US moves stealth bombers to Pacific, amid Israel-Iran tensions

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Berlin, London host huge pro-Palestinian marches

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in London and Berlin on Saturday, calling for an end to Israel's war in Gaza.

More than 10,000 people gathered in the German capital in support of Gaza, according to police figures.

"You can't sit on the sofa and be silent. Now is the time when we all need to speak up," Gundula, who did not want to give her last name, told the AFP news agency.

"Germany finances, Israel bombs" was one of the chants demonstrators shouted.

More than 10,000 people gathered in the German capital in support of Gaza, according to the police.Image: Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO

As fears spread that the Israel-Iran war could expand into a wider regional conflict, demonstrators also took issue with a comment from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Israel was doing the West's "dirty work" by bombing Iran, saying it supported a prolonged war, amid concerns that the Iran-Israel conflict could spark wider regional devastation.

Protesters in the British capital waved Palestinian flags, donned keffiyeh scarves and carried signs including "Stop arming Israel" and "No war on Iran" as they marched in the sweltering heat.

There have been monthly protests in London since the start of the war between Israel and HamasImage: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/IMAGO

There have been monthly protests in London since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage.

Gaza is suffering from famine-like conditions, according to UN agencies in the region following an Israeli aid blockade. The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached at least 55,637 people, according to the Hamas-led Health Ministry.

Tehran said over 400 people have been killed in Iran since Israel launched strikes last week claiming its arch-foe was close to acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies.

Some 25 people have been killed in Israel, according to official figures.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

How long can Israel and Iran remain at war?

Analysts have suggested that Iran may be rapidly running out of missiles, and Israel could be burning through its stocks of interceptor missiles to shoot them down.

How much longer can both parties carry on fighting?

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Houthis warn of Red Sea attacks if US backs Israel

Yemen's rebel Houthis said they will target US ships in the Red Sea if the White House chooses to join Israel in attacking Iran, the group's military spokesperson said on Saturday.

The group released a pre-recorded video statement by Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree.

"In the event of the American involvement in the attack and aggression against Iran with the Israeli enemy, the armed forces will target its ships and warships in the Red Sea," Saree said.

The US and the Houthis had just recently agreed to a ceasefire in May, where both sides had pledged to not target the other.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Over 1,000 in Berlin call for Iranian regime's ouster

The march was organized by Irian exilees living in GermanyImage: Fabian Sommer/dpa/picture alliance

Some 1,300 people rallied in Berlin to call for the ouster of Iran's government, according to police estimates. Organizers, however, said several thousand people took part in the demonstrations.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an organization of exiled Iranians, called for the march. The group is calling for the fall of the current regime, but backs a transition of power brought about by the Iranian people.

Protesters hold banners and the so-called "Lion and Sun flag" that preceded the Iranian Revolution Image: Fabian Sommer/dpa/picture alliance

The group has called out increased repression against members of the Iranian opposition and a wave of executions.

The NCRI was founded in 1981 following the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the previous regime under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The dissident group is controversial, with opposition members both inside and outside Iran largely rejecting it.

Protesters drew attention to increased executions in IranImage: Fabian Sommer/dpa/picture alliance

Spokesperson Javad Dabiran said people from all over Germany joined the Berlin march. He called on European nations to break off relations with Tehran.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

US moves B-2 bombers, media reports

Several US B-2 bombers appeared to have taken off from a US base and were headed across the Pacific, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The US newspaper said the move comes as President Donald Trump was set to return to the White House on Saturday for a meeting with his national security team on whether to join Israeli attacks on Iran.

Citing two anonymous government officials, Reuters news agency reported that bombers were being sent to a US base on Guam. 

The B-2 bomber is capable of carrying a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb that experts say would be needed for an attack on Iran's Fordo enrichment facility, which is buried deep in a mountainside.

It was unclear whether the bomber deployment is tied to Middle East tensions, Reuters said.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Germany relocates Tehran embassy

Germany has temporarily relocated the staff of its embassy in Tehran due to the current threat situation, a Foreign Ministry official told Reuters news agency and the German ARD public broadcaster on Saturday.

On its website, the embassy has posted that it is "closed to visitors until further notice," urging people to refrain from going to the embassy or the consulate building and that appointments had been canceled.

The Foreign Ministry said that despite the closure in Tehran, he embassy remains operational and can be contacted via phone by Germans who are still in Iran, adding it would continue to advise on how people could leave the country by land.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Iran says German cyclist was arrested for espionage

Iran acknowledged on Saturday that a German cyclist had been detained on allegations of spying.

The man has been accused of recording and transmitting coordinates and locations of sensitive military and nuclear facilities, Iranian news agency Mehr reported.

The agency posted a video on Telegram purportedly showing the arrest of the young cyclist in the northwestern province of Markazi near the Arak nuclear facility.

Read the whole story here.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

UN: Don't allow Israel-Iran conflict to spark new refugee crisis

The United Nations on Saturday warned of a looming humanitarian threat posed by the current military conflict between Israel and Iran, which has now passed the one-week mark.
 
