Iran and Israel launch more attacks as Trump weighs US involvement

Iran has fired missiles on Israel in a new wave of strikes, Iranian state media is reporting, claiming that the missiles have successfully penetrated Israeli defences.

The Israeli military has not acknowledged any such strike, but also says it has launched its own missiles at an Iranian missile site.

Israeli defence systems tend to intercept most missiles launched at it.

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

The BBC understands that, so far, the US has not made a
formal request to use the UK’s military bases in Diego Garcia or Cyprus
to conduct potential strikes against Iran.

Normally, the US would
first inform its ally if it intended to conduct offensive
operations from those UK military bases.

US bombers are believed to
be in Diego Garcia. The US Air Force regularly deploys aircraft to
the base.

A British source says they believe that for
Washington “all options” are on the table in regards to what Trump
might do next on Iran. The source says there is not complete clarity on the
American plan.

The US has sent additional military asset to Europe
and the Middle East region – including refuelling tankers, fighter jets and
an additional aircraft carrier. The USS Nimitz will join the USS Carl Vinson,
already in the Arabian Gulf.

The UK source describes the additional US military assets as defensive – to protect US military bases, personnel and interests in
the region.

Britain, too, has boosted its military presence at RAF
Akrotiri in Cyprus. Another six Typhoon jets have been sent, joining the eight Typhoons already at the base.

The additional jets will allow the UK to
carry out continuous overwatch of UK military bases. The US has used RAF
Akrotiri in past military operations.

After BBC Persian put out an open call for Iranians to share what they’re seeing on the ground, a doctor got in touch to describe their experience since the conflict began.

They told the BBC that because many Iranians are having trouble accessing their bank balances, some patients are struggling to pay for their hospital costs.

They said of one such patient: “Of course, I treated them for free, and it wasn’t an issue.

“I don’t have a high income, but all the money I had saved over the years was in Sepah Bank. And now, as I speak with you, I don’t even have enough money to buy a loaf of bread.”

The doctor criticised “those who decide from the other side of the world to attack us – in such an unprovoked way – hack our banks, attack our state television, strike here and there, and don’t consider us as human beings”.

“International organisations play no role, and after this, like in the Middle Ages, any king can attack a weaker country,” they said.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Over the last several day, we’ve seen some of Trump’s traditionally staunchest allies in the MAGA wing of the Republican Party be openly critical of any US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.

The president, after all, campaigned heavily on avoiding costly interventions abroad at the expense of Americans at home.

Former Trump strategist, Steve Bannon, for example, said earlier this week that US involvement would “blow up” the coalition of Trump supporters and “thwart” his domestic agenda, particularly mass deportations.

On Wednesday, however, Bannon seemed to slightly soften his tone, telling attendees at a Christian Science Monitor event that the MAGA wing of his supporters would trust his judgement if he decided to commit US forces to the conflict.

“Maybe we hate it but you know, we’ll get on board.” he said.

Another conservative political commentator, Charlie Kirk – who describes himself as closer to the “isolationist” side of the debate – said on X that Trump is “pragmatic” and values “common sense”.

“I don’t know if President Trump will choose to involve America against Iran,” Kirk wrote. “But he is a man I trust to be making that decision.”

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
BBC Persian

Let’s take a closer look at the Iranian Ministry of Communications statement confirming internet restrictions in the country.

In the statement, the ministry accused Israel of “misusing of the national communications network for military purposes”.

However, the ministry said domestic communications services and platforms “remain accessible”.

Today, Iran’s online digital currency exchange Nobitex, which trades in cryptocurrency, went out of operation after it faced “a security threat”, Iranian outlets reported.

Crypto in Iran is increasingly seen as a way to preserve value and maintain transactions amid financial instability in the country.

The incident follows a cyber-attack on Sepah Bank, linked to the armed forces, by the Predatory Sparrow hacktivist group, which also claimed the Nobitex breach. The group said the platform was involved in sanctions evasion and funding terrorism.

Iran considers Predatory Sparrow to be linked to Israel.

Another Iranian bank, Pasargad, was also targeted today.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said today that public funds were secure.

Iran is temporarily restricting internet access, according to its communications ministry.

In a statement shared by Iranian media, the ministry says the restrictions are to prevent threats from “the enemy”.

