More than 1,500 Indian students, most of them from Jammu and Kashmir, are stranded in Iran. They are now being evacuated to the city of Qom, 148 km away.
On Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding students from the Union Territory stuck in Iran.

As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, Indian students in Tehran are being evacuated in buses to Qom, about 150 km from the capital city.

(Representational Image)

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said China could reach 1,000 warheads in seven or eight years.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a statement saying, "I would like to clarify the obvious: there is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the murderous dictator does against the residents of Israel."
He added that "The residents of Tehran will be forced to pay the price of dictatorship and evacuate their homes from areas where it will be necessary to attack regime targets and security infrastructure in Tehran."
"We will continue to protect the residents of Israel," he concluded.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was moved to an underground bunker in Tehran hours after Israel began its attacks on Friday, according to a report by Iran International.

All members of Khamenei's family including his son Mojtaba were with him, the report said

The Israel Defense Force said that the ballistic missile fired earlier by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen fell before reaching Israel.

"Sirens sounding in southern Israel following projectile fire from Yemen," the Israel Defence Force (IDF) said in a post on X. 

"Sirens sounding in the Jordan Valley due to a hostile aircraft infiltration," IDF said in another post. 

At least nine students from Karnataka are stranded in Iran, which is being bombarded with Israeli missiles. They are studying medicine at Shahid Behshti Medical University near Tehran.

One of these students, Nadeem Hussain, and his parents in Bengaluru, contacted the Non-Resident Indian Committee's Bengaluru office over the phone and urged to facilitate Hussain's swift return to India. 

Responding to their request, the Vice President of the Non-Resident Indian Committee, Dr. Aarti Krishna, immediately wrote a letter to the Foreign Ministry requesting them to take steps to bring back the students residing in Iran immediately. 

U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left the South China Sea on Monday morning heading west, according to data from ship tracking website Marine Traffic, after a reception for its planned port call in central Vietnam was cancelled. The carrier had planned to visit Danang City later this week, but two sources, including one diplomat, said a formal reception slated for June 20 had been called off.

One of the sources said the US Embassy in Hanoi had informed him about the cancellation, due to "an emergent operational requirement". The embassy didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group conducted maritime security operations in the South China Sea last week, as "part of the US Navy's routine presence in the Indo-Pacific," according to the website of the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet. Data from Marine Traffic showed the carrier on Monday morning was moving west in the direction of the Middle East, where the battle between Israel and Iran is escalating. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that a total of 24 people have been killed in Iranian strikes on Israel. 

U.S. President Donald Trump in a social media post Sunday said that Iran and Israel “should make a deal, and will make a deal,” comparing his efforts to agreements that had stopped hostilities between India and Pakistan and in other global hotspots.

“Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP!” Trump wrote.

“Also, during my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades, and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR. I stopped it (Biden has hurt the longer term prospects with some very stupid decisions, but I will fix it, again!). Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River. There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way! Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!”

Egypt's pound and the stock market plunged on Sunday as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates.

The pound slumped against the U.S. dollar, trading at over 50.60 in banks, down from about 49.8 last week.

Egypt’s EGX 30 Index plunged with all its stocks reported delicate. The benchmark fell over 7.5 per cent at the beginning of the day, but closed with losses at 4.6 per cent.

The powerful Iran-linked Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah on Sunday warned it will target U.S. interests and bases in the region if Washington intervenes in the hostilities between Israel and Iran. The group said in a statement that it is “closely monitoring the movements of the American enemy’s military in the region” and “should the United States intervene in the war (between Israel and Iran), we will directly target its interests and bases spread throughout the region without hesitation.”

The statement was the first explicit and direct threat issued by an Iraqi militia to target U.S. forces and interests in the region since the outbreak of the Iran-Israel conflict.

Iraqi militias have previously targeted U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, but have largely remained quiet since Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Iran and Tehran retaliated. Three drones launched at the Ain al Assad base housing U.S. troops in western Iraq on Friday were shot down, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. (AP)

Iran said an Israeli strike that killed the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s missile program also took out seven of his trusted deputies, seriously disrupting its command.

Iran previously acknowledged the death of Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guard’s aerospace division in Friday's strike.

