Iranian state broadcaster hit as Iran urges Trump to make Israel halt war
An Israeli strike hit Iran's state broadcaster on Monday while the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog indicated extensive damage to Iran's biggest uranium enrichment plant and Iran called on the U.S. to force a ceasefire in the aerial war, Reuters reported.
Late on Monday, Israel said it hit Iran's broadcasting authority, and footage showed a newsreader hurrying from her seat as a blast struck. Israel's military said the building also served as a communications centre used by Iran’s armed forces.
The conflict entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with air raid sirens sounding in Tel Aviv shortly after midnight as Iran launched additional missiles toward Israel.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told four European counterparts that Iran was serious about diplomacy but its current focus was on confronting aggression, Iranian state media reported. Israel has said its goal is to eliminate Tehran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters.
US bolsters Trump's Middle East military options by moving refueling aircraft, officials say
The U.S. military has moved a large number of refueling aircraft to Europe to provide options to President Donald Trump as Middle East tensions erupt into conflict between Iran and Israel, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported.
The officials also said the U.S. aircraft carrier Nimitz was heading to the Middle East, in what one of them said was a pre-planned deployment. The Nimitz can hold 5,000 personnel and more than 60 aircraft, including fighter jets.
Taken together, the deployments, which were first reported by Reuters, suggest the United States is greatly strengthening its air power for potentially sustained operations as Iran and Israel trade blows in unprecedented open warfare.
Israel began bombing Iran on Friday, saying Tehran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb. Since then, Iran and Israel have launched large salvos against each other, killing and wounding civilians and raising concerns about a broader regional conflict, according to Reuters.
Trump urges Tehran evacuation as Iran-Israel conflict enters fifth day
Israel and Iran attacked each other for a fifth straight day on Tuesday, and U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to evacuate Tehran, citing what he said was the country's rejection of a deal to curb nuclear weapons development, Reuters reported.
Trump was due to leave the Group of Seven summit in Canada later on Monday, a day early, due to the Middle East situation, the White House said. Fox News reported he would convene his National Security Council.
"Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump's early departure from the G7 was positive, given the immediate objective was to get Israel and Iran to agree to a ceasefire that the U.S. had proposed, according to Reuters.
Russia and Ukraine fulfil deal to repatriate dead soldiers
Ukraine and Russia have completed an exchange of dead bodies - the final stage of a deal to bring home fallen soldiers, BBC reported.
Kyiv said Moscow handed over 1,245 bodies on Monday, bringing the total to 6,057 in the past few days. It said it was now verifying whether all the bodies were indeed of Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia put 6,060 the overall number of bodies transferred to Ukraine. It also said 78 bodies of Russian soldiers had been repatriated.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko accused Russia of "deliberately complicating" the identification process. "Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies are in different bags," he said, according to BBC.
Dozens killed by Israeli fire near Gaza aid sites, Hamas-run ministry says
At least 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said, BBC reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that its troops fired warning shots at suspects approaching them and posing a threat.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to get food from the GHF sites, opened by Israel after it partially lifted a three-month blockade that the UN said had pushed the Gazan population to the brink of starvation, according to BBC.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said: "Israel's means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza."
Pakistan refutes claims of nuclear threat against Israel
As tensions escalate in the Middle East, Pakistan has firmly rejected its involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar dismissed an alleged video circulating online of an Iranian official saying Pakistan will attack Israel with nuclear weapons, amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, Dawn reported.
Nearly 80 people, including top army officers, were killed while civilians were among over 300 wounded in Iran as a result of Israeli strikes on military sites and private residences on June 13. Iran subsequently launched its own retaliation with ballistic missiles fired at Israel and the two countries continued to exchange a volley over the weekend.
Posts from multiple Indian and others users on social media platforms and Indian media outlets since Sunday shared a video of Iranian National Security Council member Mohsen Rezaei, claiming that he said Pakistan told Iran that if Israel drops a nuclear bomb on Tehran, Pakistan would retaliate in kind amid current tensions. However, fact-checking platform iVerify Pakistan concluded that the video was doctored, and the Iranian official had not made any such statement, according to Dawn.
PM Oli leaving for Spain on June 28
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is leaving for Spain on June 28.
Prime Minister Oli is leaving for Spain at the invitation of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
A Cabinet meeting held on Monday approved Prime Minister Oli's visit to Spain.
He will return home on July 4.
Similarly, the meeting has decided to withdraw the Water Resources Bill.
Government calls for safety of Nepalis based in Israel
Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana met with Israeli Ambassador to Nepal, Shmulik Arie Bass, on Monday to discuss the evolving situation resulting from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. During the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Rana inquired about the condition of Nepali citizens currently in Israel amid the conflict. She expressed concern over the safety of Nepalis living there and requested the ambassador to ensure their protection.
Ambassador Bass assured the minister that Nepalis in Israel are currently safe and that the Israeli government is committed to the security of all foreign nationals, including Nepalis.
The Foreign Ministry has instructed Nepali embassies in Israel and Qatar to prioritize the safety and well-being of Nepali citizens residing in Israel and Iran. Minister Deuba also held telephone conversations with Nepali ambassadors in Tel Aviv and Doha, directing them to remain in close contact with Nepali nationals and provide regular updates on security advisories issued by the respective governments.
According to the ministry, around 5,500 Nepalis are currently in Israel and 12 in Iran. Given the escalating conflict, the Government of Nepal is “closely monitoring the developments and will take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and interests of Nepali nationals in the region”.
The ministry has also requested Nepalis in need of assistance to contact the Nepali embassies in Tel Aviv and Doha (Qatar). The Nepali Embassy in Pakistan concurrently looks after matters concerning Iran in the absence of an embassy in the Gulf nation. Nepal and Iran established diplomatic relations in 1964. However, Nepal closed its embassy in Tehran in 1981 following the Islamic Revolution.
Against this backdrop, coordination for Nepalis in Iran is facilitated through the Nepali Embassy in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Biratnagar Metropolitan City Mayor Nagesh Koirala, who had traveled to Israel to study cooperative practices, remains stranded due to the closure of international borders amid the conflict. Mayor Koirala is reportedly taking shelter in a bunker. He stated that he is currently safe in a city located 30 kilometers from the capital. He was scheduled to return to Nepal on June 20, but the escalating tensions and airport closures have made his return uncertain.







