Day 9: Iran and Israel Trade Missile and Drone Strikes as Nuclear Talks Falter

Israel–Iran Conflict Intensifies – Live Updates (June 2025)

Day 9 – Saturday, June 21, 2025
Updated: 17:00CEST

Iran’s regime launches fresh missile barrages on Tel Aviv while Israel continues to target nuclear infrastructure and senior IRGC commanders. As diplomatic warnings grow louder, reports emerge of secret succession plans inside Iran. The UN warns of escalating regional instability.

ISRAEL

➤ Human Impact

• 25 killed, 2,517 injured
• ~4,000 civilians displaced

➤ Structural & Infrastructure Damage

• 99 buildings damaged
• 22 buildings at risk of collapse

➤ Major Sites Hit

• Beersheba:

  • Soroka Hospital (heavily damaged)
  • North Train Station

• Tel Aviv:

  • Residential skyscraper
  • Business and Industrial Zone Holon

• Haifa:

  • Port, ammonia plant, mosque, school

• Other affected cities:

  • Ramat Gan, Holon, Bat Yam (10-story block),
  • Tamra, Rishon LeZion, Petah Tikva

IRAN

➤ Human Impact

• 430 killed, 3,500 injured

• Confirmed regional fatalities:

  • 26 in Borujerd / Khorramabad
  • 6 IRGC and 2 Basijis in Khomein
  • 2 at Tabriz Second Fighter Base

• High-value targets killed:

  • 30+ senior IRGC commanders
  • Amin Pour Judaki – IRGC Aerospace Drone Commander (eliminated in Ahvaz)

➤ Governmental Targets

• Tehran:

  • Foreign Ministry
  • Justice Ministry
  • IRIB headquarters
  • Khabar Network studio

➤ Civilian & Economic Zones

• Capital & urban centers:

  • Tehran districts: District 3, Lavasan, Nobonyad, Yousefabad, Gisha
  • Qom (Salariyeh), Khorramabad, Isfahan, Karaj, Shiraz, Kashan, Tabriz, Ahvaz, Zanjan, Parand, Mehrshahr

• Major commercial damage:

  • Iran Mall, Bagheri Chitgar

➤ Military & Nuclear Infrastructure

• Nuclear Facilities:

  • Natanz enrichment halls (1 destroyed, 1 damaged)
  • Khondab Heavy Water Plant (distillation unit damaged – IAEA)
  • Isfahan, Arak, Kashan, Shiraz, Tehran Refinery

• Military Bases & Strategic Sites:

  • Parchin, Khojir, Fardis (Alborz), Karaj Basij HQ,
  • Imam Hussein University, Alavijeh Industrial Town, Hakimiyeh (Tehranpars), Mehrabad & Payam Airports
  • Sepand Organization, Bostan Abad IRGC Base, Rasht, Shiraz barracks

➤ Information Infrastructure

• Internet blackout remains across Iran

  • Shargh newspaper confirms continued disconnection
  • Official denial of earlier reports of reconnection by 20:00

June 21 – Field Reports & Developments

• IRGC drone commander killed
  The Israeli military announced the elimination of Amin Pour Judaki, commander of Iran’s second IRGC Aerospace drone unit. He was reportedly responsible for coordinating hundreds of drone launches from Ahvaz after the previous commander, Mohammad Bagher Taherpour, was killed last week.
• Missile strike aftermath in Israel
  Times of Israel reported explosions in central Israel following sirens. The origin remains unclear — likely interception-related or missile impacts. CNN confirmed a fire in a Holon building caused by shrapnel from downed Iranian missiles after what Iranian state media called the 18th missile wave.
• New drone incident near Lebanon
  The Israeli military reported intercepting a “suspicious aerial target” near Ghajar following a drone sighting. The origin remains unconfirmed.
• Updated Qom casualty count
  Morteza Heydari, Qom Crisis Management Chief, confirmed 2 dead and 4 injured in an Israeli strike on a residential building, revising earlier reports of a single teenage fatality.
• OIC meeting and Iranian diplomacy
  Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Istanbul for an emergency OIC summit. He warned that U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict would be “very, very dangerous,” adding that Tehran “cannot enter negotiations while its people are under bombardment.”
  He previously met with UK, French, and German counterparts in Geneva. The three-hour meeting ended without breakthroughs, though European ministers reported Iran showed more flexibility than in past rounds.
• Israeli army chief confirms long-term planning
  IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir revealed Israel had prepared for strikes on Iran “for years,” with operations intensifying secretly in recent months. Delaying action, he said, would have posed strategic disadvantages.
• Israeli FM says attacks delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions
  Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told Bild and Time that the strikes had set Iran’s nuclear bomb development back 2–3 years. He noted regime change is “not the goal — at least for now.”
• U.S. intelligence: Iran close to nuclear weapon capability
  Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, stated that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in “a matter of weeks.” She also criticized the media’s portrayal of her previous denials. Former President Trump has contradicted her twice. Iran continues to claim its program is peaceful.
• CBS News: Secret succession talks inside Iran
  U.S. and European diplomats report confidential discussions about Iran’s future leadership, nuclear security, and the implications of high-level assassinations. Trump has reportedly given Iran a two-week deadline to respond to U.S. nuclear proposals.
• Petraeus warns of Strait of Hormuz threat
  Former CENTCOM commander David Petraeus said U.S. naval deployments aim to prevent Iranian efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil chokepoint.
• Iran confirms Isfahan strike
  Akbar Salehi, Deputy Governor of Isfahan, confirmed Israeli strikes on the province’s nuclear facility. He denied radiation leaks. Israel also hit Lenjan, Mobarakeh, Shahreza, and other Isfahan districts.

