Tehran accuses Israel of killing Iranians 'in cold blood'

The latest exchanges have raised fears of further escalation and devastation, as both sides harden their rhetoric and show no signs of backing down.

Here's a brief summary of the main developments so far.

Israel escalates with oil strikes as death toll surpasses 200

• Israel struck Tehran refinery at Rey, Shahran oil depot, and a facility in Tabriz, intensifying its campaign.
• Strikes also targeted Tehran’s defense ministry and a military base in Kermanshah.
• Rights group HRANA reported 215 killed and nearly 700 injured, most of them civilians.
• The Israeli military said it has hit 150 targets across Iran since Friday.

Iran hits Haifa, Tel Aviv in fresh missile salvo

• Iran has launched over 200 missiles since Friday, with a new wave early Sunday targeting Haifa and Tel Aviv among others.
• Twelve people were killed and at least 385 injured in Israel by Iranian strikes early Sunday local time - with around 35 reported missing.
• Tehran warned the US, UK, and France that any military support for Israel could trigger retaliatory strikes on regional bases and naval assets.

Civilian toll mounts

• HRANA reports 215 deaths in Iran, with over 50 military personnel among them.
• Nearly 700 Iranians have been injured, most civilians.
• About 385 israelis have been injured, most civilians.

Global leaders pleas for calm

• The UK, France, and Pope Leo XIV urged restraint and de-escalation.
• EU officials warned of a “spiral of violence” and emphasized preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
• IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the Natanz site’s enrichment areas were among those destroyed.
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Trump still hopes for “a path to peace.”

Israel claims hits on nuclear and military sites

• The IAEA confirmed extensive above-ground damage at Natanz but said Fordow and Khondab were unharmed.
• Israel said it destroyed missile launch systems at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport and hit radar and command centers.
• Targets included underground storage sites and active airbases.

Iran signals withdrawal from US talks

• Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told EU chief Kaja Kallas that US-Iran nuclear talks are now “unjustifiable.”
• Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei said a final decision on participation in the next round of talks would be made by Sunday.

Israel kill several top Iranian generals

• Israel’s opening strikes killed top Iranian commanders: IRGC chief Hossein Salami, Armed Forces head Mohammad Bagheri, and Aerospace Force commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
• Several nuclear scientists and intelligence officials were also killed.

Markets, global transport feel the shock

• Oil prices surged up to $77 per barrel.
• Wall Street dropped sharply on Friday; volatility is expected to continue.
• More than 1,800 flights were affected due to airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel.
• The UK and Greece issued maritime advisories for the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz.
• The exchange rate for the US dollar in Iran exceeded 960,000 rials on Sunday morning.

Diplomatic efforts intensify but falter

• Netanyahu has spoken with Trump, Putin, Starmer, Macron, Merz, and Modi.
• Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador to warn the US against helping Israel’s defenses.
• Iranian lawmakers publicly urged Khamenei to authorize nuclear weapons development.

Strategic outlook: containment or collapse?

• US intelligence sources told CNN Israel may be using the operation to pursue regime change, though not openly stated.
• Iran has reshuffled its top command rapidly to maintain continuity.
• With diplomacy faltering and military exchanges intensifying, both sides appear to be preparing for prolonged confrontation.

United States forces are working to repel Iranian missile launches by land, air and sea, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday citing US officials.

Jets, navy destroyers and ground-based air defenses were activated to defend Israel even before Iranian retaliatory strikes began, it added.

Iran so far has fired about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves and over 200 drones at Israel, the newspaper cited an Israeli source as saying.

The Iran-focused human rights group HRANA reported that Israeli attacks on Iran since Friday killed 215 people and wounded nearly 700, mostly civilians. Over 50 were confirmed to be military personnel, it added, saying figures were preliminary.

Both sides appeared far from ending their volleys of fire which started when Israel launched a surprise attack on Thursday which killed some of Iran's top military leadership and attacked bases and nuclear sites.

Iranian missiles killed at least 10 people in Israel and injured 200 overnight, the country's paramedics service reported. 35 people were unaccounted for in an attack on Bat Yam south of Tel Aviv, the Times of Israel reported.

