Tuesday June 17, 2025|
An Israeli airstrike targeted Iran’s state broadcaster on Monday, June 16, while the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog reported significant damage to Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility.
In response, Iran urged the United States to intervene and bring about a ceasefire in the ongoing aerial conflict.
Footage aired late Monday showed a news anchor fleeing mid-broadcast as a blast hit the state TV building. Israel later confirmed it had struck Iran’s broadcasting authority, claiming the site also functioned as a communications hub for Iran’s armed forces.
The conflict entered its fifth day on Tuesday, June 17, with air raid sirens sounding in Tel Aviv just after midnight as Iran launched more missiles toward Israel.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told four European counterparts that while Tehran remained open to diplomacy, its immediate priority was to defend against ongoing attacks, according to state media. Israel has stated its objective is to dismantle Iran’s capacity to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran says over 224 of its citizens, mostly civilians, have been killed in the strikes. Israel reports 24 civilian deaths on its side.
According to sources cited by Reuters, Iran has appealed to Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to urge U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an immediate ceasefire. In exchange, Tehran would be willing to show greater flexibility in nuclear negotiations, the sources said.
“If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential,” Araqchi said on X.
“Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue. It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu.”
When asked if he would agree to talks if Trump expressed interest, Netanyahu told reporters that Israel remained committed to eliminating the threats posed by both nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
“If this can be achieved in another way – fine. But we gave it a 60-day chance,” Netanyahu said.
Speaking to Reuters on Friday, the first day of Israel’s military offensive, former President Donald Trump said he had given Iran a 60-day deadline to reach an agreement to halt its uranium enrichment program. That period had expired without a deal. Talks between the United States and Iran, which were set to take place in Oman on Sunday, were canceled. Tehran stated it could not enter negotiations while under attack.
Iranian state media reported that the country was preparing for what it described as the “largest and most intense missile attack” to date against Israel, targeting both military and intelligence sites. Israel initiated its air campaign with a surprise strike that reportedly killed nearly all of Iran’s top military leadership and several leading nuclear scientists.
Israeli officials say they now control Iranian airspace and plan to intensify operations in the coming days.
On Monday, Israel claimed it struck Iranian F-14 fighter jets at Tehran’s airport. Its airstrikes have also reportedly disabled two of Iran’s three active uranium enrichment facilities.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the BBC that a power outage caused by an Israeli strike had likely destroyed or severely damaged all 15,000 centrifuges at Iran’s main enrichment site in Natanz. He added that the separate Fordow facility had sustained little or no damage.
