Iran Israel War Highlights | June 21: Iran vows ‘more devastating’ blow if Israel continues assaults

A European national was arrested for spying, for Israel, Tasnim reported on Friday, without giving their nationality or the date of the arrest.

Iran regularly announces arrests of suspected spies. Several have been executed in recent weeks.

Police in Iran's Qom province said Saturday that 22 people "linked to Israeli spy services" had been arrested since June 13, Fars news agency reported.

"22 people were identified and arrested on charges of being linked to the Zionist regime's spy services, disturbing public opinion and supporting the criminal regime," the agency said, citing the head of police intelligence in Iran's Qom province.

Israel's military said Saturday its navy hit a Hezbollah "infrastructure site" near the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura, a day after Israel's foreign minister warned the Lebanese armed group against entering the Iran-Israel war, AFP reported.

Israel claimed on Saturday it has already set back Iran's presumed nuclear programme by at least two years, a day after US President Donald Trump warned that Tehran has a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible American air strikes.

Iran's Isfahan nuclear site was targeted by Israel, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Saturday, adding that there was no leakage of hazardous materials.

Israeli military says it has killed Aminpour Joudaki, commander of an Iranian drone brigade, The Spectator Index reported.

Protesters are set to rally at two high-profile demonstrations in central London on Saturday over flaring conflicts in the Middle East, the Metropolitan Police said. 

A protest organised by groups under the Palestine Coalition banner will gather in Russell Square from 12 pm, before marching to Whitehall via Aldwych and the Strand for an assembly outside Downing Street. 

Meanwhile, a static counter-protest organised by pro-Israeli group Stop The Hate will be held at the same time, just north of Waterloo Bridge at the junction with the Strand.

US President Donald Trump presided over a national security meeting about Iran with top aides at the White House on Friday, Reuters reported, citing a US official.

The official also said US special envoy Steve Witkoff is in regular contact with the Iranians, both directly and indirectly, with Qatar acting as an intermediary.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Saurday said that striking his country's nuclear facilities won't ‘eliminate its technical expertise,’ The Spectatir Index said.

India’s top government adviser said rising oil prices due to the Israel-Iran conflict are likely to have a limited impact on inflation for now, and Asia’s third-largest economy remains in a relatively favourable position to weather global risks, Bloomberg reported.

Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, speaking to German outlet Bild, said the strikes had significantly damaged Iran’s nuclear programme. “We believe we have delayed it by two to three years,” he said, but added that military operations would continue “to remove this threat.”

The IDF drones identified a group of Iranian soldiers, including an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander responsible for at least 15 missile launchers, as they prepared to fire more missiles. The IAF targeted and eliminated the group, killing the commander, The Jerusalem Post added.

The Pakistani government has decided to formally recommend US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his "decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership" during the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, as reported by The Dawn.

Amid rising global alarm, foreign ministers from Britain, France, and Germany met with Iranian representative Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday in a bid to de-escalate tensions and revive nuclear negotiations.

As the Israel-Iran war enters its ninth day, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on Friday warned citizens to brace for a "prolonged campaign," even as diplomatic efforts give no sign of cessation of hostilities on either side.

US President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed a European diplomatic initiative aimed at de-escalating the conflict between Israel and Iran, asserting that Tehran prefers direct talks with Washington instead of engaging with European powers, CNN reported.

"Iran didn't want to speak to Europe, they want to speak to us," Trump told reporters, expressing scepticism over Europe's ability to mediate in the conflict.

Israeli Air Force (IAF) jets located and struck three surface-to-surface missile launchers that were being readied for attacks on Israeli territory. The IDF stated these launchers were expected to be used in the multiple missile barrages fired across Israel throughout Friday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday that it had struck an Iranian missile crew preparing to launch missiles at Israel during overnight operations, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Iran Israel war live: President Donald Trump said that his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was “wrong” when she previously said that the US believed Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon, and he suggested that it would be “very hard to stop” Israel's strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a possible ceasefire.

Iran Israel war live: Hundreds of American citizens have departed Iran using land routes over the past week since an aerial war between the Islamic Republic and Israel broke out, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Friday.

While many left without problem, "numerous" citizens had faced "delays and harassment" while trying to exit, the cable said. It said, without giving further details, that one unidentified family had reported that two US citizens attempting to leave Iran had been detained.

Iran Israel war live: The Israeli military launched a new wave of attacks targeting missile storage and launch infrastructure within Iran. Following the recent Iranian air strikes, Israeli authorities have now instructed residents that it is safe to leave protected areas, indicating that the immediate threat has passed.