender after it has been humiliated. It will lash out as long as it is in power. No country and no people are safe, whether on the streets of Washington, Paris, Jerusalem, Riyadh or Tehran, there is only one way to achieve peace a secular, democratic Iran.”
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi blames Khamenei for the conflict and says he is ready to lead Iran
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, speaks during a press conference about the situation in Iran and the need to support Iranians, in Paris, France, June 23, 2025. Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters
“To my compatriots: This is our moment. I am with you. Let us build this new Iran together. I am here today to submit myself to my compatriots to lead them down this road of peace,” Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, an Iranian opposition leader, told a press conference in Paris on Monday.
Pahlavi, the eldest son of Farah Diba and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, also blamed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei for the “devastating conflict” developing in the region.
Pahlavi says Ali Khamenei and his corrupt, destructive faction “has driven our nation’s economy to the brink of collapse, plundered our national infrastructure and resources, squandered the nation’s wealth on developing nuclear weapons, shattered Iran’s Security and stolen the sovereignty of the Iranian people.”
Pahlavi adds that the regime “is defeated, teetering on the edge of collapse, and must not be allowed to continue.”
The time has come to end this ruin and begin a new era for Iran.. Ladies and gentlemen, over the past few days, I have spoken with people across Iran from every walk of life, an officer in the armed forces, a mother fleeing Tehran, a factory worker from Tabriz, a young woman activist for the woman life Freedom Movement. These voices represent a nation, embattled but resilient that is not asking for its freedom. It is fighting for it.
More to follow…
Three empty oil and chemical tankers have diverted away from the Strait of Hormuz and changed course, The Times of Israel reports.
The Marie C and Red Ruby, which were sailing toward the Strait, dropped anchor near Fujairah off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coast. The Kohzan Maru was sailing in the Gulf of Oman, according to data on the Marine Traffic platform.
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Thailand is seeking to relocate about 3,000 Thai construction workers from Israel to neighbouring countries, following the escalation in the conflict.
Israel is a popular destination for Thai migrant workers, who are often employed in its construction or agricultural industries.
Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas in the 7 October attacks, and 46 Thai nationals have been killed in the war.
There were about 30,000 Thai workers in Israel prior to 7 October, after which about 7,000 returned home. The salaries on offer in Israel, however, have continued to attract new recruits.
The Thai government said it is in discussions with recruitment agencies to try to move its nationals elsewhere in the region.
Smaller groups of Thais are also being repatriated, including 22 Thai construction workers who are due to arrive in Thailand this evening.
Thai officials have evacuated three Thai nationals from Iran, and are assisting an additional 73 Thai nationals to leave.
Here are some images coming to us over the wires
Italy is against a suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement over alleged human rights violations in Gaza, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday.
“Our position is different from that of Spain,” Tajani said on the sidelines of a meeting with EU colleagues in Brussels, referring to Spain’s support for a suspension of the deal.
Tajani said it was important to keep relations open with Israel, saying that this had facilitated the evacuation of some civilians out of Gaza.
The US embassy in Qatar has issued a message to US citizens recommending they “shelter in place until further notice”.
Israel says it was striking Iranian security command centres
Israel’s military said on Monday it was striking command centres of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards and other domestic security forces responsible for “maintaining the regime’s stability” (see earlier post).
“These forces consist of various corps and command centers and are responsible, on behalf of the Iranian regime’s military, for defending the homeland security, suppressing threats, and maintaining the regime’s stability,” it said in a statement, Reuters reports.
The Israeli military has said it struck the Fordow enrichment site (see earlier post) in order to obstruct access routes to it, Reuters reports.
