Smoke rises from a fire following a missile attack from Iran, in Herzliya, Israel.
Credit: Reuters Photo
With the Israel-Iran conflict continuing to worsen, embassies including Japan, China and the likes have urged its citizens to leave the countries for their own safety. Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city, 110 of them crossing the border into Armenia, through arrangements made by the Embassy.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said the Indian Embassy remains continuously in touch with the community with a view to extending all feasible assistance. Here's a brief look at what has happened in the last 24 hours.
Iran tells UN strikes on Israel are self-defense
Airstrikes on Israel are self defense and are "proportionate defensive operations directed exclusively at military objectives and associated infrastructure," Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council on Monday.
He wrote in a letter that any cooperation by third countries with Israel's strikes on Iran "makes them complicit in the legal responsibility and consequences of this crisis."
Iranian state broadcaster hit in airstrikes
An Israeli strike hit Iran's state broadcaster on Monday while the head of the UN nuclear watchdog indicated extensive damage to Iran's biggest uranium enrichment plant and Iran called on the U.S. to force a ceasefire in the aerial war.
Late on Monday, Israel said it hit Iran's broadcasting authority, and footage showed a newsreader hurrying from her seat as a blast struck. Israel's military said the building also served as a communications centre used by Iran’s armed forces.
The conflict entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with air raid sirens sounding in Tel Aviv shortly after midnight as Iran launched additional missiles toward Israel.
Trump says he wants Iran to give up entirely on nuclear weapons
US President Donald Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing what he said was the country's rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development.
World leaders meeting at the Group of Seven summit in Canada called for a de-escalation of the worst-ever conflict between the regional foes, saying Iran must never have a nuclear weapon while affirming Israel's right to defend itself.
Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform on Monday.
Stocks wobble, oil jumps on Middle East tension; BOJ in focus
Global stocks wavered and oil prices rose on Tuesday, as conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fifth day, while the yen was choppy after the Bank of Japan decided to slow the pace of reduction in its bond purchases from April next year.
The Bank of Japan (BOJ), which left its short-term interest rates at 0.5% as expected, decided to leave unchanged its bond taper plan that runs through March 2026, but set out a new plan beyond next April.
The yen swung between small gains and losses to stand at 144.80 against the dollar as investors' focus switches to a 0630 GMT press conference by BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda to explain the decision.
Israeli military says it killed Iran's wartime chief of staff
Israel's military said on Tuesday it had killed Ali Shadmani, who it identified as Iran’s wartime chief of staff and said was the most senior military commander
Trump leaves G7 early, says nothing to do with Israel-Iran conflict
US President Donald Trump left the Group of Seven summit in Canada a day early due to the situation in the Middle East, the White House said on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had made an offer for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Trump had earlier urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran, and reiterated that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the United States.
But hours later, Trump said his early departure from the Group of Seven nations summit has "nothing to do with" working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Macron "mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a 'cease fire' between Israel and Iran," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he left the G7 summit in Canada to return to Washington.
"Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that," Trump added in the post.
Netanyahu says assassinating Ayatollah will end the conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday did not rule out plans to assassinate Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying it would "end the conflict" between the two arch-foes, news agency AFP said.
In a 20-minute interview with US network ABC News, the Israeli leader insisted his country's deadly aggression to "defang" Iran was justified, and equated Khamenei to a "modern Hitler."
MEA says Indian students moved out of Tehran for safety reasons; 110 cross border to Armenia
Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city, 110 of them crossing the border into Armenia, through arrangements made by the Embassy.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said the Indian Embassy remains continuously in touch with the community with a view to extending all feasible assistance.
"Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city for reasons of safety, through arrangements made by the Embassy," it said.
Other residents who are self-sufficient in terms of transport have also been advised to move out of the city in view of the developing situation, it said.
G7 expresses support for Israel, calls Iran source of instability
The Group of Seven nations expressed support for Israel in a statement issued late on Monday and labeled its rival Iran as a source of instability in the Middle East, with the G7 leaders urging broader de-escalation of hostilities in the region.
The air war between Iran and Israel - which began on Friday when Israel attacked Iran with air strikes - has raised alarms in a region that had already been on edge since the start of Israel's military assault on Gaza in October 2023.
"We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel," G7 leaders said in the statement.
"Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror," the statement added and said the G7 was "clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."