Also killed were Gen. Mahmoud Bagheri, Gen. Davoud Sheikhian, Gen. Mohammad Bagher Taherpour, Gen. Mansour Safarpour, Gen. Masoud Tayyeb, Gen. Khosro Hasani and Gen. Javad Jarsara, the Guard said Sunday.

The Guard did not elaborate on why the men had gathered in one place.

Signaling Iran believed Israel’s strikes would continue, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said metro stations and mosques would be available as bomb shelters for the public beginning Sunday night, Iranian state television reported. (AP)

A senior Foreign Ministry official from nuclear-armed Pakistan denied Iranian media reports that Pakistan would soon supply Iran with a consignment of some 750 non-nuclear ballistic missiles to aid in the campaign against Israel.

There was no immediate comment about the Iranian media reports from the Pakistani military. The Foreign Ministry official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue.

Pakistan does not disclose details about its missile stockpiles, but it regularly test-fires short, medium and long-range missiles in response to rival India, also a nuclear power. (AP)

Britain has updated its guidance to advise against all travel to Israel as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

Israel went from “amber" to “red.” That puts it on the same level as Iran.

Britain on Friday had advised against all but essential travel to Israel, and the advice Sunday reflects a step further. (AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his call for “de-escalation” in the Israel-Iran conflict.

“We continue to call for de-escalation and for talks to resume,” Macron said Sunday in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.

Macron spoke with both U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday. He said the issue will be addressed at the meeting of the Group of Seven most industrialized nations this week in Canada, with the aim “to prevent any escalation in Iran’s acquisition of nuclear capability, and to avoid any kind of conflagration in the region.” (AP)

The Embassy of the United States in Tel Aviv was temporarily closed after the building sustained minor damage following an Iranian missile strike overnight, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed on Monday.

China urged Iran and Israel to "immediately" take steps to reduce tensions on Monday, after Tehran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities and Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran.

"We urge all parties to immediately take measures to cool down the tensions, prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil, and create conditions for returning to the right track of resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Sunday that the goal of its military campaign in Iran “is not a regime change.”

“This is for the Iranian people to decide,” Sa’ar said in an interview on CNN. He said the Israeli security Cabinet set the objective as eliminating Iran’s nuclear program and minimizing its ballistic missile threat.

“I believe what we are doing, as an ally for the U.S. and for the Western civilization as a whole, is critical for stability in this part of the world,” Sa’ar said, adding: “If we learn something from our history, when somebody says ‘I’m going to eliminate the Jews,’ take him at his word.”

Sa’ar said Iran was within six months of being able to build as many as nine nuclear bombs.

Iran’s foreign minister was scheduled to also be interviewed on CNN but had to cancel at the last minute, the network said.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that the Israeli Air Force identified and eliminated Iran's surface-to-air missile launch troops seconds before they reached a launcher south of Tehran. "The troops were eliminated, and the launcher was dismantled. The IAF continues to operate to achieve air superiority across Iran," it said in a post on X.

⭕️WATCH: The IAF identified and eliminated surface-to-air missile launch troops seconds before they reached a launcher south of Tehran. The troops were eliminated and the launcher was dismantled.
The IAF continues to operate to achieve air superiority across Iran. pic.twitter.com/h9eIK8SWCO

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Israeli Air Force fighter jets have struck command centers belonging to the Quds Force, a clandestine wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

"In these command centers, Quds operatives advanced terrorist attacks against the State of Israel using the proxies of the Iranian Regime in the Middle East," an IDF said in a post on X.

⭕️ The IDF precisely struck command centers belonging to the Quds Force of the IRGC and the Iranian military.
In these command centers, Quds operatives advanced terrorist attacks against the State of Israel using the proxies of the Iranian Regime in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/wSVZB0QnyJ

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025

Iran was merely weeks away from being able to produce a nuclear bomb, with scientists reportedly completing successful experiments in the weapon design process, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

Israel’s military claimed attacking an Iranian refueling aircraft in Mashhad in the country’s northeast, saying it was the deepest strike yet inside Iran and the farthest carried out from Israel.

Videos circulated Sunday afternoon of black smoke rising in the city, which is home to the Imam Reza shrine, a site of pilgrimage for Shiites.

The Israeli military said the aircraft flew a distance of 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) from Israel.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge the attack. (AP)

Israeli strikes in Iran have killed at least 406 people and wounded another 654, a human rights group said Sunday. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said its figures covered the entirety of Iran.

