West Asia Tensions Highlights | Trump should stop 'disrespectful' tone against Khamenei if he wants a deal: Iranian FM

West Asia Tensions LIVE | 26 people arrested in Iran over collaborating with Israel: Report

Iran's intelligence services have arrested 26 people, accusing them of collaborating with Israel, state media Fars news agency reported, days after a ceasefire between the two countries was announced. (AFP)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | A battered Iran faces an uncertain future after its grinding war with Israel

Israeli airstrikes decimated the upper ranks of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and depleted its arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israeli missiles and American bunker buster bombs damaged the nuclear programme — though how much remains disputed.

Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance," a group of allied countries and militias in the Mideast, has been mauled by the Israelis since Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack. Foreign support Tehran may have expected from China and Russia never materialised. (Associated Press)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Hegseth to hold news conference on Thursday on Iran strikes, Trump says

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold a "major" news conference on Thursday morning, President Donald Trump said, as his administration pushes to quell doubts over the damage done by U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. (Reuters)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Operation Sindhu: 272 Indians, 3 Nepalese nationals evacuated from Iran

India has evacuated 272 Indian and three Nepalese nationals from Iran following the conflict with Israel, officials said on Thursday.

A special flight carrying them arrived in Delhi a little past midnight from the Iranian city of Mashhad.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Israeli attacks kill at least 21 people in Gaza

Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 21 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, local health authorities said, as mediators reached out to Israel and Hamas to seek a resumption of ceasefire talks to end the war.

Local health authorities said an Israeli airstrike killed at least nine people at a school housing displaced families in the Sheikh Radwan suburb in Gaza City, while another strike killed nine people near a tent encampment in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.

Three other people were killed by Israeli gunfire and dozens were wounded as crowds awaited U.N. aid trucks along a main route in central Gaza, medics said, the latest in a series of multiple fatalities at aid distribution points.

(Reuters)

West Asia Tensions LIVE |Iran's supreme leader, in first public statement since end of Israel-Iran war, says Iran achieved victory over Israel, reports AP

Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei said, "First; congratulations on the victory over the fake Zionist regime. With all that clamor, with all those claims, the Zionist regime, under the blows of the Islamic Republic, has almost collapsed and been crushed."

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran 'Delivered a hard slap to America's face': Khamenei

Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei said "The second congratulations is for the victory of our dear Iran over the American regime.

"The American regime entered into direct war because it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. However, it achieved nothing from this war. Here too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious and, in return, delivered a hard slap to America's face."

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran panel backs bill to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog, website says

A parliamentary bill to suspend Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was ratified by the Guardian Council, Iran's Young Journalist Club news outlet reported on Thursday, referring to a panel of clerics and jurists who vet legislation.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | US strikes on Iran were Trump's Showmanship: Khamenei

Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei: US President Trump needed to do 'Showmanship'

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Khamenei says 'nothing significant' in US strikes on nuclear sites, reports AFP

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Does it matter whether America’s Iran strike was lawful?

Opinion| If Tehran now hurries to make atomic bombs in secret — and if other countries in the region then build their own nukes for self-protection — the tactical triumph of Midnight Hammer will turn into a strategic disaster.

Read more

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Russia says it wants cooperation between Iran and IAEA to continue

Russia wants Iran to continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

Iran's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, after Israel and the United States bombed Iran's nuclear sites with the aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies any intention of building a nuclear bomb. Russia, which has a strategic partnership with Iran, has condemned the Israeli and US strikes and says Tehran has the right to a peaceful nuclear energy programme.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran will have to say a lot of things to bolster their image: US Defence Secretary Hegseth

US Defence Secretary Hegseth, Asked About Iran Comments in Reaction to Strikes: Iran Will Have to Say a Lot of Things to Bolster Their Image

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Unaware of any intelligence that highly enriched uranium was moved by Iran ahead of strikes: Hegseth

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Hegseth rebukes US media for 'irresponsible reporting', offers little info on strikes

During a press conference, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine said that it will take time to understand the impact of US strikes on Iran. According to Associated Press they said, 'there was little in the way of new information'

However, they soon pivoted to United States' 'irresponsible reporting. Hegseth claimed this briefing was organised because “there was a great deal of irresponsible reporting” based on a preliminary intelligence assessment. 

