Israel-Iran conflict as it happened: Trump likens strikes on Iran to Hiroshima; Ceasefire between Iran, Israel holds

Thank you for joining us today as we continued our live coverage of the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Here’s a look back at some of today’s developments:

• US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on day two of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, reiterating the United States’ “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear sites, and saying: “I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don’t want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing that ended that war.”
• Trump also launched yet another spray at American news outlets, labelling CNN, MSBNC and The New York Times “scum”.
• Before talks at the summit began, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte thanked Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”, and for demanding European leaders promise to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP – a pledge most countries are expected to endorse.
• Multiple US-based media outlets have reported Sunday’s US bunker buster blitz did not destroy Iran’s three key nuclear sites, citing officials briefed on an intelligence assessment. Speaking alongside Trump at The Hague, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labelled those who leaked the intelligence as “professional stabbers”.
• Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh arrived in China for his first known trip abroad since the war with Israel began.

We’ll be back in the morning with more live coverage of the situation in the Middle East.

Iran’s communications minister says internet in the country has returned to its “previous state”, or how it was before the conflict with Israel.

Sattar Hashemi, in a post to X this evening, said he hoped his country never experienced such conditions again.

“With conditions returning to normal, the state of communication access has reverted to its previous state,” Hashemi wrote.

“I sincerely apologize to all the people, especially the communications sector and the activists of the country’s digital economy, for this imposed situation.

“While thanking the honorable president for his support, we are diligently pursuing our previous promises to facilitate access and improve the quality of communications.”

The Australian government’s Smartraveller issued an update this evening, warning that while a ceasefire is in effect, the “security situation could deteriorate rapidly”.

“Flight cancellations and disruptions could continue with little or no notice, including due to airport and airspace closures,” the update said.

“Ben Gurion International Airport is due to return to full operation on 25 June. Commercial options are becoming increasingly available. If you have an existing ticket, contact your travel agent or airline. This may be the fastest way for you to reach your final destination.”

Further information for travellers is available on the Smartraveller website.

Strikes against Iran forced the country to suspend its co-operation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Kremlin says.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Iran’s decision to abandon the International Atomic Energy Agency was a “direct consequence of the unprovoked attack on Iran” and “the unprecedented strikes against nuclear facilities”, the BBC reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.Credit: AP

“IAEA’s reputation has been seriously damaged in this situation. Therefore, this situation naturally causes concern,” Peskov said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign affairs ministry said it was “disgraceful, despicable and irresponsible” for NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte “to congratulate a ‘truly extraordinary’ criminal act of aggression against a sovereign state”.

“Who endorses an injustice lacks integrity,” Esmaeil Baqaei wrote in a post shared on X.

“Who supports a crime is regarded as complicit.”

Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has arrived in China for his first known trip abroad since the war with Israel began.

Nasirzadeh will attend a meeting of defence ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in the eastern city of Qingdao, according to a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster China Central Television. The gathering on Wednesday and Thursday will be hosted by Chinese defence Minister Dong Jun.

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, centre, with Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces general Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, left, and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, second right, in Tehran in February.Credit: AP

Iran, which has conducted joint drills with China, joined the SCO in 2023. The China-led security bloc also counts Russia, India and Pakistan among member states.

While Nasirzadeh’s trip is routine ahead of the leaders’ summit later this year, it comes shortly after the US brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that ended 12 days of fighting. Beijing has condemned the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities but offered no substantial assistance to Tehran besides rhetorical support.

Bloomberg

NATO secretary general Mark Rutte never thought the message would be shared publicly when he texted Donald Trump after US planes bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.

“You are flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” Rutte declared in the message, shared by Trump to his Truth Social platform. “It was not easy, but we’ve got them [NATO members] all to sign onto 5 per cent!”

US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen as Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a NATO meeting. Credit: AP

That means each member of the alliance has committed to spending 5 per cent of their GDP on defence, up from a current target of 2 per cent.

An analysis of NATO’s published figures suggests that would mean an extra $2.52 trillion a year, up from the $1.85 trillion a year that its member states – including the US – spend now.

It comes as the US has pressured its allies to contribute more to security at a time of global uncertainty, including escalating conflicts in the Middle East, Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and China’s growing military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

But how much more will these NATO countries be paying? And how could it impact Australia, which is also facing pressure to increase defence spending?

Read more from Millie Muroi and Angus Delaney here. 

Buckingham Palace has delivered a formal invitation to US President Donald Trump for an official state visit to the UK, according to the BBC.

The invitation was reportedly delivered to the White House last week.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said King Charles has known Trump “for many years”, and looked forward to hosting the US president and the first lady. The visit is due to happen in September, the BBC reported.

A Palestinian official says Israeli forces shot and killed a 66-year-old Palestinian woman in East Jerusalem overnight.

Israeli forces stormed the Shuafat refugee camp last night, killing Zahia Obeidi who was shot in the head, according to Marouf Al-Refai, an advisor to the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem.

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments west of the Gaza city.Credit: AP

Israeli forces arrested her husband and sons later that night, Refai said.

Israeli police said they were investigating Obeidi’s death, saying she arrived at the Shuafat checkpoint with “penetrating” injuries and was pronounced dead by paramedics on the scene.

AP

Good evening, and thank you for following our live coverage of the Middle East conflict.

We’ll keep you updated this evening. Here’s a quick look at the latest developments:

• US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on day two of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, reiterating the United States’ “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear sites, and saying: “I don’t want to use an example of Hiroshima, I don’t want to use an example of Nagasaki, but that was essentially the same thing that ended that war.”
• Trump also launched yet another spray at American news outlets, labelling CNN, MSBNC and The New York Times “scum”.
• Before talks at the summit began, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte thanked Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”, and for demanding European leaders promise to increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP – a pledge most countries are expected to endorse.
• Multiple US-based media outlets have reported Sunday’s US bunker buster blitz did not destroy Iran’s three key nuclear sites, citing officials briefed on an intelligence assessment. Speaking alongside Trump at The Hague, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labelled those who leaked the intelligence as “professional stabbers”.

Beersheba: When trouble strikes, Rafael Aronov runs towards it.

During the October 7 attacks of 2023, the Israeli special forces police officer travelled to Ofakim, near the Gaza border, to fight off Hamas militants who had stormed into Israel and murdered civilians. When an Iranian missile struck a hospital in his home town of Beersheba last week, he served as a first responder, helping to evacuate injured patients.

On Tuesday morning, the war between Israel and Iran came into Aronov’s own home when the walls of his apartment building started shaking as he and his wife, Lior, sheltered in their bedroom. An Iranian missile had struck an apartment building just a few hundred metres away, killing four of his neighbours and shattering the windows of his apartment.

The hit on Beersheba was one of the most damaging since Israel and Iran began trading fire 12 days earlier, and the last to pierce Israel’s air defences before a ceasefire deal took effect.

Martial arts fighter Rafael Aronov and his wife, Lior Aranov, at their Beersheba home.Credit: Kate Geraghty

As he cleans up the broken glass from his apartment building, Aronov expresses mixed emotions about the truce. Part of him wishes that Israel had tried to overthrow Iran’s theocratic regime and redraw the political map in the Middle East, not just weaken Tehran’s military capabilities.

“The job is not done,” says the professional mixed martial arts fighter, who is nicknamed “The Cop” because of his police work. “Yet on the other hand, 28 people have died and that’s a high price.“

Among the Israelis who died on Tuesday: Eitan Zacks, an 18-year-old off-duty soldier; his mother, Michal; and his girlfriend, Noa, as they sheltered in their safe room.

Read the rest of Matthew Knott’s exclusive here.