Iran War: Iran halts military operations against Israel, warns of 'crushing measures' if attacks continue

Israel has announced the reopening of the crossings into Gaza less than 24 hours after closing them.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has halted attacks on Iran, stopping short of acknowledging a ceasefire, in his first statement since the two sides traded strikes. "At the moment, the fire has ceased, because after we struck the terror regime in Tehran, it stopped attacking us. If the terror regime in Iran makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with force," Netanyahu said in a statement Monday.

Israel will accept the Trump administration’s request to halt strikes on Iran but will continue attacks on southern Lebanon, two Israel sources told CNN.

Tehran has not abandoned negotiations with the United States, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X, after Israel and Iran exchanged strikes this morning. The Islamic Republic has also not left "the battlefield," he added. "Diplomacy and defense are the two wings of national power," Pezeshkian said in the post. "We have neither left the battlefield nor abandoned the negotiating table."

The Iranian military's joint command said it is halting its offensive operations after Israel and Iran exchanged fire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the security cabinet on Monday to discuss escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, an Israeli official told CNN.

US President Donald Trump said Israel and Iran are 'looking to do an immediate ceasefire' after a round of attacks between the two countries threatened the fragile truce that had already been in place. "Final negotiations on 'Peace' are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way," he wrote on Truth Social. "The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a ‘Final Deal’ is reached. Things should move quickly."

In a statement, the Israeli military has said that Iran fired nearly 30 missiles at the country since Sunday night, as tensions escalated in the Middle East once again.

Raising security concerns over one of the world’s key maritime trade routes, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement announced on Monday that it had launched a missile toward Israel and imposed a broad restriction on Israeli-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea. The move signals a potential escalation that could disrupt commercial traffic through this critical shipping corridor.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it carried out a large-scale strike on strategic Iranian air defense systems. According to the IDF, the systems were recently deployed across Iran to restore military capabilities that had been degraded during Operation “Roaring Lion.”

US President Donald Trump earlier told a Fox News Channel reporter that he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table. He also said that Israel's strikes in Lebanon earlier Sunday were not coordinated with the US and  I'm not happy about it. 

Speaking to The Financial Times before the Israeli strikes on Iran later, Trump insisted he dictated terms to Netanyahu on how the war should be prosecuted. "He won't have any choice," Trump told the newspaper in a telephone interview. "I call the shots. I call all the shots. He (Netanyahu) doesn't call the shots."

A senior US official on Sunday said US President Donald Trump had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate immediately for the Iranian missile attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private phone call, said that Trump believed he had convinced Netanyahu to wait, reports AP.

An Iranian official has blamed the United States (US) for the escalation and said Washington is "responsible for the consequences of any escalation" in the Middle East, reports AP.

The Indian Embassy has issued an advisory for its citizens in Iran amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In a statement, the embassy said the nationals have been advised to exit the country "by available means of transport".

"In view of the latest developments in the region, the Embassy reiterates its earlier advice to all Indian Nationals to avoid any travel to Iran. Indian Nationals presently in Iran are also advised to exit the country by available means of transport," the statement read.

While Donald Trump has shown a keen interest in meeting Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, a top Iranian official has said that a meet-up between the US President and Iran's Supreme Leader is unlikely, as the former is responsible for bringing the peace negotiations to a "standstill". Click here to read more.

European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas has appealed to all side to exercise restraint after the situation in the Middle East escalated once again following strikes by Israel and Iran.

"Overnight, we have seen escalation again. I think the region does not need an escalation, but actually that parties sit down to a negotiation table and agree," Kallas said in a statement. 

Iran has claimed that it has struck two Israeli air bases -- Nevatim and Tel Nof. The development comes as the two sides continue to trade strikes, escalating tensions in the Middle East again.

"The operation was carried out in response to a missile attack launched by the Zionist regime... against several radar sites in three different places," Iran's IRGC said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump has said there is a "good probability" that he knows the whereabouts of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. The US President also claimed that the Iranian leader is "very seriously injured." Click here to read more.

Israel has said that it has closed its crossings into Gaza following the Iranian attacks. This includes the Rafah Crossing and Kerem Shalom. However, the Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) has said that the move will not have a much of an impact because "substantial quantities of food that have entered the Strip since the beginning of the ceasefire significantly exceed the nutritional needs of the population".

