Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that the military will not leave attacks or threats unanswered, as US forces struck parts of the country after the downing of an American helicopter.

"Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination. Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered. Leave our region if you want to be safe," Araghchi posted on X after the US attacks, which President Donald Trump described as retaliation for the downed helicopter.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said strikes along Iran's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz had stopped after Washington launched them in response to an attack that downed a US helicopter.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wanted a "very powerful" response to Iran shooting down an American helicopter, as the US military announced retaliatory strikes against the Islamic republic.

"This is a response to what they did... with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is," Trump told ABC News.

The US military announced that it has begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman.
In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said the strikes would be "a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression." It comes after President Donald Trump blamed Iran for downing the helicopter and vowed that the US would respond.

Iran's national football team will be allowed to enter the United States the day before each of its World Cup matches, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Tuesday, dismissing reports that the squad would have to travel in and out of the country on match days.

The clarification follows reports on Saturday, when Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, was reported by some news media as saying that the team would have to enter and exit the USA on the same day of their matches, causing concern about travelling and its effect on the team's performance.

"It was not the case that Iran would be forced to arrive the same day as their matches," the DHS spokesman said.

(IANS)

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a US military helicopter was shot down by Iran and that the United States "must" respond.

In a statement, Trump said he had been informed "that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz."

While the pilots were uninjured, "the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."

(AFP)

The weekend exchange of strikes between Iran and Israel has put US President Donald Trump under even more domestic and international pressure to end the unpopular war he launched with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more than three months ago.

The Israeli leader favours the continuation of the war until Iran is reduced to a feeble state. This would enable him to win the Israeli general elections later this year and further his goal of expanding Israel’s borders and regional domination in pursuit of a so-called “Greater Israel”.

Netanyahu is against any US–Iran deal that doesn’t meet his objectives. Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon to repel the Iran-backed Hezbollah group is part of his strategy, which has been boldly countered by Iran.

Tehran, meanwhile, has shown a steely resilience to ensure the war is settled in its favour as a formidable regional actor.

As a result of all this, Trump faces the difficult task of reaching an acceptable deal with Iran and restraining an unruly Netanyahu.

The US military has used Apaches, along with MQ-9 Reaper drones and F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets, as part of Central Command's operation challenging Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial traffic.

A United States Army Apache helicopter gunship went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and its two crew members were safely rescued, The New York Times reported on Monday, citing two people briefed on the incident.

It was not immediately clear whether the Apache was shot down by Iranian fire, experienced mechanical failure or encountered some other problem, the report added.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Stock Market, Sensex, Share Market, Nifty LIVE Updates: Oil prices eased marginally after Israel and Iran signalled a pause in hostilities.

US President Donald Trump told Axios in an interview published on Monday that he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he might find himself fighting alone if he went back to war with Iran.

"I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'" Axios quoted Trump as telling Netanyahu.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says the country’s strategy to put an end to the current US-Israeli aggression is to simultaneously pursue war and diplomacy to defend the rights of the Iranian nation.

In an audio message addressed to the Iranian nation released on Monday, Qalibaf said that Iran is ready to immediately resume its military operations to respond to US and Israeli violations of the ceasefire announced in early April.

His comments came after Iran carried out missile attacks on the Israeli regime in response to its violations of the terms of the ceasefire, which also include the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.

Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed at least 14 people on Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said, including seven after Iran threatened to attack Israel again if it continued bombing the country. Iran-backed Hezbollah meanwhile said it had targeted Israeli troops inside Lebanon, but did not claim any attacks on Israeli territory.

"An Israeli enemy raid on the city of Tyre, near the Red Cross centre, resulted in 5 martyrs and 8 wounded, four of whom were Red Cross paramedics," the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement.

It later reported a strike on Marwanieh, also in the south, killed two people, including a child, and wounded 10. The strike in Tyre came as Israel and Iran said they had brought an end to a round of tit-for-tat attacks begun by Tehran over the Israeli campaign in Lebanon.

Iran has warned that it will resume attacks if Israel continues striking Lebanon, but Israeli leaders on Monday insisted they would not be deterred. An earlier dawn strike on Zifta in the Nabatieh district killed seven people, "including a Syrian child and a woman", according to the ministry.

President Donald Trump is dismissing the idea that launching the war with Iran this year betrayed his refrain of “No new wars” that he made repeatedly as he campaigned again for the White House.

It came hours before Israel and Iran traded fire in retaliatory strikes that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a full-scale regional war.