Throughout Saturday Israeli attacks hit Iran's defense ministry, Tehran's Shahran oil depot, buildings in in the capital and the Fajr Jam oil refinery - the country's largest.

Crucially, Israel hit part of Iran's South Pars gas field, according to Iranian media, halting 12 million cubic meters of gas production. Also struck was Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by its Persian acronym SPND, a key hub of Iran's nuclear program.

The Israeli military announced it had hit 150 targets across Iran.

The United Kingdom and France called for calm, while US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News President Donald Trump still hoped for a reconciliation: "President Trump continues to say to Iran: hey! You have an option for peace."

Israel's initial salvo killed the head of Iran's Revolutionary guards, armed forces chief, air force commander, a top intelligence figure and several nuclear scientists.

Air strikes late on Friday targeted an oil refinery in Tabriz, Tehran's Mehrabad airport and a military base in Kermanshah.

Israel's military spokesperson said the target of the airport attack were ready-to-launch missiles had been stored in underground facilities.

The UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday that no damage was observed at Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant or the Khondab heavy water reactor, a day after it said an attack on the Natanz nuclear facility caused extensive damage above ground.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, said the missile strikes on Israel were intended to hit military targets but blamed Israeli electronic countermeasures for pushing them off course into civilian areas.

“If some of our missiles hit residential areas, it was because Israel created interference to prevent the missiles from striking military targets,” Shekarchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

Iran signals canceling US talks

Iran said on Saturday it may withdraw from upcoming negotiations with the United States, citing Israel’s ongoing military strikes and accusing Washington of complicity in the escalation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas that continuing talks with Washington was “unjustifiable” while Israeli attacks were underway, according to Iranian state media.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei signaled Iran was not immediately scuppering its nuclear negotiations but accused Washington of colluding with Israel in its campaign.

“It is still unclear what decision we will make by Sunday regarding the upcoming talks,” Baghaei said in remarks carried by state media.

Baghaei accused Israel of acting with at least a green light from Washington, saying, “It is inconceivable that Israel could commit such adventurism and warmongering in the region without coordination or conscious approval from the United States.”

Warnings, calls for calm

Iran formally notified the United States, United Kingdom and France that it plans to launch extensive attacks against Israel and warned that any country assisting in repelling these strikes will face retaliation.

According to Iranian state media, Tehran said that all regional bases of what it called "collaborating governments," including military installations in Persian Gulf countries and naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, would be targeted by Iranian forces if those countries intervene.

After a muted reaction following Israel's initial attacks on Friday local time, Western leaders began sounding notes of caution on Saturday.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy held separate phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday, urging both sides to exercise restraint as the combat persisted.

Pope Leo XIV called for a safer world free from nuclear threats, urging "responsibility and reason."

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi told the United Nations on Friday that an Israeli attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility destroyed an area where highly enriched uranium was produced.

Israeli warplanes struck key military sites in Tehran on Saturday night, including the command headquarters of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and the SPND building, according to IRGC-linked Tasnim website.

Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by its Persian acronym SPND, is the direct successor organization to Iran’s pre-2004 nuclear weapons program, also referred to as the Amad Project.

Israel in 2020 assassinated Mohsen Fakhrizadeh who led the SPDN.

Iran International reported last year, citing three independent sources in Iran, that the Islamic Republic was advancing its secret nuclear weapons program by restructuring the SPND.

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Iran has asked Oman and Qatar to mediate between Tehran and Washington with the aim of resuming nuclear negotiations, on the condition that Israeli attacks cease, Israel Hayom reported.

Oman, which previously hosted US-Iran talks, confirmed it is pursuing this track, but the US has shown no urgency in responding, the report said.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said the latest round of talks, set for Sunday in Muscat, has been canceled.

A senior US diplomat told Israel Hayom that Iran now holds “a significantly weaker position” than before the Israeli strike.

“They either failed to understand or deliberately ignored the president’s warnings,” the diplomat was quoted as saying, accusing Tehran of stalling talks while rapidly advancing its nuclear program.