Earlier, BBC Verify reported that analysts have found Iran is now facing a near-total internet blackout.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Like on many busy news days, Capitol Hill is buzzing with reporters eager to hear what senators have to say about the growing escalation between Israel and Iran and America’s potential involvement.

Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine says most Americans don’t want the US involved in another war.

That includes people he’s been hearing from in Virginia, which he describes as “a very pro-military state”.

“It would be a very bad idea for the US to be in another war in the Middle East,” Kaine says.

He says if the US joins in and attacks Iran, Iran will respond.

“There is no need for us to be doing this,” he adds, “and I say this as a guy who votes for all the Israel aid packages.”

Sebastian Usher
Middle East regional editor, reporting from Jerusalem

Israeli jets have continued to hit targets in Iran throughout the day.

Overnight, the military says it struck around 20 sites in Tehran, including facilities used in the manufacture of missiles.

This afternoon, the defence ministry says its jets have destroyed Iran’s internal security headquarters.

Israel has also issued another warning for people to leave more areas in the Iranian capital, leading to more huge traffic jams.

In Israel, it’s a different story for now.

Two volleys of ballistic missiles were fired from Iran overnight. But for a second night, there were no fatalities.

Restrictions on some daily activity have been partly lifted, allowing businesses to reopen so long as there are shelters accessible to staff, although large gatherings of people are still prohibited.

The move is announced by the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, who says the gradual reopening is “a form of victory”.

Iran has told people in part of the Israeli city of Haifa to evacuate, saying there is a risk to life.

Haifa has come under Iranian strikes over the past week. The Israeli military says most attacks have been intercepted, but some impact sites have been recorded.

Joe Tidy
Cyber correspondent

Predatory Sparrow (Gonjeshke Darande), an infamous hacking group, has stolen more than $90m (£67m) from Iran’s largest cryptocurrency company, Nobitex, and sent the funds to an unrecoverable location – effectively discarding the fortune.

The highly skilled group is known for hacking Iranian targets. It claims to be a hactivist – hacker activist – group.

The gang has not carried out any major attacks in over a year but re-emerged with Israel’s attack on Iran.

Thought to have close links to Israel, they claimed Tuesday’s attack on Nobitex is part of an apparent wave of fresh hacks.

“Nobitex being a key regime tool for financing terrorism and violating sanctions,” the hackers posted to Telegram and X.

They also claim to have carried out a hack on Bank Sepah, a state-owned Iranian bank, on Monday.

Predatory Sparrow has been carrying out cyber attacks on Iran for years.

Most famously the group caused a damaging fire in an Iranian steelworks in 2022 – a rare example of a hack causing physical harm and putting lives at risk.

Stories of empty shelves and banks not allowing cash withdrawals in Iran have been shared with our colleagues at BBC Persian.

One woman, who does not live in Iran, says her family in Tehran and Karaj are “really facing difficulties”.

“They can’t even withdraw money from their bank accounts,” she says, “there are also no essential goods in the stores. There isn’t even bread.”

In a video sent by a man in Iran, a supermarket can be seen where many of the shelves are nearly empty.

“I can’t find a single can of tomato paste or
spaghetti. People have cleared everything out. Only chips and drinks are left,” he says.

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has outlined evacuation plans for US citizens wanting to leave Israel as fighting with Iran continues.

Posting on X, Huckabee shares the “urgent notice” saying that the US embassy in Jerusalem “is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures”.

He gives instructions on how to register for the evacuation process, and adds that those registered will be alerted with updates.

Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent

Donald Trump claimed the Iranians want to come to the White House to talk.

They have strongly denied that.

But the president referred to his social media post yesterday, calling for an unconditional surrender – and said he meant he’d had it with the regime.

He is, however, keeping everyone guessing about what he will or won’t do.

The risks for Trump are huge. US direct involvement would be a seismic moment for his presidency as it would require American troops being sent to the region to deploy bunker buster bombs capable of destroying nuclear facilities deep underground.

That would drag the US into a Middle East conflict – the kind he has long campaigned against – and a large reason why his base of supporters like him.

As far back as 2013 he was criticising President Obama for not being able to negotiate with Iran.

The consequences for the US abroad would be hugely significant – with up to 50,000 American troops located across the Middle East.

As we’ve reported, US President Donald Trump spoke outside the White House earlier.

