WASHINGTON/DUBAI/JERUSALEM. Israel and Iran launched new rounds of airstrikes against each other on Thursday, intensifying the region’s deadliest confrontation in decades, while former U.S. President Donald Trump kept global powers on edge by withholding a decision on whether the United States would join Israel’s military offensive.
A week into Israel’s campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, the conflict has already resulted in hundreds of deaths and widespread destruction. Israeli strikes have killed top Iranian generals, damaged key nuclear sites, and left at least 224 people dead in Iran, according to Iranian state media. Meanwhile, Iran’s retaliatory missile salvos have claimed the lives of at least 24 civilians in Israel, with 40 projectiles reportedly breaching Israeli defenses.
Speaking outside the White House, Trump offered no clear answer on potential U.S. involvement: “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.” He also claimed that Iranian officials had sought a meeting in Washington but dismissed the effort, saying, “It’s a little late.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his first public appearance since the conflict escalated, dismissed U.S. calls for surrender, warning, “Any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage. The Iranian nation will not surrender.”
Despite Iran’s denial of pursuing nuclear weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported last week that Tehran had breached its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years.
Diplomatic efforts continue, with Germany, France, and the UK planning to meet with Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva on Friday to revive nuclear negotiations. Still, inside Iran, panic is growing. On Wednesday, residents of Tehran jammed highways to flee the capital amid intensified Israeli strikes.
One resident, 31-year-old Arezou, spoke to Reuters from Lavasan: “My friend’s house in Tehran was attacked and her brother was injured. They are civilians. Why are we paying the price for the regime’s decision to pursue a nuclear programme?”
Meanwhile, U.S. media outlets reported that Trump has approved plans for potential strikes but is delaying a final order. Bloomberg News stated senior U.S. officials are preparing for possible action “in the coming days.”
On Thursday, Iranian air defenses intercepted drones near Tehran, while authorities announced the arrest of 18 “enemy agents” allegedly building drones for Israeli attacks in Mashhad. Israel confirmed drone interceptions over its northern region and the Jordan Valley.
In an unprecedented move, Israeli missiles penetrated Iran’s Arak heavy water reacto, a key nuclear site, though Iranian state media reported no radiation risk as the facility had already been evacuated.
Israel’s offensive has targeted multiple nuclear and military sites, including enrichment facilities in Natanz and Isfahan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel is “progressing step by step” in neutralizing threats from Iran’s nuclear arsenal. “We are hitting the nuclear sites, the missiles, the headquarters, the symbols of the regime,” he said, thanking Trump for standing “side by side” with Israel.
Trump has alternated between advocating diplomacy and suggesting military action, even musing on social media about assassinating Khamenei. Russian President Vladimir Putin, when asked about the possibility of Israel and the U.S. targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, responded, “I do not even want to discuss this possibility.”
Putin called for a resolution that would respect both Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy and Israel’s right to security.
The ongoing Israeli campaign, now in its seventh day, has killed at least 639 people in Iran, including 263 civilians, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. More than 1,300 Iranians have reportedly been wounded.
Israel, which does not acknowledge having nuclear weapons, is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran, which signed the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, had agreed to redesign the Arak reactor to reduce plutonium output. But since the U.S. withdrew from the accord in 2018, Iran has taken steps to restart elements of its nuclear program, prompting growing international concern.
The IAEA last inspected the Arak facility on May 14 but now says it can no longer verify Iran’s heavy water production due to limited access.
As missiles continue to fall and diplomatic talks hang in the balance, the Middle East braces for a conflict with potential global consequences.