Trump, in an interview that aired Sunday (June 7, 2026) on NBC, said he “didn't guarantee” there would be no wars if he were back in office.

"First of all, I didn't guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?" Mr. Trump said.

Israel's latest strikes on Lebanon and Iran have made clear that U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who started the war in lockstep, want different things. Trump had publicly warned Israel not to strike Beirut in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. When it did, on Sunday, Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire. Israel then struck Iran, with which Trump has been engaged in weeks of high-stakes negotiations.

The fighting has since died down, but the differences between the two leaders are likely to persist. That's because Trump, whose party faces elections later this year, wants to wind down an unpopular war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease gas prices. Iran says a full ceasefire in Lebanon is key to any deal.

Netanyahu, who also faces elections this year, is under pressure to stop Hezbollah's attacks and prove that he is winning the war with Iran and its allies. He also needs to manage relations with Israel's most important ally without appearing to kowtow to it.

When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, the allies appeared shoulder to shoulder. Netanyahu said the goal was to degrade the Islamic Republic’s military, eradicate its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and topple its government. Trump announced the death of Iran's supreme leader in the opening barrage and urged Iranians to “take back” their country.

But it soon became clear that while Trump was seeking a quick win — like the one he secured in Venezuela — Netanyahu wanted to vanquish Iran and its allies, even if it required an extended conflict. As Iran withstood weeks of heavy strikes and kept the Strait of Hormuz closed, Americans and Israelis grew increasingly frustrated — but for different reasons.

Iran War: Following Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, Iran responded with a barrage of missiles towards Israel, where some officials in turn called for a relentless response.

Tehran's international airport has reopened and flights carrying hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia have landed, Iranian news agencies reported early Tuesday.

"The deputy head of airport operation of Imam Khomeini Airport Company announced the resumption of flights to Imam Khomeini Airport and the flights of pilgrims," Mehr news agency reported.

Tehran's international airport suspended all incoming flights on Sunday after Iranian missile strikes on Israel. Israel retaliated with strikes of its own.

It was the latest closure for the airport, one of two serving the Iranian capital, which had only re-opened in April after being shut for weeks during the Middle East war.

An earthquake of ⁠magnitude 5 has jolted southern Iran, the Mehr news agency reports.

The quake ⁠struck the Hormozgan and Kerman provinces near Sargaz on Tuesday morning.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, according to Mehr.

Trump, who has reportedly grown increasingly exasperated with Netanyahu, had earlier urged both Israel and Iran to stop "shooting" and said that "final negotiations" towards peace would proceed "subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way"

US President Donald Trump told Axios in an interview published on Monday that he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he might find himself fighting alone if he went back to war with Iran.

Israel's military said early Tuesday it had intercepted an aerial target from Yemen, but there were no injuries.

"A suspicious aerial target from Yemen was intercepted. The incident has concluded. No injuries were reported," the IDF said, adding that the incident occurred in the region of Eilat.

Tehran's international airport has reopened and flights carrying hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia have landed, Iranian news agencies reported early Tuesday.

"The deputy head of airport operation of Imam Khomeini Airport Company announced the resumption of flights to Imam Khomeini Airport and the flights of pilgrims," Mehr news agency reported.

Tehran's international airport suspended all incoming flights on Sunday after Iranian missile strikes on Israel.

US President Donald Trump told Axios in an interview published on Monday that he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he might find himself fighting alone if he went back to war with Iran.

"I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon,'" Axios quoted Trump as telling Netanyahu.

An Israeli strike killed five people in the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanon's health ministry said, as Israel vowed to persist with its attacks on Hezbollah despite threats from Iran.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah meanwhile said it had targeted Israeli troops in Lebanon, but did not claim any attacks on Israeli territory.

"An Israeli enemy raid on the city of Tyre, near the Red Cross centre, resulted in 5 martyrs and 8 wounded, four of whom were Red Cross paramedics," the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement.

Iran War: Following Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, Iran responded with a barrage of missiles towards Israel, where some officials in turn called for a relentless response.

Tehran will turn the naval blockade established by the United States into another defeat for the "enemy", Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf said in a message posted on his Telegram channel on Monday. 

"We are not going to either just fight or just negotiate; rather, we are going to fight at our own time and negotiate at our own time", Ghalibaf said, adding, "our goal is the end of the war and stable security and we have no trust towards the opposing party". 