"This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss and displacement. We cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root," said Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees.

Grandi said, "The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there's no quick way back — and all too often, the consequences last for generations."

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said intense bombardments had already begun to spark mass movements of individuals fleeing to shelter in both Israel and Iran, with some seeking access to neighboring countries. 

Western nations, meanwhile, have been feverishly extracting citizens from both countries and issuing travel warnings to keep people out of harm's way. 

The UNHCR says that if the conflict continues — and there are currently no signs of it calming anytime soon — Iran's citizens and its roughly 3.5 million person refugee population (mainly Afghans) will face renewed uncertainty and hardship.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Hundreds of US citizens have left Iran, State Department says

Hundreds of US citizens have departed Iran by land over the past week since the start of a war between Israel and Iran, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters news agency.

While many left without problem, "numerous" citizens had faced "delays and harassment" while trying to exit, the cable said. It said, without giving further details, that one unidentified family had reported that two US citizens attempting to leave Iran had been detained.

The State Department also kept in place its recent warning to US citizens not to travel to Iraq. On June 11, the State Department ordered all US personnel out of the country due to regional tensions. 

The department's website advises "do not travel to Iraq for any reason," citing terrorism, unrest, kidnapping and other reasons for the decision.

The site goes on to warn that terrorists and insurgent groups regularly attack Iraqi security forces, US civilians and international companies.

Moreover, the warning instructs US government personnel who remain in Iraq to exhibit extreme caution, advising individuals not to travel "near armed groups or Iraq's northern borders."

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

France's Macron says Europe to 'accelerate negotiations' with Iran

Paris and its European partners, London and Berlin, will "accelerate negotiations" with Tehran, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday, a day after talks between the four countries ended with no progress.

"I am convinced that a path exists to end war and avoid even greater dangers," Macron said in a statement on X after a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

During the call, which Macron said was initiated by his Iranian counterpart, the French president reiterated his demand for the release of French citizens Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris. The French couple were arrested during a tourist trip to Iran in 2022 and have since been held on espionage charges that they vehemently deny.

Macron also said he expressed "deep concern" regarding Iran's nuclear program and stressed again that the country "must never acquire nuclear weapons."

"And it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful," he said.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize as he considers joining Israel-Iran war

Pakistan said on Saturday it would recommend US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for helping resolve the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

The announcement comes as Trump says he will decide within 14 days whether to join Israel in its military strikes on Iran, with some Pakistani analysts saying such a nomination might persuade him against doing so.

"President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi, which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation," Pakistan said. "This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker."

Trump announced a ceasefire in May to end a four-day conflict between the two, but India has denied he played a role bringing it about, despite Pakistan's assertion to the contrary and the US president's claim to have saved millions of lives.

Pakistan's announcement also follows an unprecedented lunch at the White House for Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir.

Trump has often voiced the desire to become a Nobel Peace Laureate.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

US involvement in Israel-Iran war 'very dangerous' — Iranian top diplomat

It would be "very regrettable" and "very dangerous for everybody" if  the US were to join Israel in carrying out military strikes on Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, according to broadcaster Al Jazeera.

His remarks come after US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would decide within the next two weeks whether to intervene in the conflict.

Araghchi said Tehran had "unfortunately" concluded that the US had, in fact, been involved in Israel's military action from the outset, though Washington has denied such accusations.

He also reiterated in Istanbul that Tehran would only join negotiations to end the conflict if Israel halted its attacks.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Israel dragging Middle East into 'total disaster,' Turkish top diplomat says

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday told Muslim foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul that the Middle East has an "Israel problem."

A group of some 40 Muslim diplomats are in the Turkish city to discuss the current military conflict between Israel and Iran.

Fidan implored colleagues from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to stand with Iran.

"Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbor," he told the summit.

Pointing to Israel's military engagement in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and now Iran, Fidan urged those in power to do everything possible to prevent the current stand-off from spiralling into a wider regional conflagration.  

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

22 people detained in Iran for alleged links to Israeli intelligence — Iranian media

Police in Iran's Qom province said Saturday that 22 people "linked to Israeli spy services" had been arrested since June 13, when Israel launched its attacks on the Islamic Republic, Fars news agency reported.

According to the pro-government INSA news agency, they are also accused of "unsettling public opinion" and "supporting the criminal regime" of Israel. 

The detainees are being held in the province, INSA said.

Iranian media have reported that dozens of people have been taken into custody across the country in recent days.

Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel, cautioning that the actual figure was likely higher.

06/21/2025June 21, 2025

Iran's foreign minister in Istanbul for extraordinary Arab League meeting

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Turkey on Saturday to attend a meeting with Arab League diplomats that was called for by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Tehran.

 "The foreign minister arrived in Istanbul this morning to participate in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation foreign ministers' meeting," Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.

 The meeting comes after Araghchi met with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday.

The Arab League ministers are expected to release a statement following their meeting, according to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu.