War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Sirens can be heard in Bahrain, as the country’s Ministry of Interior has issued an alert to citizens and residents to head to the nearest safe place, Al Jazeera reports.

Gulf states could start to review their overseas investments and future commitments as they consider options to ease the pressure on their budgets following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the Financial Times reported.

According to Reuters, a Gulf official told the newspaper the conflict that has engulfed the region could have an effect on anything from investment pledges to foreign states or companies, sports sponsorships, contracts with businesses and investors, or sales of holdings, especially if the war and related expenses continue at the same pace.

The US president has called on Iranian diplomats around the world to request asylum and members of the armed forces in Iran to surrender, reports Reuters.

“I’m once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and the police to lay down their arms. They’re only going to be killed,” Trump said. 

“We also urge Iranian diplomats around the world to request asylum and to help us shape a new and better Iran.”

The death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon this week has increased to 123, the Lebanese health ministry has said, according to AFP.

“The toll from the Israeli aggression on Monday … increased to 123 martyrs and 683 wounded,” a ministry statement said.

The latest round of Iranian missile fire caused explosions across Tel Aviv and damage in central Israel, but there were no reported casualties and residents have been cleared to leave shelters, AFP reports.

Iran’s state broadcaster reported that Tehran had fired missiles “against targets in the heart of Tel Aviv,” after Israel’s military said it was working to intercept incoming Iranian fire.

AFP journalists in Tel Aviv reported two near-simultaneous waves of explosions reverberating across the city.

Earlier, Reuters reported citing the state media that Iran had announced the initiation of a new wave of operation “True Promise 4”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the operation involves a combined missile and drone attack targeting sites in central Tel Aviv, the state media reported.

The Guards said the operation included the launch of Kheibar missiles as part of the latest phase of the operation against Israel.

Kheibar is a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,240 miles)

US President Donald Trump has said Tehran was reaching out to the United States about making a deal amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Reuters reports.

“They’re calling, they’re saying ‘how do we make a deal?’ I said you’re being a little bit late,” said Trump, speaking at an event with the Inter Miami soccer team at the White House.

The US military said it has sunk over 30 Iranian ships so far during the US and Israel’s war against Iran, Reuters reports.

Ballistic missile attacks by Iran have decreased by 90% since the first day of the war, US Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US forces in the Middle East as the head of Central Command, told reporters.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the United States was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters that the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.

“There’s no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we’re trying to achieve,” Hegseth said.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran was making a mistake if it believed that the United States could not sustain the ongoing war, adding that Washington had just begun to fight, Reuters reports.

“Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation,” Hegseth told reporters during a visit to the headquarters of US Central Command.

The US House of Representatives rejected an effort to stop President Donald Trump’s war on Iran and require that any hostilities against Iran be authorised by Congress, backing the Republican president’s military campaign, Reuters reports.

The vote was 219 to 212 in the House, where Trump’s fellow Republicans control a narrow majority of seats.

US President Donald Trump said he wants to “finish Iran first, but Cuba is a question of time”, Reuters reports.

US President Donald Trump has said further action to reduce pressure on oil was imminent, amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Reuters reports.

Trump, speaking at an event with the Inter Miami soccer team at the White House, said Iran was calling to ask how to make a deal.

He also called on Iranian diplomats around the world to request asylum and help shape a new and better Iran.

Two near simultaneous waves of explosions reverberated across Tel Aviv, AFP journalists reported.

In Tehran, multiple Iranian media outlets, including the state broadcaster, reported the start of “a new salvo of missiles fired from Iran toward” Israel.

Israel’s military chief has said the US-Israeli campaign against Iran is entering its next stage, with operations aimed at further dismantling the Islamic republic’s military capabilities, reports AFP.

“We are now moving to the next phase of the operation. In this phase, we will further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities. We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.

The Israeli military claims it has detected new missiles launched from Iran towards Israel and the country’s defence systems are operating to intercept them, AFP reports.

“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation, has called on all parties in the ongoing Middle East conflict to uphold international law and protect health facilities, health workers and patients.

“So far, almost 1,000 deaths have been reported in Iran, 50 in Lebanon, 13 in Israel and 11 in other Gulf countries,” Ghebreyesus says in a video statement on X. “In addition, WHO has verified 13 attacks on healthcare in Iran and one in Lebanon. Under international humanitarian law, healthcare must be protected and not attacked.”

The WHO chief also notes that the conflict has caused mass displacement, with an estimated 100,000 people leaving Iran and 60,000 displaced in Lebanon.

“The threat of nuclear facilities being impacted is also concerning. Any compromise to a nuclear facility could have serious public health consequences,” he adds.

Oman’s capital Muscat is fast emerging as a leading airport for repatriation flights from the Middle East, at a time when the airspace of Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE is closed to commercial flights, Al Jazeera reports according to aviation tracker Flightradar24.

In a post on X, it notes that 30 per cent of all flights taking off or landing in Muscat were private jets.

Germany says it has no plans to send additional military support to the Middle East, after European allies announced plans to move forces to the eastern Mediterranean following a drone strike at a British airbase in Cyprus, Reuters reports.

Germany’s navy participates in the long-running United Nations UNIFIL monitoring mission in Lebanon, but the defence ministry said the military’s focus remained on Nato defence operations in eastern Europe.

“Germany is currently not planning any additional military capabilities beyond its existing contributions to international missions in the Middle East,” the ministry said in a statement.

The statement said the anti-aircraft frigate “Sachsen” was currently taking part in Nato’s Cold Response exercise in the Arctic.

The statement from the ministry reiterated comments from Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who declared in parliament: “Germany is not a party in this war. The Bundeswehr (German armed forces) is not taking part in this war.”

Rome is temporarily closing its embassy in Tehran and moving staff to Azerbaijan, AFP reports quoting Italy’s foreign minister.

“We have decided for security reasons to temporarily close our embassy in Tehran, and move the personnel to Baku,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has told journalists at the Senate.

His spokesman has confirmed the closure to AFP but stressed Italy “has not broken off diplomatic relations”.