The Israeli military has said that Iran has launched its second wave of missiles toward the country, adding that the air defence systems are working to intercept them.

"Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," it said in a statement.

As tensions continue in the Middle East, as many as eight explosions were heard over Jerusalem in Israel on Monday, according to AFP. The Israeli military has said that it is working to intercept a new wave of Iranian missiles.

While tensions continue in the Middle East due to the retaliatory strikes between Israel and Iran, the rupee fell 17 paise to 95.35 against the US dollar in early trade.

The markets opened in the red in India on Monday amid the resumption of strikes by Iran and Israel. While the Sensex plunged 724.95 points to 73,518.39 in early trade, the Nifty dived 222.45 points to 23,138.60.  

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has called for restraint and said that the resumption of the conflict in the Middle East will not benefit anyone, calling for resolving all issues via diplomacy.

"The resumption of conflict between Iran and Israel is in no one’s interest. Both sides must show restraint and de-escalate immediately. Negotiations must continue towards the lasting settlement that we all need, for peace and stability in the region, and for the full restoration of global trade," she said on X.

Hours after Israel's retaliatory strikes on Iran, Tehran's Fire Department has said that the urban areas in the city were not targeted. It said strikes were heard around 4.43 am and 4.45 am in western Tehran, urging people to take shelter.

In a statement, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles to strike Iran as part of its retaliatory attacks. This is likely to escalate the situation in the Middle East, but US President Donald Trump has urged Israel to exercise restraint.

Following its retaliatory strikes on Iran, Israel has said that a missile from Yemen is now inbound to the country, reports The Associated Press (AP). 

With tensions once again escalating in the Middle East after the back-and-forth strikes by Israel and Iran, Saudi Arabia has sounded a missile alert in area home to the Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces, reports The Associated Press (AP).

Just when Washington appeared to be inching closer to a breakthrough with Tehran, a fresh Iranian missile attack on Israel has thrown the fragile diplomatic process into uncertainty. US President Donald Trump revealed that he was personally reaching out to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him not to retaliate against Iran following Monday's missile strike on northern Israel. Click here to read more.

Amid row over Iran's football squad's participation in the World Cup, the plane carrying the team has landed in Mexico, reports AFP.

Iranian state TV has reported that explosions were heard in three cities: Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan. The development comes just minutes after Israel said it has launched strikes in central and western Iran.

In a statement, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said that it has conducted strikes in western and central Iran.

"The Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran a short while ago," it posted on X.

In a statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards has said that it has targeted the headquarters of "terrorist groups" in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds in Iraq have been accused by Iran of serving the Western or Israeli interests.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has targeted the headquarters of terrorist groups in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq,” Iran’s IRNA news agency posted on Telegram. 

Oil prices increased by over 3 per cent on Monday amid fresh tensions in the Middle East after Iran attacked Israel over the latter's strikes on Beirut. According to AFP, Brent crude rates climbed 3.29 per cent to USD 96.15 a barrel. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) - its US equivalent - increased by 3.25 per cent to USD 93.48 a barrel.

Iran has suspended all incoming flights at the Tehran International Airport, fearing Israeli retaliation in response to its attacks. "The civil aviation authority announced the suspension of all flights bound for the airport until further notice," said Iranian press agency Mehr.

Despite Iranian strikes on Israel, US President Donald Trump has said that if Israel retaliates to Iranian strikes, it would only jeopardise the ongoing negotiations. He also asked Iran to return to the negotiating table.

"We're very close. I would say an agreement would be signed on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week. And now this takes place," Trump told Fox News. "You've shot your missiles, that's enough. Get back to the table and make a deal."

However, US President Donald Trump has requested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "not to retaliate". 

"I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate," he told Axios in a telephonic interview. "Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don't need another one." 

Israel has said that Iran has "committed a grave mistake" and vowed a strong response to the strikes, which could only complicate the situation in the Middle East. "Iran has made a grave mistake," Israel military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said, adding that Tel Aviv will "strike the enemy with determination as soon as the order is given".

Iran has launched multiple missile on Israel, day after issuing a threat to Tel Aviv over its strikes on Beirut that left two people dead and 20 others injured. The strikes are expected to complicate the fragile ceasefire and the situation in the Middle East.