US aircraft carrier steams towards Middle East after Trump issued threat to Tehran
By ELENA SALVONI and BRITTANY CHAIN and PERKIN AMALARAJ and DAN WOODLAND
US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is heading towards the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran spirals into all-out war.
Donald Trump earlier warned that Iran will experience 'the full strength' of the American military if it attacks the US amid the conflict with Israel, despite reports he had vetoed Israel's plans to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader.
The US President warned Tehran that if 'we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before'.
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Iranian missiles rained down on Israel in the early hours of Monday, damaging the US Embassy as Tehran called for its allies to form an Islamic Army to wage war against Tel Aviv.
At least eight Israelis were killed and dozens more injured when a barrage of Iranian missiles breached Israel's multi-layered defense systems, hitting both Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa.
The strikes destroyed homes and residential buildings, with fires burning at a power plant near the port hours after Israel killed three more high-ranking security figures, destroyed Iran's main nuclear facility in Natanz and raised the prospect of a regime change.
Iranians have been filmed shouting anti-regime slogans from windows and rooftops in Tehran and Karaj, according to independent media, with chants said to include 'Death to the dictator' and 'Death to Khamenei'.
More than 220 Iranians have been killed and 1,200 injured, according to authorities, as Israeli strikes have continued to hit the country since Friday.
But Iran has shown no signs of backing down, signaling its intention to involve allies in waging war against its arch-foe by forming an 'Islamic Army' and threatening to leave the Jewish state 'uninhabitable'.
Follow along for updates.
04:18
US aircraft carrier leaves South China Sea and heads west amid Middle East tensions
U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left the South China Sea on Monday morning heading west, according to data from ship tracking website Marine Traffic, after a reception for its planned port call in central Vietnam was cancelled.
The carrier had planned to visit Danang City later this week, but two sources, including one diplomat, said a formal reception slated for June 20 had been called off.
One of the sources said the US Embassy in Hanoi had informed him about the cancellation, due to 'an emergent operational requirement'.
Data from Marine Traffic showed the carrier on Monday morning was moving west in the direction of the Middle East, where the battle between Israel and Iran is escalating.
The US has repeatedly said it is not considering joining Israel's war with Iran.
Archive picture shows the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman as it transits the Atlantic Ocean. A $66m U.S. Navy fighter jet has rolled off an aircraft carrier. The F/A-18 Super Hornet was lost in the Red Sea on Monday (28 April) after it toppled overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman while being towed. Reports suggest the ship was performing a so-called hard turn in response to an incoming Houthi attack. All personnel were accounted for, with one sailor sustaining a minor injury, said the Navy. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard. The U.S. Navy said: "The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft.
05:38
UN Human Rights chief warns Israel-Iran escalation is 'deeply worrying' and calls for attacks to end
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said the military escalation between Israel and Iran is 'deeply worrying' and has called for restraint and a return to diplomacy.
Speaking as he presented his annual report to the 59th Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk urged all parties to engage in 'urgent diplomatic negotiations to end these attacks and find a way forward.'
He emphasised the need for both sides to respect international law, particularly in relation to the protection of civilians caught in the middle of the conflict.
'I call for full respect of international law by both sides, in particular the protection of civilians in densely populated areas,' he said.
epa12123332 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk attends a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, 21 May 2025. The UN Commissioner is on an official visit to Serbia to meet with key political figures, members of civil society, representatives of diplomatic missions and the UN country team. EPA/ANDREJ CUKIC
05:35
Iranian president vows 'we will hold our ground'
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on the nation to be united as it comes under attack from Israel.
Speaking in a televised address, Pezeshkian said Iran was not the 'aggressor' and urged people to 'stand together hand in hand' .
He also insisted that while Iran does not 'seek to possess nuclear weapons', it does have the right to 'benefit from nuclear energy and research'.
He said:
The enemy cannot destroy Iran and its people through murder and terrorism. There are hundreds of other heroes who will carry the banner and continue the path after every targeted attack.