Iran’s government has not offered any overall casualty figures from Israeli attacks that have decimated its military leadership and targeted its nuclear sites. Individual officials have offered piecemeal figures.

Human Rights Activists, which also had provided casualty figures during 2022 anti-government protests in Iran, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country.

So far, its death toll breakdown included at least 197 civilians, 90 members of the military and 119 others it could not identify. The wounded included 100 civilians, 71 troops and 483 others it could not identify. (AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the Israel-Iran conflict for the second time in as many days on Sunday, Erdogan’s office said.

The Turkish leader “emphasized that immediate action must be taken to prevent a disaster that could throw the entire region into flames,” according to a statement posted on X. He also welcomed Trump’s statements on ending the attacks and establishing peace.

Erdogan further offered to facilitate diplomatic efforts amid “irreversible economic and civilian damage to both sides.”

The European Union’s top diplomat will convene an emergency meeting of the 27-nation bloc’s foreign ministers Tuesday to discuss the conflict between Israel and Iran.

The meeting, to be held via video link, “will provide an opportunity for an exchange of views, coordination on diplomatic outreach to Tel Aviv and Tehran, and possible next steps,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’ office said Sunday.

“We will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue which can only be through a negotiated deal,” it said. (AP)

Iran’s health ministry says 224 people have been killed since Israel’s attack began Friday.

Spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on social media that 1,277 other people were hospitalized, and asserted that over 90% of the casualties were civilians.

Israel has said 14 people have been killed there since Friday and 390 others wounded. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed that Iran's Islamic regime had pinpointed US President Donald Trump as a threat to its nuclear program and actively worked to assassinate him.

Iran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities early Monday, after Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran, with both sides threatening further devastation.

AFP images showed gutted residential buildings in Tel Aviv and fires smouldering outside the coastal city of Haifa, after Israel's army warned people to take cover from incoming Iranian missiles.

In Jerusalem, an AFP journalist heard loud explosions, while footage showed Israeli air defences lighting up the night sky.

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, Israel's surprise assault on Iran last week has touched off the most intense fighting yet and triggered fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the Middle East.

New Delhi said Monday its diplomats were helping some Indian students relocate out of harm's way in Iran, which has come under days of deadly Israeli bombardment. Tehran has hit back with strikes against Israel since it unleashed waves of attacks against Iran on Friday, sparking global alarm that the conflict could erupt into a regional war.

New Delhi, which has relations with both countries, has sought to relocate its citizens within Iran after Tehran closed its airspace. "The Indian Embassy in Tehran is continuously monitoring the security situation and engaging Indian students in Iran to ensure their safety," a foreign ministry statement said.

"In some cases, students are being relocated with (the) Embassy's facilitation to safer places within Iran," the ministry added.

The wedding of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son has been reportedly postponed amid the escalating conflict with Iran.

Israel has multi-layered air defences against attacks by Iran, which has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and suicide drones at Israel over the past two days as the Middle East rivals traded heavy blows.

Israeli air and naval forces intercepted at least 20 drones launched from Iran in an hour on Sunday, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

Iran's judiciary said it hung on Monday a man arrested in 2023 and convicted of being an agent for Israel's Mossad spy agency, as fighting raged between the two arch-nemeses.

"Esmaeil Fekri, a Mossad agent convicted of the capital offences of 'corruption on earth' and 'moharebeh' (waging war against God) was hung after going through the full process of criminal procedure," the judciary's Mizan Online news website said.

Israel defence minister has warned that 'residents of Tehran will pay price' for strikes on civilians. 

"The arrogant dictator from Tehran has become a cowardly murderer who fires targeted shots at the civilian home front in Israel to deter the IDF from continuing the attack that is collapsing its capabilities. The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon," Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X. 

Group of Seven leaders including US President Donald Trump prepared to hold talks Monday in the Canadian Rockies, tackling issues including whether they can find common ground on an escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. Canada is sounding out countries about making a joint call on Israel and Iran, diplomats said.

The statement could call for de-escalation or could simply back Israel, saying that it has a "right to defend itself" due to Iran's contested nuclear work.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that she spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the summit and agreed that Iran was to blame. (AFP)

The Iranian president on Monday urged all citizens to put aside differences and unite against Israel as conflict rages between the two arch-foes.

