The UN nuclear agency confirmed on Saturday that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site had been hit, in the latest strike amid Israel’s bombing campaign.
“A centrifuge manufacturing workshop has been hit in Esfahan, the third such facility that has been targeted in Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear-related sites over the past week,” the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement quoting its chief Rafael Grossi.
“We know this facility well. There was no nuclear material at this site and therefore the attack on it will have no radiological consequences,” Grossi was quoted as saying
The United Nations said on Saturday the Iran-Israel war must not trigger another refugee crisis in the Middle East. UNHCR reported population movements from Tehran and other regions, with some crossing borders.
“This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss and displacement,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Israeli-initiated conflict with Iran continued to escalate early Saturday, with both sides exchanging fresh strikes, even as diplomatic efforts in Geneva stalled with no breakthrough on a ceasefire.
At least 430 people were killed and 3,500 were wounded in Iran since the start of the Israeli-Iranian conflict on June 13, Iranian state-run Nour News reported on Saturday, citing the country’s health ministry. Israel has on the other hand reported 24 deaths with more than 800 others injured.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based rights organisation that tracks Iran, gave a higher death toll than Tehran, saying Israeli attacks have killed 639 people there. Those killed in Iran include the military’s top echelon and nuclear scientists.
An Iranian missile triggered a fire in a residential building in central Israel, prompting evacuations and emergency response, though no casualties were reported.
The fire, believed to be caused by debris from an intercepted missile, came amid ongoing aerial exchanges. Sirens rang out across central and southern Israel as five ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, according to Israeli officials, with no immediate damage or injuries reported aside from the Holon fire.
Iran’s missile strikes were in retaliation to Israeli air assaults targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Sirens were heard across southern Israel as the emergency service reported that five ballistic missiles had been fired. No immediate damage or casualties were reported from the missile launches.
The residents evacuated the building. So far, no physical injuries have been found. MDA teams are providing medical care on site to several individuals suffering from anxiety and are continuing to search for additional casualties.
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) June 21, 2025
The escalation follows an intense week of aerial warfare, with Israel targeting military and nuclear sites in Iran. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed they had targetted numerous Iranian missile systems and radar installations as part of its strategy to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, which Israel and its allies claim are aimed at producing nuclear weapons—an assertion Tehran denies.
✈️ The IAF continues its mission to maintain aerial superiority in Iranian airspace.
Fighter jets struck several Iranian missile systems and radar installations in the areas of Isfahan and Tehran, which were intended to target IDF aircraft and disrupt their operations.
This… pic.twitter.com/bbo9njUgDC
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 20, 2025
The latest missile attack on Israel, which ignited a fire in Holon near Tel Aviv, is part of Iran’s ongoing retaliation. Interceptions over Tel Aviv were visible in the skies, with explosions reverberating across the city as Israel’s air defence systems engaged the incoming threats.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it launched a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes early Saturday, targeting Ben Gurion Airport and key Israeli military sites as part of the 18th phase of “Operation True Promise 3.”
Another Iranian drone struck a residential building in northern Israel, rescue services said. The attack came amid a wave of drone and missile launches.
In its 15th statement since hostilities escalated, the IRGC claimed successful hits on logistics centres and airport infrastructure using Shahed-136 drones and precision-guided missiles.
Iran said Israel’s defence systems failed to stop the strikes, prompting civilians to seek shelter. Israeli media reported that six of ten missiles struck their targets.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Saturday that the military killed Saeed Izadi, a veteran commander leading the Palestine Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in a strike on an apartment in Qom, Iran. The IRGC has not confirmed the report.
The Quds Force, known for building the Axis of Resistance network including Hezbollah and Hamas, has faced significant setbacks amid Israeli offensives since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks.
Several “powerful explosions” were heard Saturday afternoon in southwestern Iran’s Ahvaz, the daily Shargh reported. Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan province, Iran’s main oil-producing region near the Iraqi border.
Israeli military says it has attacked dozens of military targets in southwestern Iran with more than 50 munitions.
Israeli military says it has completed another series of strikes in southwestern Iran.
Iran’s envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, has filed a formal complaint with the UN Security Council against IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, accusing him of bias and failure to uphold the agency’s impartiality, according to iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency.
Several “powerful explosions” were heard Saturday afternoon in southwestern Iran’s Ahvaz, the daily Shargh reported. Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan province, Iran’s main oil-producing region near the Iraqi border.
The letter cited Grossi’s silence over previous Israeli threats, including the use of nuclear weapons, while accusing him of maintaining a “politicised, selective, and discriminatory” stance toward Iran. Iran warned the IAEA’s credibility is being eroded due to what it calls repeated violations of neutrality by its chief.
