The death toll is climbing and tensions escalating as Israel and Iran exchanged missile strikes for a third consecutive day, with Israel targeting key military and nuclear infrastructure and Iran retaliating with its most intense attacks on Israeli cities in recent memory.
At least 406 people have been killed in Iran and 654 wounded, according to Human Rights Activists, a Washington-based group with a longstanding network inside the country. The Iranian health ministry has placed the civilian death toll at 224, though the government has not released a full account. In Israel, at least 13 people have died and nearly 400 are reported injured.
The Israeli military said Sunday it had struck over 80 targets in Tehran alone, including Iran’s Defence Ministry headquarters and infrastructure associated with its nuclear program. The Israeli Air Force also claimed its deepest-ever strike into Iranian territory—on a refuelling aircraft at Mashhad Airport, over 2,300 kilometres from Israel.
Iran confirmed the deaths of several high-ranking officials, including Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, military chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and missile program head Amir Ali Hajizadeh. A separate wave of strikes on Friday reportedly killed at least nine senior nuclear scientists.
While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei survived the initial barrage, it has since emerged that Israel presented the US with a plan to assassinate him. US President Donald Trump reportedly vetoed the operation, fearing uncontrolled escalation.
Missile war enters Israeli cities
Iran’s retaliatory strikes have hit major population centres in Israel, including Tel Aviv, Haifa and Rehovot. A missile strike on an apartment building in Bat Yam killed six people, including two children. Four more were killed in Tamra and dozens wounded across multiple locations.
The Israeli government says Iran has launched over 270 missiles since Friday. Although most were intercepted, 22 reportedly reached their targets. Civilian infrastructure has been damaged, and the country’s airspace remained closed for a third day on Sunday. Officials warned that further retaliation was imminent unless Iranian attacks cease.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Iran “will pay a very heavy price” and did not rule out regime change, telling Fox News that top intelligence officials had already been eliminated and hinting that nuclear capabilities would be “completely dismantled.”
Iran under siege, yet defiant
In Iran, explosions were reported in multiple cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Mashhad. Satellite imagery of Natanz, Iran’s primary uranium enrichment site, shows extensive damage to power infrastructure and above-ground buildings. The UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, confirmed that several “critical buildings” were destroyed at both Natanz and Isfahan.
Tehran’s air defence network and ballistic missile sites were among the early targets of Israel’s multi-wave assault, which began early Friday and has continued with little pause. Iran has also reported strikes on oil refineries near Tehran and on the Persian Gulf, as well as a natural gas processing plant at South Pars.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Israel’s attacks “a new red line in international law,” but signalled that Tehran was open to a ceasefire if Israeli strikes stopped: “If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop.”
Despite the military losses, Iran has demonstrated unprecedented reach. Newer missile systems—such as the Haj Qassem—have evaded Israeli air defences, landing in dense urban areas and revealing gaps in Israel’s famed Iron Dome system. Analysts suggest that while Iran’s supply of such advanced weapons is limited, its arsenal of drones and medium-range missiles remains extensive.
International alarm, fragile diplomacy
President Trump continues to insist the US had no role in Israel’s attack, though Iran has disputed the claim. Trump has warned Iran against targeting American interests, threatening “levels never seen before” if provoked, but also expressed optimism that a peace deal could be reached.
“The US had nothing to do with the attack,” Trump said, before adding: “We will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!”
In Europe, emergency meetings are underway. The EU will convene foreign ministers via video link on Tuesday, while G7 leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, have called for immediate de-escalation. Britain updated its travel advisory on Sunday, warning citizens against all travel to both Israel and Iran.
Meanwhile, countries such as Egypt and Pakistan are watching nervously. Egypt’s currency and stock market both plunged over the weekend amid fears of regional contagion, and Pakistan denied Iranian media reports that it had agreed to send 750 ballistic missiles to Iran.
Oil market volatility and nuclear brinkmanship
Oil prices surged more than 7% on Friday and remain volatile amid fears that the conflict could spill into the Strait of Hormuz—through which one-quarter of the world’s seaborne oil flows. The possibility of Israel targeting Iran’s oil infrastructure on Kharg Island also looms large.
At the heart of the crisis is Iran’s nuclear program. A recent IAEA report revealed that Iran has amassed over 430kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity—just short of weapons grade. Though Israel has not confirmed its role in delaying planned nuclear talks, Netanyahu has made clear that any negotiation that allows Iran to retain enrichment capacity is unacceptable.
The IAEA has reported no radiation leaks but confirmed that four critical buildings were destroyed across Natanz and Isfahan. An Israeli military official said it could take “many months, maybe more” for Iran to restore full operational capacity at the sites.