"US forces disabled an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, June 8, after the vessel violated the ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port," the US Central Command said on Monday.

https://t.co/EwA0PPWagv

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 8, 2026

"One year ago, we launched a historic preemptive strike against Iran's intention to destroy us with atomic bombs. We thwarted this immediate threat-and also eliminated the tyrant Khamenei. If we had not acted in time and with force, we would not be here today. And I commit once again: Iran will not have nuclear weapons," says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel's education ministry said on Monday that schools would reopen throughout the country the following day, after a one-day closure put in place because of Iranian missile attacks.

"In accordance with the updated directives of the Home Front Command, studies will resume tomorrow in all educational institutions throughout the country and will take place in full, in-person and within the regular educational frameworks," the ministry wrote in a statement.

Classes in several northern communities along the Lebanese border will only be allowed to resume if they are held next to a protected space, the ministry added, due to the risk of incoming projectiles from the Iran-backed Hezbollah. (AFP)

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday acknowledged the halt in fighting with Iran but has vowed to respond 'with force' to future attacks.

Israel has released a footage of its army launching attacks on Iran.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed Monday to press Israel's military campaign in Lebanon, despite a warning from Iran that any such action would prompt the Islamic republic to take "severe" measures.

"The IDF will continue to operate in Lebanon against the terrorist organisation Hezbollah," Katz said in a statement, adding that Israel would strike Beirut's Dahiyeh district in retaliation for every attack on north Israel. (AFP)

Trump calls Netanyahu after Israel-Iran clashes, a White House official tells AFP.

"The recent surge in violence in the Middle East is a stark reminder of the dangers associated with a tenuous ceasefire and the unbearable consequences it may lead to. As we work earnestly and painstakingly, together with our brothers and partners, to find a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict, and especially when the final objective is just about to be achieved, we sincerely urge all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a little more chance," says Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The recent surge in violence in the Middle East is a stark reminder of the dangers associated with a tenuous ceasefire and the unbearable consequences it may lead to. As we work earnestly and painstakingly, together with our brothers and partners, to find a peaceful diplomatic…

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 8, 2026

An incident of fire on board a foreign-flagged oil tanker, Marivex, with 24 Indian seafarers was reported off the coast of Oman on Monday.

The Madagascar-flagged vessel was not carrying cargo, and all crew members were safe.

A senior Hezbollah official told AFP on Monday that the Iran-backed group has had "no direct contact" with President Donald Trump, despite recent statements from the US leader suggesting otherwise.

Washington considers Hezbollah a "terrorist" group, including both its military and political wings, and recently imposed sanctions on several of its lawmakers. (AFP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said Tehran remained at the negotiating table after halting attacks on Israel following the first exchange of fire since the April truce.

"Diplomacy and defence are the two wings of national power; we have neither left the battlefield nor the negotiating table," Pezeshkian said in a post on X, adding that Tehran "will not retreat in the face of any threat".

اولویت ما امنیت ملی و آرامش مردم است. با اقتدار از حقوق ملت دفاع می‌کنیم و در برابر هیچ تهدیدی عقب‌نشینی نخواهیم کرد. دیپلماسی و دفاع دو بال قدرت ملی‌اند؛ نه میدان را ترک کرده‌ایم و نه میز مذاکره را. به امید خدا با وحدت و عقلانیت ایران از این آزمون نیز سربلند عبور خواهد کرد.

— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) June 8, 2026

"The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announces the reopening of Iraqi airspace to all flights to and from Iraqi airports and the resumption of air traffic therein in accordance with approved operational procedures," the authority says in a post on X.

The EU on Monday imposed sanctions on the spokesman for the naval arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and a regional command over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. 

Europe has been left on the sidelines as the US war with Iran has shuttered the key waterway and roiled global markets. 

The 27-nation bloc said it was blacklisting Mohammad Akbarzadeh, spokesperson for the Guards' naval wing, and the organisation's Hormozgan Provincial Command. (AFP)

The Iranian military's joint command said Monday it was halting its offensive operations after Israel and Iran exchanged fire in their first attacks since the US struck a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago.

The joint command said that if Israel or its supporters carried out any further "aggression and hostile acts," including in southern Lebanon, then "much more severe and crushing measures than before will follow." (Associated Press)

Iranian military's joint command says it is halting its offensive operations after Israel and Iran exchanged fire.

Israel and Iran fired missiles at each other on Monday in the most serious escalation of conflict after a ceasefire was announced in April.

Iran's military command on Monday warned it would respond "more forcefully" to any further attacks amid an ongoing exchange of fire with Israel.

