Israel-Iran Highlights: ‘Iran isnt the nation that surrenders’, Trump’s ceasefire post ‘completely false’ says Tehran news agency

“We have been closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East since the past two weeks. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, we have diversified our supplies in the past few years and a large volume of our supplies do not come through the Strait of Hormuz now. Our Oil Marketing Companies have supplies of several weeks and continue to receive energy supplies from several routes. We will take all necessary steps to ensure stability of supplies of fuel to our citizens,” he wrote on X.

“The first people that should be angry about it are the Chinese government, because … a lot of their oil comes through there. They should be the first ones that are saying, if they mine the Straits of Hormuz, the Chinese are going to pay a huge price, and every other country in the world is going to pay a huge price. We will too. It will have some impact on us. It will have a lot more impact on the rest of the world,” Rubio said on CBS News’ Face the Nation.

“It’s economic suicide for (Iran) if they do it,” he added in conversation with Fox News.

“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,” the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Read More: Pakistan government condemns US strikes on Iran: ‘Any further escalation will have…’

The UN Security Council will meet Sunday to discuss U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East.

It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. The three countries circulated the draft text, said diplomats, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.

The U.S. is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel.

The Trump administration on Sunday signaled a willingness to renew talks with Iran and avoid a prolonged war in the aftermath of a surprise attack on three of the country’s nuclear sites as U.S. officials assessed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and the threat of retaliation against American interests.

President Donald Trump, who had addressed the nation from the White House on Saturday night, allowed his national security team to speak for him the next morning, staying quiet on social media and scheduling no public appearances. The coordinated messaging by his vice president, Pentagon chief, top military adviser and secretary of state suggested a confidence that any fallout from the attack would be manageable and that Iran’s lack of military capabilities would ultimately force it back to the bargaining table.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that America “does not seek war” with Iran while Vice President JD Vance said the strikes have given Tehran the possibility of returning to negotiate with Washington.

“IAF fighter jets struck the “Imam Hussein” Strategic Missile Command Center, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were stored. Approximately 60 missiles have been launched from this command center toward Israel,” the IDF wrote on X.

The Israeli Defense Force has confirmed strikes in the Iranian port city of Bushehr hours after Iranian state-affiliated media said explosions were heard in the southwestern city. The IDF said it had struck various sites in Isfahan, Bushehr, and Ahvaz.

“Missile launchers, military sites involved in the production of aerial defense batteries, the ‘Third Brigade’ UAV command center, a UAV storage facility near the command center, and soldiers loading missile launchers,” it wrote on X.

An advisory by the U.S. government’s “National Terrorism Advisory System” warned of a “heightened threat environment in the United States” following U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, CBS News reported on Sunday.

A U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites could push oil prices even higher and trigger a knee-jerk rush to safety, investors said, as they assessed how the latest escalation of tensions would ripple through the global economy.

The reaction in Middle East stock markets, which trade on Sunday, suggested investors were assuming a benign outcome, even as Iran intensified its missile attacks on Israel in response to the sudden, deep U.S. involvement in the conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump called the attack “a spectacular military success” in a televised address to the nation and said Iran’s “key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated”. He said the U.S. military could go after other targets in Iran if the country did not agree to peace.

Iran said it reserves all options to defend itself, and warned of “everlasting consequences”. Speaking in Istanbul, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran was weighing its options for retaliation and would consider diplomacy only after carrying out its response.

(via Reuters)

Air India Group is avoiding certain airspace in the Middle East, resulting in longer flight durations while Air India Express is cancelling some services due to the evolving situation, according to sources.

The group has two airlines — Air India and Air India Express — and the latter operates a significant chunk of the services to the Middle East with narrow-body planes.

“Amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region, Air India Group confirms that our flights currently do not operate over the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel.

“As a proactive measure, we will be progressively avoiding the use of certain airspace over the Persian Gulf in the coming days, opting instead for alternative paths for flights to destinations, including the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait,” Air India said in a statement on Sunday.

The Israeli Defence Force shared a fresh video message for Tehran amid escalating clashes.

The Iranian regime can try to run, but we know where their infrastructure is hiding,” it said.

“We know exactly who you are. We know the destruction of Israel is what you want. And now we know something else: Your top commanders are fleeing because even they are no longer believe you’re untouchable. If you’re looking to threaten us with ballistic missiles and nuclear sites, and your terrorist proxies, we can tell you: You won’t break us,” the video claimed.

According to reports quoting diplomats, the UN Security Council is set to meet later on Sunday over the US strikes on Iran.

Israeli stocks hit record highs on Sunday after the U.S attacked Iran’s nuclear sites in strikes investors believe would likely prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons anytime soon.

