A week into their war, Israel and Iran launch new strikes even as
diplomatic effort gets underway
[June 20, 2025]
By SAM MEDNICK, JON GAMBRELL and DAVID RISING
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into
their war Friday as President Donald Trump weighed U.S. military
involvement and new diplomatic efforts got underway.
Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its
well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a
mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s
“bunker-buster” bombs. He said he'll decide within two weeks whether the
U.S. military will get directly involved in the war given the
“substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear
program.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to be en route to Geneva
for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts
from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. A plane with his usual call
sign took off from the Turkish city of Van, near the Iranian border,
flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed. Iran typically
acknowledges his departure hours afterward.
Britain’s foreign secretary said he met at the White House with U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the
potential for a deal that could cool the conflict.
Before his flight, Araghchi said on Iranian state television that his
country was “not seeking negotiations with anyone” as long as Israel's
attacks continued, underscoring the diplomatic challenges ahead. He also
accused the U.S. of collaborating with Israel, noting that Trump
regularly used “we” in social media posts and interviews talking about
the attacks on Iran.
“It is the Americans who want talks," he said in comments Thursday that
were broadcast Friday. "They’ve sent messages several times — very
serious ones — but we made it explicitly clear to them that as long as
this aggression and invasion continue, there is absolutely no room for
talk or diplomacy. We are engaged in legitimate self-defense, and this
defense will not stop under any circumstances.”
He added that he expected the Switzerland talks to focus only on Iran's
nuclear program, and that Iran's missile capabilities were “for
defending the country” and not up for discussion.
French President Emmanuel Macron said top European diplomats in Geneva
will make a “comprehensive, diplomatic and technical offer of
negotiation” to Iran, as a key response to the “threat” represented by
Iran’s nuclear program.
“No one can seriously believe that this threat can be met with
(Israel’s) current operations alone," he told reporters on the sidelines
of the Paris Air Show, saying some plants are heavily fortified and
nobody knows exactly where all uranium enrichment is taking place.
"We need to regain control on (Iran’s nuclear) program through technical
expertise and negotiation.”
Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow
international inspectors in to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with
the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for
sanctions relief and other provisions.
After Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his last
term, however, Iran began enriching uranium to higher levels and
limiting access to its facilities.
Israel says air campaign will target more sites
Israel said it conducted airstrikes into Friday morning in Iran with
more than 60 aircraft hitting what it said were industrial sites to
manufacture missiles. It did not elaborate on the locations. It also
said it hit the headquarters of Iran’s Organization of Defensive
Innovation and Research, known by its acronym in Farsi, SPND. The U.S.
in the past has linked that agency to alleged Iranian research and
testing tied to the possible development of nuclear explosive devices.
It also carried out airstrikes targeting the areas around Kermanshah and
Tabriz in western Iran, where the military said 25 fighter jets struck
“missile storage and launch infrastructure components” Friday morning.
There had been reports of anti-aircraft fire in the areas.
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Smokes rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it
was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday,
June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Iran did not immediately acknowledge the losses, and has not
discussed the damage done so far to its military in the weeklong
war.
“We are strengthening our air control in the region and advancing
our air offensive," Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie
Defrin told reporters.
"We have more sites to strike in Tehran, western Iran and other
places.”
Israeli airstrikes also reached into the city of Rasht on the
Caspian Sea early Friday, Iranian media reported. The Israeli
military had warned the public to flee the area around Rasht’s
Industrial City, southwest of the city’s downtown. But with Iran’s
internet shut off to the outside world, it’s unclear just how many
people could see the message.
Damage from missiles in southern Israel
In Israel, the paramedic service Magen David Adom said Iranian
missiles struck a residential area in southern Israel causing damage
to buildings, including one six-story building. They have provided
medical treatment to five people with minor injuries such as
bruises, smoke inhalation, and anxiety, it said.
This comes a day after at least 80 patients and medical workers were
wounded in a strike on the Soroka Medical Center in the southern
city of Beersheba.
On Thursday, Israel's defense minister threatened Iranian Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the Iranian missile crashed into
the hospital. Israel's military “has been instructed and knows that
in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not
continue to exist," Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted that Trump would
“do what's best for America.” Speaking from the rubble and shattered
glass around the hospital, he added: “I can tell you that they’re
already helping a lot."
The war between Israel and Iran erupted June 13, with Israeli
airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and
nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians,
have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a
Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at
Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Most have been shot
down by Israel’s multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in
Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded.
Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful
purposes. But it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich
uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade
levels of 90%.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with
a nuclear weapons program but has never acknowledged it.
The Israeli air campaign has targeted Iran’s enrichment site at
Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran, a nuclear site in
Isfahan and what the army assesses to be most of Iran’s ballistic
missile launchers. The destruction of those launchers has
contributed to the steady decline in Iranian attacks since the start
of the conflict.
___
Gambrell and Rising reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this
report.
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