Live: Iran holds funeral for top military, nuclear figures killed in Israeli strikes

Israeli attacks on two military installations in Iran’s central Yazd province have left nine Iranian security personnel dead, local media reports.

Fars News Agency quoted officials who confirmed that the casualties included seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and two army soldiers.

The strikes mark a serious escalation in the ongoing hostilities, with Iran vowing to respond.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged calm and dialogue during a phone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a statement from India’s foreign ministry.

Modi was briefed on the latest developments in the Iran-Israel conflict during the call, the ministry said on Sunday.

He “emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward” and reaffirmed India’s backing for “early restoration of regional peace, security and stability,” the statement added.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has announced plans to create a ministerial-level contact group aimed at engaging international and regional actors to help ease tensions and halt attacks on Iran.

Following a meeting of foreign ministers in Istanbul, the 57-member bloc issued a joint declaration condemning “the aggression of Israel” and expressing “great concern regarding this dangerous escalation”.

The statement stressed “the urgent need to stop Israeli attacks” and called on the global community to take “deterrent measures to stop this aggression and make Israel accountable for crimes committed”.

In a separate statement, the OIC also voiced alarm over recent US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, calling them a “dangerous escalation that could further heighten tensions and threaten peace, security, and stability in the region”.

Pakistan has denounced the US bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, calling the move a breach of international law—just a day after Islamabad said it would nominate US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a statement issued Sunday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry warned the attacks risk fuelling regional chaos.

“The unprecedented escalation of tension and violence, owing to ongoing aggression against Iran is deeply disturbing. Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond,” it said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also phoned Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to express Pakistan’s condemnation of the US strikes, according to a statement from Sharif’s office.

Islamabad reiterated its call for diplomacy, saying peaceful dialogue remains the only viable path forward in resolving the crisis

Iran’s health ministry says those injured in the US attacks on nuclear facilities have not been exposed to radiation.

Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X that “none of the injured individuals who were transferred to these centres following the American bombardment showed any signs of radioactive contamination”.

He noted that Iran had long prepared for such incidents.

“For years, the ministry of health has set up nuclear emergency units in the nearest medical facilities to nuclear sites,” Kermanpour said.

The ministry did not say how many people were wounded in the strikes.

The United States has ordered non-essential staff and families of diplomats to leave Lebanon, citing security concerns after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

A statement posted by the US embassy in Beirut said the decision was made due to “the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region”.

“On June 22, 2025, the US Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon,” the embassy said.

The US State Department has already classified Lebanon under its highest travel warning — “do not travel” — urging American citizens to avoid the country entirely.

Turkey has stopped short of condemning the US strikes on Iran, despite many of the Islamic Republic's major allies, as well as several regional states, criticising the escalation and viewing it as a risky gambit.

US President Donald Trump said in a televised address late on Saturday that Washington had struck three of Iran's nuclear sites in an effort to disable the Islamic Republic's nuclear enrichment capabilities.

"I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," Trump said, adding that Tehran needed to "make peace" as he threatened more intense attacks if it did not.

"There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days," he added.

Several hours after the attacks took place, Turkey's foreign ministry warned that the strikes risked further destabilising the region's security environment.

Read more: Why has Turkey stopped short of condemning the US strikes on Iran?

Good afternoon, 

If you are just joining us, here are the latest developments from the situation in Iran, after the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites:

• The US military confirmed that it used B-2 bombers to conduct the strikes on nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan
• The US military confirmed that B-2 bombers dropped bunker-buster bombs on the Fordow nuclear site and that the navy carriers fired Tomahawk missiles on Natanz and Isfahan facilities
• The army said its inital battle assessments indicate the facilities sustained "extremely severe damage and destruction"
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dubbed the US attack on its nuclear sites as "unforgivable" and said Iran would "respond based on our legitimate right to self-defence"

An Israeli army spokesperson said Israeli jets carried out dozens of strikes against Iran on Sunday. 

The spokesperson claimed that Israeli warplanes struck Yazd, a site where Khorramshahr ballistic missiles were being stored. 