The broad Tel Aviv 125 index closed 1.8% higher, extending gains to nearly 8% the past week, while the blue-chip TA-35 gained 1.5%.

On the heels of Israeli strikes in Iran, shares rose during all five sessions last week, gaining some 6%, as Israel hit Iranian nuclear and military targets prior to Saturday’s surprise U.S. attacks.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament reportedly approved the measure. The decision to close the strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, is not yet final. But lawmaker and Revolutionary Guards Commander Esmail Kosari told the Young Journalist Club on Sunday that doing so is on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary.”

Tehran has vowed to defend itself, and responded with a volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and destroyed buildings in its commercial hub Tel Aviv. But, perhaps in an effort to avert all-out war with the superpower, it had yet to carry out its main threats of retaliation – to target US bases or choke off the quarter of the world’s oil shipments that pass through its waters.

Investors and energy markets have been on high alert since Israel launched a wave of surprise airstrikes across Iran on June 13, fearing disruption to oil and gas flows out of the Middle East, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows.

According to local media report, the Iranian parliament has approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The country’s top security body required to finalise the decision on this measure.

According to an update shared by the Iranian Shargh news outlet, there was an explosion in the central Yazd province. The publication said said air defence systems have been activated in the region.

A separate “loud explosion” was also heard in the southwestern province of Bushehr.

Top American officials, including Vice President JD Vance, insisted on Sunday that the US was not looking for a ‘regime change’ in Iran.

“I don’t fear this is going to become a protracted conflict. We have no interest in boots on the ground, as Trump has said. The US is prepared in case Iran retaliates. The US has pushed Iran’s nuclear program back by a very long time. We want to talk to Iran about a long-term settlement. We will now work to permanently dismantle Iran’s nuclear program over the coming years,” Vance said.

A top US General also warned that any retaliatory strikes would be a “poor choice” by Iran and said that American forces remained on high alert.

“I don’t know if anyone knows when exactly Trump took the decision to strike Iran. Final decision on the strikes was made right before they happened,” the US VP revealed.

“US has received some indirect messages from Iran…Trump did not take this action lightly but it gives a chance to reset ties and talks with Iran,” the US Vice President said.

According to updates shared by Reuters, the US had employed several deception tactics over Iran as it moved to strike the nuclear facilities. A top US General also told the publication that the strikes — codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer — was the largest B-2 operational strike in American history.

The unnamed official said a total of 14 massive ordnance penetrators dropped on Iranian targets at about 2:10 am local time in Iran — with Tomahawk missiles last to strike. The US reportedly managed to maintain the element of surprise with the official revealing that Iranian surface-to-air systems did not spot the aircraft. Even US troops in the region were given no advanced warning of Iran strikes.

US forces reportedly employed approximately 75 precision-guided weapons during this operation.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth revealed on Sunday evening that plans to strike Iran had taken months and weeks of positioning in order to be ready when the President called. He hailed the strikes as an “incredible and overwhelming success” during a news conference at the Pentagon.

“The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this President speaks, the world should listen. Trump seeks peace, and Iran should take that path,” said US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

“Iran strikes were an incredible and overwhelming success. We devastated the Iranian nuclear program. The operation did not target Iranian troops or people. But Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated. When this president speaks, the world should listen,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during a presser on Sunday.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has begun a news conference at the Pentagon. The remarks come hours after the US struck three nuclear sites in Iran amid an escalating conflict.

Details to follow shortly.

The European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea, Aspides, on Sunday raised its assessment to “severe” for vessels with U.S. and Israeli interests transiting through the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden, according to a statement.

The assessment comes amid a worsening regional crisis after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites

Oil is likely to rise by $3-5 per barrel when trading resumes on Sunday evening after the U.S. attacked Iran at the weekend, market analysts said, with gains expected to accelerate only if Iran retaliates hard and causes a major oil supply disruption.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he had “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites in strikes overnight, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself. Iran is OPEC’s third-largest crude producer.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude could gain $3 to $5 per barrel when markets open, SEB analyst Ole Hvalbye said in a note. Brent settled at $77.01 a barrel on Friday and U.S. West Texas Intermediate at $73.84.

“An oil price jump is expected. Even in the absence of immediate retaliation, markets are likely to price in a higher geopolitical risk premium,” said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad and a former OPEC official.

China strongly condemns the U.S. 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.

French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency Cabinet meeting on Sunday

The Iran Revolutionary Guards has warned the US to prepare for retaliation following strikes against three nuclear sites. The Revolutionary Guard said it would “use options beyond the understanding” of the US and Israel that “must expect regrettable responses”.

“Last night, the US military struck nuclear sites in Iran. These actions mark a crucial step in stopping the Iranian regime’s aggression and its ability to pose a threat to the region and the world,” said IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin.