As tensions continue to rise in West Asia, Indian students in Tehran recalled the initial hours of the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Loud booms were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Tuesday, AFP journalists reported, after air raid sirens sounded in several parts of Israel and the military warned of incoming Iranian missiles.

"A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel," the military said in a statement, adding that the air force was "operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat."

US President Donald Trump said his early departure from the G7 summit in Canada on Monday had "nothing to do" with working on ceasefire between Israel and Iran, adding France's leader, Emmanuel Macron, was "wrong" in how he described the exit.

"Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, 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.

"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. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!"

French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed that his American counterpart, Donald Trump, is considering the prospect of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

A day after US officials confirmed that Donald Trump had vetoed Israeli plans to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that the quickest way to end this conflict is for Israel to take out the Ayatollah.

Britain, France, Germany call on Iran to hold nuclear talks 'as soon as possible', news agency AFP reported quoting a French diplomatic source.

Israel's military said it conducted "several extensive strikes" overnight Tuesday on military targets in western Iran, as the arch-foes traded fire for a fifth straight day.

"During the strikes, dozens of surface-to-surface missile storage and launch infrastructure were struck. In addition, surface-to-air missile launchers and UAV storage sites were struck in western Iran," the military said in a statement.

Israel army says conducted 'extensive strikes' on military targets in west Iran. (AFP)

Journalists at the United Nations Pressed Israel’s ambassador on why Iran’s state television was attacked. His reply: “Whoever is cooperating with this terror regime should be considering steps,” adding that Israel now has “very good control over the skies of Tehran.”

Ambassador Danny Dannon sidestepped questions about UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi’s claim that Iran’s underground Natanz facility was untouched by Israeli strikes, but said Israel had “pushed back the nuclear program” and stressed the current operation is more complex than past strikes on reactors in Iraq or Syria.

As for peace talks, Danon said Iran must prove it’s serious about dismantling its “machine of terror” before Israel would engage. (AP)

Three Israeli mini-drones struck South Pars, the country’s main gas production center, according to the state-run IRINN television channel. The report did not specify the extent of the damage.

Sirens were sounded across northern Israel following another barrage of Iranian missiles, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a post on X. 

🚨Sirens sounding across northern Israel following another barrage of Iranian missiles🚨 pic.twitter.com/R7s92nqhoR

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 17, 2025

The Indian Embassy in Iran asked all Indian Nationals and persons of Indian origin, who can move out of Tehran using their own resources, to move to a safe location outside the city.

"All Indian Nationals who are in Tehran and not in touch with the Embassy are requested to contact the Embassy of India in Tehran immediately and provide their Location and Contact numbers. Kindly contact: +989010144557; +989128109115; +989128109109," it said in a post on X. 

China's embassy in Israel on Tuesday urged its citizens to leave the country "as soon as possible", after Israel and Iran traded heavy strikes.

"The Chinese mission in Israel reminds Chinese nationals to leave the country as soon as possible via land border crossings, on the precondition that they can guarantee their personal safety," the embassy said in a statement on WeChat.

"It is recommended to depart in the direction of Jordan," it added. (AFP)

Oil prices rallied Tuesday after Donald Trump urged Tehran residents to evacuate, stoking fresh fears of all-out war as Israel and Iran continued to pound each other with missiles. Hopes that the deadly conflict can be contained helped most equities rise, while the US president's earlier claim that the Islamic republic wanted to make a nuclear deal also provided a little optimism.

After Friday's surge sparked by Israel's attacks on its regional foe, crude ticked more than one percent lower Monday as traders bet that the battle would not spread throughout the Middle East and key oil sites were mostly left untouched.

But prices edged back up after Trump took to social media calling for the evacuation of the Iranian capital, which is home to nearly 10 million people. (AFP)

G7 leaders attending a summit in Canada on Monday issued a joint statement calling for "de-escalation" on Iran, while stressing Israel had the right to defend itself in the escalating Middle East crisis.