We must be united in the face of this belligerence. It’s our people’s right to seek justice. We will hold our ground.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Iranian Presidency/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock (15358504e) Iran's President, MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, and members of the Iranian Cabinet attend a government meeting in Tehran. Meeting Of The Iranian Cabinet, Tehran, Iran - 15 Jun 2025
Masoud Pezeshkian at an Iranian government meeting on Sunday
05:20
Iranians 'heard chanting "Death to Khamenei"' amid Israel missile attacks on Tehran
Videos shared by Iran International appear to show residents in Tehran and Karaj chanting slogans against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Republic amid Israeli air strikes on Sunday night.
05:08
Video: CCTV shows moment Iranian missile strike hits Tel Aviv suburb
04:58
Israel has 'full aerial superiority' over Tehran and has destroyed a third of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, IDF says
The Israeli Air Force has established 'full aerial superiority' over the Iranian capital, Tehran, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin has said in a press conference.
He also said that the air force has destroyed a third of Iran's ballistic missile launchers and is managing to disrupt 'extensive parts' of its attacks on Israel.
'We are striking Iranian cells that are launching missiles at Israel and our aircraft in real-time,' he said.
04:35
Breaking:Iran preparing to leave Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Iran is preparing a bill to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), according to foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.
He made the statement while stressing that Iran remains opposed to the development of weapons of mass destruction.
Israel is not a signatory to the treaty, despite facing international pressure to do so.
The only country to sign and then withdraw from the treaty until now is North Korea.
The treaty, signed by the United Kingdom, United States and almost 200 other countries, aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament.
04:33
Map: Cities in Israel hit by Iranian strikes
04:12
Israeli authorities confirm 24 killed since Iran conflict
Iranian missiles have killed at least 24 people in Israel since Friday, the Israeli prime minister's office said in an updated toll following the latest attacks.
The toll issued on Monday includes 11 deaths recorded since midnight, the office said, including four in Petakh Tikva near Tel Aviv, three in Haifa and one in the Bnei Brak suburb of Tel Aviv.
It also includes two bodies retrieved following a previous strike on Bat Yam and one more killed in an unspecified location.
04:06
Tel Aviv wakes up to more damage after latest Iranian missile strikes
Emergency services in Tel Aviv are inspecting more damage to buildings this morning after the latest round of missile strikes from Iran.
Explosions rocked the city last night after it was struck by a barrage of missiles from Iran which witnesses said felt the largest since the start of the attacks.
Emergency personel work at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Emergency personnel work at an impact site after missiles were launched from Iran to Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
BNEI BRAK, ISRAEL - JUNE 16: Emergency and rescue unit soldiers work at a scene of a heavily damaged building after an overnight Iranian missile strike on June 16, 2025 in Bnei Brak, Israel. Iran launched a retaliatory missile strike on Israel starting late on June 13, after a series of Israeli airstrikes earlier in the day targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as top military officials. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man inspects the damage inside a synagogue at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, on June 16, 2025. Iran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities early on June 16, after Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran, with both sides threatening further devastation. (Photo by JOHN WESSELS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images)
BNEI BRAK, ISRAEL - JUNE 16: A doll covered in dust is seen at a playground after an overnight Iranian missile strike on June 16, 2025 in Bnei Brak, Israel. Iran launched a retaliatory missile strike on Israel starting late on June 13, after a series of Israeli airstrikes earlier in the day targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as top military officials. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/Shutterstock (15359589c) Israeli security and rescue forces work at the scene of a missile attack from Iran in Bnei Brak, central Israel, on June 16, 2025. Iran has launched missile attacks on multiple targets in Israel since Friday, causing casualties and significant damage. Israel Iran Missile Attack - 16 Jun 2025
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men inspect the damage at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, on June 16, 2025. Iran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities early on June 16, after Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran, with both sides threatening further devastation. (Photo by JOHN WESSELS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images)
04:00
China urges Iran and Israel to 'immediately' work to cool tensions
China has urged Iran and Israel to 'immediately' take steps to reduce tensions.
'We urge all parties to immediately take measures to cool down the tensions, prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil, and create conditions for returning to the right track of resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
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