Here’s a quick recap of what he said:

• When asked about possible US involvement in Iran, he replied: “I may do it, I may not do it. Nobody knows what I want to do”
• The president also said Iran’s negotiators suggested they “may come to the White House” – and he said it was difficult

• Trump has again called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”

• He also said he’d “had it” with Iran, adding that he had already given Iran a 60-day deadline to negotiate a deal with the US before Israel launched its attack – Iran was meant to have talks with the US on Sunday, but that was cancelled after Israel’s attack

• He mentioned he’s been saying for 20 years that Iran shouldn’t have nuclear weapons, and compared them to “bullies”
• He described Tuesday’s National Security Council meeting as “good“, but didn’t share any details

Responding to Trump’s comment, Iran’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York said “no Iranian official has asked to grovel at the gates of the White House”. However, a source in Tehran has told us that Iran is considering whether to take part in a direct meeting with US Vice President JD Vance.

Kasra Naji
Special Correspondent, BBC Persian TV

An informed source at Iran’s foreign ministry in Tehran has told the BBC that Iran is considering whether to take part in a direct meeting with US Vice President JD Vance.

“We have never walked away from diplomacy,” the source says.

It’s thought Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi could meet Vance in the coming days, if Iran decides to accept the proposal.

US President Donald Trump spoke to journalists about the possibility. He said the Iranians had suggested meeting at the White House, which he said would be difficult.

He insisted again that the only option left to Iran is to surrender.

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he won’t.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has declined to say whether the US will directly attack Iran.

During a Senate committee hearing, Hegseth is asked by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen if he is considering military action in Iran.

Hegseth declines to answer, saying: “Most of what I can say I would reserve for a classified setting.”

He adds that “maximum force protection is being maintained at all times” to keep US troops overseas safe.

• Earlier, US President Donald Trump also said “I may do it, I may not do it,” when asked whether the US would get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict

By Matt Murphy

Analysts have told BBC Verify that Iran is now experiencing a near-total internet blackout, as Israeli strikes continue for a sixth successive day.

You may recall that authorities imposed some restrictions on network access last week, which mainly targeted virtual server providers used by Iranians to access international sites.

But new analysis of live network data by the internet monitoring organisation Netblocks shows that accessibility has collapsed across Iran, with the group noting the pattern is “consistent with an intentional shutting down of the internet” by authorities.

“Today’s blackout is the first near-total loss of connectivity we’ve tracked in Iran since November 2019, and it exceeds the restrictions we tracked during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests,” Isik Mater, the group’s director of research, tells BBC Verify.

The BBC cannot operate freely in Iran, so restrictions on internet access and citizens’ ability to post online can limit material we can gather and verify to understand what’s happening in the country.

“Historically, Iran has tended to shut down internet access over domestic issues, whereas they’ve tried to keep a voice and international presence during international conflicts, so this is something new,” Mater notes.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

I don’t think so – not any longer.

Since the 7 October Hamas-led raid into Gaza in 2023, Israel has systematically taken down a lot of the first line of defence that Iran had.

They have depleted Hamas in Gaza, they have largely depleted Hezbollah’s arsenal in Lebanon, Syria is no longer an ally of Iran because Bashar al-Assad has been deposed, albeit not by Israel.

And the Houthis are relatively constrained in Yemen.

So they are not very well coordinated.

Mikey Kay
Host of the Security Brief on BBC News

The real answer is we don’t know. There are estimates that it has about 90 nuclear warheads.

But Israel has not confirmed or denied the presence of a nuclear capability, and it’s not part of the non-proliferation treaty.

It takes three components to have a nuclear weapon: first, uranium enriched to 90%, second, the ability to build a warhead, and third, a way to deliver that warhead to a target.

As it stands, there is no overt declaration by Israel on any form of nuclear capability.

Nafiseh Kohnavard
Middle East correspondent, BBC World Service, in Beirut

There’s no clear answer.

We’ve seen over the last few years that there is no united opposition who could work together to replace the government.

Right now there are different options, including Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Shah of Iran, who is now living abroad.

He has supporters inside and outside Iran, but how many we can’t really say.

He has opponents as well, including reformists inside. They may not want to go back to Iran’s monarchy that was overthrown nearly 40 years ago.

So it’s not clear if there is one replacement.