"In the event of continued aggression and acts of hostility, they (the United States and Israel) will be dealt with even more forcefully," the spokesman for the military's Khatam al-Anbiya central command said in a video shared by Iran's state broadcaster. (AFP)

Iran fired nearly 30 missiles towards Israel since Sunday night, an Israeli military official said, marking the first exchange of fire between the two countries since a truce in April.

"Last night the Iranian regime began firing ballistic missiles towards Israel... they fired close to 30 ballistic missiles towards Israel," the official told journalists on Monday, adding that Yemen's Houthi rebels separately fired two missiles at the country. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel and Iran must stop "shooting," as the two countries attacked each other for the first time since a ceasefire two months ago. 

"Israel and Iran must immediately stop 'shooting'," Trump said on Truth Social. (AFP)

India's shipping ministry said on Monday that a fire was reported on a oil tanker with 24 Indian seafarers on board, adding that all of them were safe.

Indian TV channels said that the vessel on fire was located off the coast of Oman. (Reuters)

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday they had targeted a petrochemical facility in Israel in retaliation for an attack on a similar site in southwestern Iran.

"The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in response to the aggression of the American-Zionist enemy against a petrochemical industry facility, targeted similar industrial facilities in Haifa with missile strikes a few moments ago," the Guards' official media outlet Sepah News said.

They also warned that Israel "has initiated a dangerous game, the scope of which will encompass all energy-related targets in the region", blaming the US for any consequences for the global economy.

Iran said Monday that the United States held responsibility for the resumption of fighting with Israel, saying Israel's actions "cannot be separated" from US policy.

"Without a doubt, as I said, the actions of the Zionist regime in the region cannot be separated from US policies," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP.

"No one believes that the Zionist regime would carry out any action without prior coordination and cooperation with the United States," he added.

The Israeli military said Monday it had struck and dismantled Iranian defence systems deployed across several areas in the country.

"Recently, defence systems were deployed in numerous areas across Iran as part of the regime's efforts to restore its detection and defence capabilities, which were degraded during Operation Roaring Lion," the military said.

"The strike led to the dismantling of these systems," it said, adding that dozens of warplanes participated in the operation.

The Indian Embassy in Tehran has advised Indian nationals exit Iran by available means of transport. 

Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that air defence systems around the city of Kermanshah in the western part of the country were activated against “hostile targets”.

After Iran attacked Israel in response to IDF strikes against Hezbollah in Beirut, US President Donald Trump urged Tehran to return to the negotiating table and make a deal with Washington.

“What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal,” Trump tells Fox News in a phone interview.

From handcuffed extra-terrestrials to an orbital missile command center -- US President Donald Trump is unleashing a relentless stream of AI-generated imagery that analysts view as an effort to dominate the...

Israel and Iran traded fire early Monday in retaliatory strikes that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war.

Israeli authorities said two waves of Iranian missiles targeted the country, and urged the public to seek shelter. Explosions could be heard in central Israel as Israeli air defenses sought to intercept the incoming Iranian fire.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted two military bases in Israel, describing the attack as being part of Operation Nasr, or “Victory.” The Guard said it launched the missiles after Israel targeted radar sites in three areas of Iran.

Israel launched strikes on central and western Iran early Monday in response to missile fire from Tehran, in the most serious crossfire since an April 8 ceasefire was reached in the Iran war.

Tehran warned of retaliation on Sunday after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down.

Monday marked the 100th day of the Iran war, launched Feb. 28 when Israel and the United States killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders. The war raged until reaching a nominal ceasefire on April 8, but a permanent end to the hostilities have been challenged by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas once passed in peacetime, as well as fighting between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.

Iran Fires Missiles Into Israel In A First Since April Ceasefire, Iraq, Syria Shut Airspace

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it launched attacks on the Israeli air bases at Nevatim and Tel Nof. 

As per IRGC, the attacks were in response to Israel’s attacks on several radar sites in three parts of the country.

The Strait of Hormuz will be open but under new conditions to be set by Iran and Oman, including a transit fee, Iran's ambassador to Moscow was quoted as saying on Monday.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has largely cut oil flows via the strait, which before the conflict saw one-fifth of the world's oil pass through. Several tankers have managed to leave the Gulf recently, but oil and liquefied natural gas flows are still severely constrained.

"Of course, this strait will be open, but with new conditions to be determined by the Iranian and Omani authorities," Ambassador Kazem Jalali told the Russian newspaper Izvestia in an interview published on Monday.

"We understand that Iran and Oman provide certain services related to this strait. And fees will be charged for those services," he said without elaborating.