Additional Developments

• Iranian nuclear scientist killed
  Iranian media report that Issar Tabatabaei Qomsheh, described as a “previously unknown” nuclear engineer, was killed alongside his wife in an Israeli strike. He was linked to Iran regime’s nuclear industry since the early 2000s and held a PhD in nuclear engineering.
• Khorramabad IRGC losses
  The IRGC in Lorestan province confirmed five IRGC members killed in Israeli morning strikes on Khorramabad. Two others are in critical condition.
• Internet status update
  Iran’s Ministry of Communications denied earlier reports that the country’s internet would reconnect to the global web at 20:00 local time. Shargh cited an informed source confirming no interviews were conducted, and the blackout remains.
• Unprecedented regime planning
  The New York Times reported that the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, concerned for his survival, has named three clerics as potential successors. He also approved contingency replacements for top military officials.
• A leaked audio from a senior adviser to Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf revealed: “All our senior commanders were assassinated in under an hour.” The adviser admitted Iran failed to detect Israel’s infiltration and planning.
• Qom strike aimed at top Quds Force commander
  Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the Qom strike targeted Saeed Izadi, commander of the Quds Force’s Palestinian branch and overseas operations unit “Abu Jihad.” Katz stated Izadi trained and armed Hamas fighters for the October 7, 2023 attacks. Iranian regime media identified a 16-year-old boy, Ehsan Ghasemi, as the second person killed in the same strike. The IRGC has remained silent.

New Developments – Afternoon

Diplomatic Impasse

• Unnamed Iranian official told Reuters that the proposals presented by the German, French, and British foreign ministers during Friday’s Geneva talks with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi were “unrealistic” and would not bring the parties closer to a deal. “Zero enrichment is a dead end,” the official said, adding that Tehran will not negotiate on its defensive capabilities, including the missile program. Iran will review the proposals in Tehran and deliver its formal response at the next session.

Air Defense and Attacks Inside Iran

• Tehran’s air defenses were intermittently activated Saturday across eastern, southwestern, and western sectors. A video verified by Khabar Online shows a large explosion in Shahriar, western Tehran.
• IRGC transport units in Andimeshk, Khuzestan province, were targeted. Israeli forces struck a weapons depot at the 4th Tactical Airbase and the Ghaleh Ghasem missile base.
• The IAEA confirmed that a centrifuge workshop in Isfahan was attacked, following a Reuters report that two centrifuge production facilities in the region had been hit overnight. The IAEA stated that no nuclear material was present and that the strike had no radiological consequences.
• Sepidar district in Ahvaz was targeted again Saturday afternoon. In Shiraz, black smoke was seen rising from the Darak mountain area following explosions.
• A video circulating on X shows the Salimi Industrial Town in Mamaghan, 35 km from the Tabriz–Azarshahr highway, under attack.

Regional & Global Implications

• Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that the Israel–Iran war must not create a new refugee crisis in the Middle East. “This region has already suffered deeply from war and displacement,” he said, emphasizing that once people flee, quick return is rarely possible and consequences can last generations. The UN says escalating violence has already triggered population displacement in both countries, with some civilians fleeing to neighboring states.

U.S. Military Activity

• Fox News reports that six B-2 stealth bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The bombers vanished from radar shortly after takeoff. Sources suggest they are en route to the U.S. Air Force base in Guam, though official confirmation is pending.

Cyber-Control Infrastructure Hit

• A new video shows the destruction of the FATA Cyber Police headquarters in Tehran, which monitored online behavior and prosecuted thousands of Iranians in recent years.
  This comes days after Israel also struck the Special Forces headquarters of Iran’s Law Enforcement Command, previously described by Israeli officials as a key center for domestic repression.