The army added that strikes took place againt Iran in Isfahan, Bushehr and Ahvs where missile launch platforms, sites where air defence batteries were being manufactered and a drone warhouse. 

Some of the strikes killed Iranian military personnel who were detected operating at launch platforms, the army said.

MEE's correspondent in Tehran, who remains anonymous for safety reasons, says Iranians remain divided on how Iran should respond to US strikes on the country's nuclear facilities. 

Many who spoke to MEE said the prospect of peace disappeared the moment Trump ordered US warplanes to strike Iran. 

Milad, a 35-year-old computer engineer from the city of Mashad, said Iran had no choice but to strike back to ensure Trump does not strike again. 

"But I think if we give in now, it'll only get worse. We need to strike back, firmly, at American bases in the region," said Milad. 

"Otherwise, Trump will just keep boasting: 'See? I did what no other US president could'."

Negin, a 44-year-old psychologist living in Tehran, disagreed with Milad's call for retalliation and said: "Even if we launch a stronger counterattack, then what?"

Read more here: Iranians say their hopes of peace have been buried by US bombs

Danish shipping company Maersk said it remained operational in the Strait of Hormuz, but is prepared to reassess the safety of its vessels transiting the area.

"We will continuously monitor the security risks to our vessels in the region and are ready to take operational action as needed," Maersk said in a statement.

Since 13 June, investors and energy markets have been on high alert, after Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran, raising fears that Tehran may retaliate by blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait, located between Iran and Oman, handles at least 20 percent of global energy flows.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday described the overnight strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as “incredible and overwhelming,” calling the operation one of the most complex and successful in recent military history.

Speaking from Washington, Hegseth said the mission was the result of weeks of planning and coordination, aimed solely at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities - not targeting its population or military forces.

“President Trump’s plan was bold and brilliant,” he said. “American deterrence is back.”

According to Hegseth, the operation involved:

• 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or bunker busters, dropped at around 2:10 am local time on Sunday, followed by Tomahawk missiles. 

• A total of 75 precision-guided weapons were used.

• "Deception tactics" were employed, and Iran’s air defenses never detected the strike, he said.

• All three targeted nuclear sites - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan - sustained "extreme damage and destruction," he added.

• The mission marked the "largest B-2 bomber strike in US history".

Hegseth warned Iran against retaliation, calling it a “poor choice.” He emphasised that the mission “was not and has never been about regime change.”

The Israeli military said Sunday it was checking the results of a US bombing raid on the deeply buried Iranian nuclear facility in Fordow, while continuing its own offensive against Tehran.

Asked whether Iran had removed enriched uranium from Fordow or if it had been buried under the rubble in the overnight US strikes, military spokesman Effie Defrin told reporters it was "too soon" to know. 

"We are constantly checking the situation. It is too soon to determine. I suppose we will know later on," he said during a televised briefing.

Reporting by AFP

China strongly condemns the US attack on Iran and on nuclear facilities supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The move seriously violates the United Nations Charter and worsens tensions in the Middle East, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

China urges parties to the conflict especially Israel to cease attacks as soon as possible and begin dialogue and negotiations, the ministry said.

Reporting by Reuters 

The US launched a surprise bombing attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities late on Saturday, bringing America directly into Israel's war against the Islamic Republic.

Donald Trump said the air strikes had "completely and totally obliterated" the Fordow, Natanz and the Isfahan sites, in an effort to disable the Islamic Republic's nuclear enrichment capability.

As of 11am GMT, it remained unclear whether the Fordow plant, buried deep under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries, was partially or completely destroyed.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported that Washington had notified Tehran in advance of the strikes, and that the targeted sites were evacuated.

Meanwhile, Amwaj Media, citing an Iranian political source, reported that "most" of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium were kept in secure locations outside of the three targeted areas. 

Iran has threatened to retaliate against the American attacks, and on Sunday issued a warning that "every American soldier and citizen in the region is a legitimate target".

With the situation still developing, Middle East Eye takes a look at what options are on the table for Iran.

Read more: US attacks Iran: What are the Islamic Republic's options?