Iran has asserted that a permanent peace deal should allow it to demand fees for ships passing through the strait, which would vary depending upon the type of ship, its cargo and prevailing conditions. (Reuters)

The Israeli army said it struck a petrochemical plant in Iran's Mahshahr. A brief military update said the Israeli air forces have recently “attacked several targets at the petrochemical complex in Mahshahr", located in the southwest of Iran.

The Iranian media, quoting officials, reported the attack earlier.

Data from Flightradar24 showed civil airspace emptied from Israel to Iran on Monday morning as a new round of strikes began.

US Democratic Chris Murphy said Israel has humiliated Trump by launching strikes on Iran, despite his call for restraint.

“This war has been humiliating for Trump and American power generally. And when Trump announces he is going to call Netanyahu and tell him not to retaliate, and within hours Netanyahu retaliates, the humiliation just compounds,” Murphy wrote on X.

He added that Trump has lost control of the war and criticised the US president’s “gross incompetence”.

Ali Abdollahi, chief commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that Israel will face more "crushing and regret-inducing blows" if it expands its attacks on southern Lebanon and Dahieh district south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut or responds to Iran's action.

In a statement aired by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency on Sunday (local time), he stressed that Israel must stop its attacks on southern Lebanon and Dahieh; otherwise, "devastating" attacks will begin against Israel and its supporters.

Israel has increased its "malicious actions" against Lebanese people on a daily basis with the US "greenlight" and international organisations' lack of response and "is perpetrating war crimes by using banned weapons, including phosphorus bombs," Abdollahi said.

Despite Iran's earlier warnings, Israel has increased its attacks on southern Lebanon and has targeted Dahieh by crossing all red lines, he said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that its aerospace force has launched ballistic missiles at the Ramat David Air Base in northern Israel in response to Israel's "widespread crimes" in southern Lebanon, including the killing and displacement of civilians, reports Xinhua news agency, citing local media. (IANS)

All US bases in the region would be considered legitimate targets for Tehran if Israel attacks, Reuters reported, citing a senior Iranian source.

Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, said U.S. bases and Israeli assets are legitimate targets because of hostile acts,  including the "violation of agreements over Lebanon".

The IRIB broadcaster is citing a military official as saying that “Iran has not fired any shots” at the Al-Kharj airbase in Saudi Arabia.

The broadcaster said the official was responding to reports of an explosion at the base.

The report came after Saudi Civil Defence issued an alert warning of danger in the Al-Kharj governorate.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's Minister Of national Security, said, "Tonight, Tehran must burn", as Israeli attacked Iran.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that Israel attacked targets “on our soil using air-launched ballistic missiles”.

The IRGC statement was carried by the IRNA news agency.

The Israeli military, in a post on X said, Major-General Eyal Zamir and senior Israeli officers have been conducting ongoing situation assessments over the past hours and are “commanding” Israeli strikes on Iran.

The military “is alert and ready to continue operations across all sectors against anyone who threatens the State of Israel”, it added in a post on X.

Iran Fires Missiles Into Israel In A First Since April Ceasefire, Iraq, Syria Shut Airspace

US President Donald Trump said that Iran's military capabilities have been severely degraded and insisted the conflict would not become an "endless war", arguing that the United States is close to either securing a nuclear agreement with Tehran or achieving its objectives through military means.

In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Trump said Iran retains only a fraction of its missile arsenal and maintained that the threat posed by the country has been significantly reduced after months of US military action.

"I would say, percentage-wise, maybe 21, 22 per cent of their missiles. It's a lot of missiles. But it's not what it was when we first attacked," Trump said when asked about Iran's remaining military capability.

Pressed on whether the United States risks becoming trapped in another prolonged Middle East conflict, Trump rejected the comparison and said the campaign against Iran bears little resemblance to previous US wars in the region. (IANS)

Israel launched airstrikes early Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran, attacks that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war.

Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz and Tehran, without immediately elaborating. A witness in Tehran described hearing at least one large blast somewhere to the west of the country’s capital city. Iran closed the airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main airfield, after the Israeli attack.

Iranian officials offered no details on what had been struck, nor any damage information. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said that Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in its attack Monday morning, without elaborating.

The Israeli military at dawn in Iran issued a short statement as the strikes started: “A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran.” It did not elaborate.

The White House did not respond to messages about the strikes and whether they were done in coordination with the US. (AP)

Trump said that Iran's strikes on Israel have not changed his desire to conclude US-Iran negotiations. "It's not going to have any impact on the deal," he said.

Iran Fires Missiles Into Israel In A First Since April Ceasefire, Iraq, Syria Shut Airspace