“If you want to know what’s going on at Fordo, you better go there and get a big shovel,” he said.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran moved uranium from Fordow before US strikes, EU capitals believe

Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact following US strikes on its main nuclear sites, European capitals believe, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The newspaper, citing two people briefed on preliminary intelligence assessments, said European capitals believe Iran’s stockpile of 408 kilogram of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels was not concentrated in Fordow, one of its two main enrichment sites, at the time of last weekend’s attack.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Trump says nothing was taken out of Iran nuclear facility

US President Donald Trump said nothing was moved from an Iranian nuclear facility, echoing his defense secretary who earlier on Thursday said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its uranium to shield it from US strikes over the weekend."

The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out of facility. Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!" Trump, without providing evidence, wrote on his social media platform

West Asia Tensions LIVE | IAEA says no word yet from Iran on bill to reduce cooperation with it

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday it had not received an official communication from Iran about a parliamentary bill to suspend cooperation with it that according to media reports earlier in the day had received final approval.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | EU leaders on Iran: EU will Continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Israel says Iran's Supreme Leader avoided assassination by going underground

 Israel would have killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were it possible during the countries' 12-day war, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

"I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out," Katz said in the interview with Israel's Kan public television.

"But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn’t realistic in the end," he said.

(Reuters)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Trump's calls for Iran's surrender 'too big to come out of his mouth': Khamenei

West Asia Tensions LIVE | White House believes no enriched uranium was removed prior to U.S. attacks on Iran

There is no indication that any enriched uranium was removed from any of the three sites in Iran targeted by the U.S. in attacks on Saturday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. (Reuters)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran minister says damage from war with Israel 'serious' (AFP)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran FM says non-cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog is now law (AFP)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran says no plan for new US nuclear talks, plays down impact of strikes (AFP)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Evacuated over 4,400 Indian nationals from Iran, Israel in 19 special flights so far: MEA

India has evacuated more than 4,400 Indian nationals from Iran and Israel so far in 19 special flights under Operation Sindhu launched on June 18 to bring home its citizens amid the ongoing conflict between the two countries, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

A fresh batch of 173 Indians evacuated from Iran reached Delhi late Thursday night in a flight from Armenian capital Yerevan, the MEA said in a post on X.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Lebanon says 1 dead, 11 wounded in Israeli strike in south

 Lebanon's health ministry said a woman was killed and 11 other people were wounded in an Israeli strike in the country's south, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

"The Israel enemy strike on an apartment in Nabatiyeh led to a preliminary toll of one woman killed and 11 people wounded," the ministry said in a statement carried by the official National News Agency. (AFP)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Iran extends flight bans over West and Northwest of country until 2 pm (1030 GMT) Saturday

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Israel's defence minister says the plan includes maintaining Israel's air superiority, preventing nuclear advancement and missile production, and responses to Iran for supporting "terrorist activities" against Israel.

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Israeli military orders war crime probe into Gaza shootings, paper says

 Israel's Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near Gaza aid distribution sites, Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday. (Reuters)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | UK says last Israel evacuation flight to leave on Sunday

Britain said on Friday it would end evacuation flights out of Israel for UK nationals after a sixth and final flight scheduled for Sunday, as demand decreases in light of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

"The government has organised multiple flights evacuating British nationals and their dependants from Tel Aviv, prioritising the most vulnerable," a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said, adding the number of commercial options for travel was growing.

"These flights will end if there is not sufficient demand. We will keep the situation under review." (Reuters)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Trump says would bomb Iran again 'without question' if keeps enriching uranium

U.S. President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump said Friday he would "absolutely" bomb Iran again if intelligence indicated the country was still able to enrich uranium to nuclear-weapons grade. (AFP)

West Asia Tensions LIVE | Trump should stop 'disrespectful' tone against Khamenei if he wants a deal, Iranian FM says

If US President Donald Trump is genuine about wanting a nuclear deal with Iran, he should put aside "the disrespectful and unacceptable tone" towards Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and "stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early on Saturday. (Reuters)