"We affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself," the statement said. "We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.

"We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza."

French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed that his American counterpart, Donald Trump, is considering the prospect of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

Medics in Gaza say at least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday when Israeli troops opened fire as crowds tried to reach new food distribution centers, according to witnesses.

“Fire was coming from everywhere,” said Heba Jouda, one of thousands trying to feed her family. Gaza’s Health Ministry says hundreds have been killed in similar shootings since the Israeli- and U.S.-supported aid system began last month.

Israel claims the new system prevents Hamas from diverting aid, but U.N. agencies and groups like Doctors Without Borders argue it has failed to meet urgent needs and turned food into a weapon. The nearby Red Cross field hospital in Rafah reported treating 200 wounded Monday, the highest single mass casualty event it has seen. Aid groups warn Gaza is nearing famine after months of near-total siege and say the current system creates “lethal chaos.”

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Monday’s shootings. (AP)

“The domino effect here is massive,” said retired pilot and aviation safety expert John Cox, who said the disruptions will have a huge price tag.

“You’ve got thousands of passengers suddenly that are not where they’re supposed to be, crews that are not where they are supposed to be, airplanes that are not where they’re supposed to be,” he told the AP.

Iran’s airspace is completely closed, and Israel has closed its main international Ben Gurion Airport “until further notice.”

Although airspace is still partially open in Lebanon and Jordan, the situation is chaotic at airports there. Neighboring Iraq’s airports have all closed due to its close proximity to Iran. Some Iraqis stranded there have opted to leave by land. (AP)

Missiles have been raining from the skies across most of Iran, especially its capital, Tehran, as Israel has claimed "total air superiority" over the gulf nation as hostilities grow exponentially between the two arch rivals.

Iranian parliamentarians are preparing a bill that could push Tehran toward exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the foreign ministry said on Monday, while reiterating Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons.

 Iran has activated high level air defences in Tehran in anticipation of Israeli strikes.

French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed that his American counterpart, Donald Trump, is considering the prospect of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

"There is indeed an offer to meet and exchange. An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions ... We have to see now whether the sides will follow," he said while speaking in Canada.

Describing Trump's early exit from the G7 summit as a positive development, Macron said, "Right now I believe negotiations need to restart and that civilians need to be protected."

Israel struck an Iranian state TV building -- forcing a presenter to flee mid-broadcast -- in the latest dramatic escalation of a major aerial campaign launched Friday, which has seen nuclear and military sites in Iran hit, as well as residential areas and fuel depots.

Iran's health ministry said at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded.

Tehran has responded with barrages of missiles and drones that hit Israeli cities and towns, killing at least 24 people and wounding 592 others, according to the prime minister's office.

Israel says it has also killed many top military commanders and atomic scientists in Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying late Monday that Israel was eliminating Iran's security leadership "one after the other". (AFP)

The Iranian Red Crescent said Monday that three of its rescuers were killed by an Israeli air strike in northwest Tehran.

"This incident is not only a crime against international humanitarian law but also a blatant attack on humanity and morality," the organisation said in a statement, adding that the three workers were aiding the wounded in the capital's Shahid Bagheri district.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday issued a direct plea for the "good people of Iran" to stand against Tehran's "radical tyranny", saying that "a light has been lit, carry it to freedom". In a 13-minute interview with London-based channel "Iran International", the Israeli leader insisted that "you're not our enemy. We're not your enemy."

"We have a common enemy, and we're resolutely fighting them, and I believe you'll have an opportunity to be free soon," he added.

Israel has unleashed days of punishing strikes across Iran, which has responded with volleys of missiles. The Israeli Prime Minister said in a separate interview on Monday that Iranians now saw their government as "much weaker than they thought", and urged them put pressure on their leaders. (AFP)

President Donald Trump voiced confidence Monday that Iran would eventually sign a nuclear deal as he warned without specifying that the United States will be "doing something" once he leaves a G7 summit. "I think a deal will be signed, or something will happen. But a deal will be signed," Trump told reporters at the summit in Canada.