"Every difference, issue, and problem that has existed must be put aside today and we must stand strong against this genocidal criminal aggression with unity and coherence," Masoud Pezeshkian said, addressing parliament.

US embassy in Tel Aviv was temporarily shup after it received minor damage by an Iranian missile that struck near its premises. As per reports, no injuries to US personnel occurred in the missile strike. The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said the embassy and consulate will remain officially closed today, as a shelter-in-place order is still in effect.

Our @usembassyjlm US Embassy in Israel & Consulate will officially remain closed today as shelter in place still in effect. Some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits near Embassy Branch in @TelAviv but no injuries to US personnel.

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) June 16, 2025

Iranian state media officially confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence chief, Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy, Hassan Mohaqiq, were killed in an Israeli strike, The Times of Israel reported.

Pakistan will launch a nuclear attack on Israel if it drops a nuclear bomb on Iran, a top officer of Iran's elite forces has claimed amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

Amid ongoing waves of tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran, hundreds of Indian students in Iran are urging the government to evacuate them immediately.

Iranian missiles struck Israel's Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday, destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week's G7 meeting that the battle between the two old enemies could lead to a broader regional conflict.

At least 5 people were killed in the latest Iranian strikes, national emergency service said, bringing Israel's death toll to at least 18 since Friday. At least 100 more were wounded in the overnight strikes, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel's pre-emptive strikes targeting Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the latest attack employed a new method that caused Israel's multi-layered defence systems to target each other. "The initiatives and capabilities used in this operation, despite the comprehensive support of the United States and Western powers and the possession of the most up-to-date and newest defence technology, led to the successful and maximum hitting of the missiles on the targets in the occupied territories," it said.

Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday, reiterating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's religious edict against weapons of mass destruction.

Israel's military said on Monday it struck command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Israeli air force "struck command centres belonging to the Quds Force of the IRGC and the Iranian military, with precise direction from the (Israeli military) Intelligence Directorate," an army statement said, specifying the targets were located in the Iranian capital.

Iran vowed Monday to carry out more "devastating" operations against Israeli targets as Tehran struck its arch-foe with a barrage of missiles.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, in a statement quoted by the official IRNA news agency, warned that "effective, targeted and more devastating operations against the vital targets" in Israel "will continue until its complete destruction".

Iran has responded to India's request for the safe evacuation of Indian students suck in Iranian cities as Israel continued its bombing of targets in the Islamic republic. Tehran said that though the airspace is closed over Iran, all land borders are

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said Monday that three people were killed and 74 wounded following Iran's latest missile attack.

It said two women and one man had been killed, without giving a precise location, but adding rescue operations were ongoing in two places. (AFP)

Iran said it "successfully" struck Israel with a salvo of missiles on Monday, as Israeli rescuers reported three deaths and damage to residential buildings in multiple cities.

"A new wave of air-to-air missile attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps... enabled missiles to successfully and effectively hit" targets in Israel, the Guards said in a statement quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

"Airports closed, all land borders open": Iran responds to India's request for safe evacuation of students.

Iranian missiles struck Israel's Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa on Monday, destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week's G7 meeting that the battle between the two old enemies could lead to a broader regional conflict.

Israeli media reported that three people were killed in the country's centre while dozens more were wounded in the overnight strikes.

Search and location operations were underway in the northern city of Haifa where around 30 people were wounded, emergency authorities said, as dozens of first responders rushed to the strike zones. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port, media reported. (Reuters)

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) shared a map of the region being pounded by Iranian missiles. 

🚨Each red pin that you see on this map represents hundreds of people in Israel that are currently forced to run to shelter because of Iranian ballistic missiles🚨 pic.twitter.com/cTz2uadYpd

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025

Loud explosions rang out in Jerusalem early Monday, an AFP journalist heard.

It came shortly after Israel's army warned of a new missile salvo from Iran and advised the public to take cover until further notice.

Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general and Iranian National Security Council member Mohsen Rezaei claimed in an interview that Pakistan had told the Islamic Republic that “if Israel drops a nuclear bomb in Tehran, we will drop a nuclear bomb on them."

Speaking during an interview on Iranian state television, Rezaei said Islamabad had vowed to "stand behind Iran" and called for Muslim unity against Israel after attacks on Iran, according to a report by Türkiye Today.

