Iran-Israel latest: Israel ‘hits Iran centrifuges’ while Trump mulls joining strikes

Egypt’s top diplomat has held calls with both Iran’s foreign minister and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Cairo and Tehran say.

Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty held the calls yesterday with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Mr Witkoff.

Mr Abdelatty reportedly stressed “the necessity of working toward de-escalation in the region and resorting to diplomatic and political solutions that contribute to containing the escalating situation and averting the risk of a widespread conflagration in the Middle East”.

He “underscored the imperative of achieving an immediate ceasefire and returning to the path of negotiations as the only means to reach a sustainable agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear programme”.

He “further emphasised the absence of military solutions to the crises currently facing the region”.

A social media account associated with Mr Araghchi confirmed the calls took place.

The Iron Dome is a surface-to-air missile system that tracks and intercepts projectiles headed towards populated areas in Israel.

Its success at repelling attacks in the recent past has meant Israelis are not used to seeing rockets successfully strike their major cities.

Israeli officials have long accepted that the Iron Dome is not 100 per cent effective.

The Israeli military said it attacked a centrifuge production site in Tehran.

More than 50 Air Force fighter jets completed a series of attacks on military targets in the Tehran area in recent hours, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on X.

It claimed to have attacked several weapons production sites, including a production site of raw materials and components used in the assembly of surface-to-surface missiles.

The IDF said Iran has launched these kinds of missiles towards Israel in the past.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Authority said flight cancellations will remain in place until 2pm (local time) on Wednesday.

Iran said it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the two nations.

“The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promose 3 using Fattah-1 missiles” was carried out, the Iranian military said in a statement.

Hypersonic weapons can travel more than five times the speed of sound, giving air defences little time to react to a strike.

Donald Trump has warned Iran to make a deal “before there is nothing left” and issued a chilling threat: he knows where the supreme leader is hiding but “we are not going to take him out, at least not for now”.

Mr Trump demanded a “real end” to the bloody conflict with Israel, which is now entering its sixth day, and told Tehran there was still time to end the war if it delivered “unconditional surrender”.

After launching Operation Rising Lion last week with an unprecedented attack on Iranian nuclear sites and top military figures, Israel claimed on Tuesday to have the Iranian military leadership “on the run”.

US president Donald Trump is considering joining Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, CBS and NBC News reported, citing US officials.

Mr Trump is considering a range of options, including a possible strike targeting Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear site, following a meeting with his national security team, according to CBS News.

Chinese president Xi Jinping said his nation was “deeply worried” about the escalating conflict in the Middle East, triggered by Israel’s attack on Iran last week.

“China opposes any actions that infringe upon sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of other countries, and deems military conflict no solution,” Mr Xi said during a meeting with Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

“All parties should work to de-escalate the conflict as soon as possible and prevent the situation from worsening further,” Xi said, in comments quoted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

China is ready to play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East, he added. The Chinese foreign ministry suggested that the US should use its influence on Israel to stop the raging conflict.

“China calls on all relevant parties, especially those countries that have a special influence on Israel, to shoulder their due responsibilities, take immediate measures to cool down the tense situation and prevent the conflict from escalating and spreading,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.