"And I think Iran is foolish not to sign one," Trump said as he met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump said without elaborating: "As soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something. But I have to leave here."

He did not provide any further details, and is expected to leave the summit in the Canadian Rockies on Tuesday. Trump also refused to comment on whether the United States would offer military support to Israel to destroy Iran's nuclear program. He earlier said that the United States was not involved in Israel's offensive but has praised the strikes and boasted that Israel uses US weapons.

As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, people in Tehran have been warned of a major Israeli attack after Iran's ballistic missiles caused significant damage in Tel Aviv. People in Iran's capital are leaving the city. So are Indians.

The United States is reinforcing its military presence in the Middle East to enhance its "defensive posture," Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth said Monday, as arch-rivals Iran and Israel ramp up their deadly conflict.

"Over the weekend, I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility," Hegseth posted on X. "Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region." (AFP)

The Israeli army issued a brief air raid warning for Tel Aviv and Beersheva in the south early on Tuesday due to incoming Iranian missiles before dropping the alert. Sirens "sounded in several areas of Israel" at around 12:30am local time (2130 GMT), the army said, adding that the Israeli air force was "operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat."

In a second message shortly afterwards, it said it was "now permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas across the country." The air raid warnings were the first overnight Monday-Tuesday following statements from the Iranian military that a new wave of drone and missile attacks had begun.

Iran will strike Israel "without interruption until dawn", its Revolutionary Guards said earlier.

Iran's Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said Israel's strikes against his country "deal a blow" to diplomacy during a call Monday with his French, British, and German counterparts.

"The Israeli aggression against Iran in the midst of nuclear negotiations with the United States is a blow to diplomacy," Abbas Araghchi said during a call reported by his ministry with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, the United Kingdom's David Lammy, Germany's Johann Wadephul, and the European Union's head of foreign affairs Kaja Kallas.

These three countries and the EU, along with China and Russia, signed a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, but the United States later unilaterally withdrew.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel and Iran to stop attacking civilians. He also warned Jerusalem that trying to overthrow Tehran's clerical state would be a “strategic error”.

“All who have thought that by bombing from the outside you can save a country in spite of itself have always been mistaken,” Macron he said. 

US forces in the Middle East remain in a "defensive posture, and that has not changed," the White House said Monday as Israel and Iran traded heavy strikes for a fourth day.

"We will defend American interests," White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer added in a post on social media.

Israel's army warned early Tuesday that it had detected new missiles launched from Iran, as the arch foes exchanged fire for a fifth day.

"A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas in northern Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel," the Israeli army posted on Telegram, adding it was working to intercept the threat.

US President Donald Trump was on Monday leaving a Group of Seven summit early as he hinted of greater involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict and warned Tehran residents to evacuate.

Before flying out of Canada in the middle of the G7 gathering, Trump took to social media to back Israel and issue an alert to the Iranian capital of nearly 10 million people.

"Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

At a group photo with fellow G7 leaders in the scenic mountain resort of Kananaskis, he said: "I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff."

As tensions continue to rise in West Asia, Indian students in Tehran recalled the initial hours of the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Israel and Iran attacked each other for a fifth straight day on Tuesday, and U.S. 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.

Amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, the Indian embassy in both countries shared helpline numbers on Sunday to stay in touch with Indian nationals currently there. In a series of posts on X, the Indian embassy in Tehran informed that the Telegram link is "ONLY" for Indian citizens who are in Iran.

Advisory for all Indian nationals and Persons of Indian Origin currently in Iran. @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/hACYKyaeId

— India in Iran (@India_in_Iran) June 15, 2025

📢 ADVISORY/INSTRUCTIONS FOR INDIAN NATIONALS IN ISRAEL (AS ON JUNE 15) pic.twitter.com/ubDecSywqe

— India in Israel (@indemtel) June 15, 2025