⚡ BREAKING: Pakistan gives Nuclear bomb Threat to Israel via Iran:
“Pakistan told Iran that “if Israel drops a nuclear bomb in Tehran, we will drop a nuclear bomb on them”, Iranian National Security Council member Mohsen Rezaei during a TV Interview earlier today pic.twitter.com/NP9f6wqNLG

— OSINT Updates (@OsintUpdates) June 16, 2025

Group of Seven powers on Sunday began negotiating on whether they can find common ground on an escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, as leaders including US President Donald Trump arrived for a summit in the Canadian Rockies. The three-day gathering in the mountain town of Kananaskis marks the return to the international diplomatic calendar for Trump, who has stunned allies by defying norms and slapping sweeping tariffs on friend and foe alike.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had designed an agenda aimed at minimizing disagreements within the club of wealthy industrial democracies -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that diplomacy was ultimately best on Iran, but stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Van der Leyen said that she agreed with Netanyahu in a telephone call that "Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, without any question."

"Of course I think a negotiated solution is, in the long term, the best solution," she said at a press briefing at a Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Canada.

Israel launched a surprise and massive military attack on Friday on Iran, which has responded with a barrage of missiles and drones on Israel. (AFP)

Israel's military warned Monday of a new missile salvo incoming from Iran, as AFP journalists reported loud explosions in Jerusalem and fires outside the coastal city of Haifa.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel," the army posted on Telegram, using the acronym for its official name.

It said its air defences were working to intercept the threat but advised people to "enter a protected space and remain there until further notice".

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Iran and Israel -- who are locked in an exchange of military strikes -- to "make a deal," but suggested they might need to "fight it out" first.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed that Iran's Islamic regime had pinpointed US President Donald Trump as a threat to its nuclear program and actively worked to assassinate him.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that it has destroyed Iranian regime's weapon production sites. "Earlier today, the IDF completed a wide-scale wave of strikes on numerous weapon production sites belonging to the Quds Force, the IRGC and the Iranian military, in Tehran," it said in a post on X.

Iran on Sunday accused Israel of deliberately targeting a foreign ministry building in Tehran, saying the "ruthless" strike wounded several civilians.

"The criminal regime of Israel launched a deliberate and ruthless strike on one of the buildings of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs," deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a post on X alongside a video showing blown-out windows and debris littering the floors. "Several civilians were injured in the attack." (AFP)

A senior Iranian military official on Sunday warned of a "devastating response" to Israel attacks on the Islamic republic, adding that Israel would not be habitable as a result. "The scale of the devastating response by Iran's brave fighters will certainly encompass all parts of the occupied territories (Israel)," said Colonel Reza Sayyad, a spokesman for the armed forces.

"Leave the occupied territories because they will certainly no longer be habitable in the future," and shelters will "not guarantee security", he added in an address broadcast on state television.

An Israeli strike on Sunday killed the intelligence chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mohammed Kazemi, along with two other officers, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Three intelligence generals, Mohammad Kazemi, Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri were assassinated and fell as martyrs," the agency said, citing a Revolutionary Guards statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday dismissed  the suggestion that Russian President Vladimir Putin could mediate in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"I do not think that Russia, which is today engaged in a high-intensity conflict and has decided not to respect the United Nations charter for several years now, could be in any way a mediator." Macron told reporters on a trip to Greenland.

US President Donald Trump said earlier that he was "open" to the possibility after discussing it with Putin.

The Israeli military said early Monday that it was striking surface-to-surface missile sites in Iran, its latest move in three days of escalating conflict between the rival states.

"The IDF is currently striking surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran," Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Nadav Shoshani wrote on X. "We are operating against this threat in our skies and in Iranian skies."

US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior US official told AFP Sunday. "We found out that the Israelis had plans to hit Iran's supreme leader. President Trump was against it and we told the Israelis not to," said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dodged a question about reports that Trump had asked his country not to kill Khamenei. "I'm not going to get into that," he told Fox News.

"But I can tell you,... we'll do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," he said.

The fighting between Israel and Iran intensified overnight, as both nations kept up their attacks, killing civilians and raising concern among world leaders that the biggest battle between old enemies could lead to a broad regional conflict.