Israel and Iran strike at each other as Trump says conflict can be easily ended

By Alexander Cornwell and Parisa Hafezi

June 15, 202511:42 AM

TEL AVIV/DUBAI, June 15 (Reuters) — Israel and Iran exchanged a new round of attacks overnight into Sunday, intensifying a conflict that U.S. President Donald Trump said could be swiftly resolved—while warning Tehran not to target American assets.

In Israel, emergency crews searched the rubble of residential buildings destroyed in the strikes, using flashlights and sniffer dogs to locate survivors. At least seven people were confirmed dead, including children, according to authorities.

Iran has suspended nuclear negotiations with the United States, talks Washington had described as the only viable path to halting Israel’s bombardment. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the current offensive was only the beginning.

“What Iran has seen so far is nothing compared to what’s coming,” Netanyahu said.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump issued a stark warning: “If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.” Still, he expressed optimism about diplomacy, adding, “We can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel and end this bloody conflict.” He did not elaborate on what such a deal might entail.

Iran reported that 78 people were killed on the first day of Israel’s air campaign Friday, with the toll rising significantly on Saturday. Among the dead were 60 victims of a missile strike that brought down a 14-story apartment building in Tehran—29 of them children.

TEHRAN/JERUSALEM, June 16 — Iran reported that the Shahran oil depot in Tehran was struck in an Israeli attack, though officials said the situation was under control. A fire broke out at an oil refinery near the capital following the strike, while Israeli warplanes also targeted Iran’s Defense Ministry headquarters, causing only minor damage, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Sunday.

In Israel, the latest wave of Iranian missile attacks began just after 11 p.m. local time on Saturday (2000 GMT), triggering air raid sirens in cities including Jerusalem and Haifa and sending roughly a million people into bomb shelters.

At around 2:30 a.m. local time (2330 GMT Saturday), the Israeli military issued another warning of an incoming missile barrage, urging residents to take cover. Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as missiles lit up the night sky and air defense systems responded with interceptor rockets.

The military lifted the shelter-in-place order nearly an hour after it was issued.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday that they launched several ballistic missiles toward Jaffa, in central Israel, over the past 24 hours — marking the first direct involvement of an Iranian ally in the conflict.

Israel’s national ambulance service reported at least seven fatalities overnight, including a 10-year-old boy, a young girl, and a woman in her 20s. More than 140 people were injured in the attacks.

Israeli media reported that at least 35 people remain missing following a missile strike on the city of Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv. Emergency services said an eight-story building was hit, and while many residents were rescued, there were also confirmed deaths.

It remains unclear how many buildings were hit during the latest round of strikes.

Since Iran launched its retaliatory attacks on Friday, at least 10 people in Israel have been killed, and over 300 injured, according to Israeli officials.

Meanwhile, a planned round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Oman was canceled on Sunday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions could not proceed while Iran continued to endure what he called “barbaric” Israeli attacks.

Gas Field Strike Raises Stakes

In the first known strike on Iran’s energy infrastructure, the semi-official  South Pars — the world’s largest natural gas field — was partially suspended after an Israeli attack sparked a fire on Saturday.

Located offshore in southern Bushehr province, South Pars is the backbone of Iran’s gas production. The attack heightened concerns over regional energy stability, especially after oil prices surged 9% on Friday, even though Israel had initially spared Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure.

Iranian General said Saturday that Tehran is considering whether to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the military operation could extend for weeks — and urged Iranians to rise against their ruling clerics — fears are growing of a broader regional conflict that could draw in foreign powers.

Tehran has warned that any country aiding in the interception of its missiles — including by hosting U.S. or allied forces — could find its military bases targeted. Still, Tehran’s options for retaliation appear limited, with its strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, significantly weakened by protracted conflicts over the past 20 months.

Israel maintains that its campaign is a preemptive effort to prevent Iran from completing its nuclear weapons program, which it views as an existential threat.

Iran, for its part, insists its nuclear activities are peaceful and says it has no intention of developing an atomic bomb. However, the U.N. nuclear watchdog recently reported that Iran is in violation of its obligations under the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty.