More now from US President Donald Trump, who urged Iran about an hour ago to make a deal over its nuclear programme.

He now writes on his Truth Social platform that Iran perhaps has a "second chance" to reach a nuclear deal, after Israel's strikes on the country.

He writes: "Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to 'make a deal.' They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!"

Talks between the US and Iran on a nuclear deal were about to enter their sixth round on Sunday in Oman. Earlier, Iran accused the US of ing Israel's strikes, which Washington has denied.

Raffi Berg
Digital Middle East editor

Image source, Satellite image 2020 Maxar Technologies

Out of all of Iran's multiple nuclear sites, Israel appears to have targeted only a small number, including Natanz.

It raises the question: why this facility in particular?

The answer is because Natanz is the principal site for large-scale uranium enrichment - the process which produces material for civilian or military nuclear use.

Iran has denied seeking nuclear weapons and is not known to have produced military-grade uranium. But the global nuclear body the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently assessed that it could - theoretically – produce nine nuclear bombs if the enriched uranium stockpile it has was further refined to military-grade level.

The 2015 nuclear deal restricted what Iran was permitted to do at Natanz, but since Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, Iran has accelerated activity there.

Israel is believed to have targeted Natanz in recent years with sabotage operations. It was hit by a major cyber attack in 2010, and damaged by explosives reportedly hidden inside a table there 10 years later.

Natanz suffered further, extensive damage in a mysterious attack the following year, which Iran blamed on Israel.

Tom Bennett
Reporting from Jerusalem

In the past few hours, Israel has continued carrying out strikes across Iran as part of ‘Operation Rising Lion’.

In the north-western city of Tabriz, Israel has hit a military airbase, according to a news agency d with Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

A video verified by the BBC also shows black plumes of smoke rising above the base. It is unclear what has caused the column of smoke visible from all over the city.

There are also reports of Israel launching a second wave of strikes on Natanz - Iran’s main site for large-scale uranium enrichment - after it was hit earlier this morning.

Natanz has tens of thousands of centrifuges and is a major contributor towards Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

These new strikes come just hours after Israel assassinated the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with several other leading military figures and nuclear scientists.

Image source, IDF

We've just heard from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin, who has provided more details on Israel's overnight strikes.

Defrin says the IDF "significantly harmed" the Natanz nuclear site, which is Iran's main uranium enrichment facility. Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the site was hit by Israeli strikes.

"This facility served the Revolutionary Guards to advance their military nuclear programme," the IDF spokesperson says.

"For many years the people of the Iranian regime made an effort to obtain nuclear arms in this facility," he says, before claiming that the site "has the necessary infrastructure to enrich uranium to a military grade".

The IAEA was informed by Iranian authorities earlier today that there had been no increase in radiation levels.

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
BBC Persian

Image source, WANA/Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Iran's official IRNA news agency has confirmed that the commander of the IRGC's air force has been killed.

Brig-Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh was appointed commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in October 2009.

Born in Tehran in 1962, Hajizadeh ed the IRGC in 1980, shortly after the start of the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War, and served as a sniper in various operations.

Following the war, he ed the IRGC Air Force and began working in the IRGC's missile development programme.

Later, in 2006, he was appointed commander of the IRGC Air Defence.

Hajizadeh was sanctioned by the US Treasury along with other IRGC commanders after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone near the Strait of Hormuz in June 2019.

After the downing of the Ukrainian airliner near Tehran in January 2020 by an IRGC missile, which killed all 176 people on board, Hajizadeh described the incident as an accident, took full responsibility, and stated that he would accept any punishment determined by the Iranian authorities.

• Hajizadeh is one of several senior Iranian military figures who were assassinated overnight

Image source, EPA

Overnight, Israel launched a massive attack on Iran, assassinating senior Iranian military leaders and six nuclear scientists. There have also been reports in Iranian media claiming civilians have been killed, but this has not been independently verified.

Iran has vowed to retaliate - threatening a "bitter, painful fate" for Israel. It has since launched around 100 drones at Israel in retaliation, but many of those have been intercepted.

Here’s the latest:

• In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump warns Iran of “even more brutal” Israeli attacks to come if Tehran doesn’t agree to a deal on its nuclear programme – Iran has accused the US of ing the Israeli strikes, Washington denies this
• Israel said the targets had been military facilities, including nuclear sites, with the main nuclear site in Iran, Natanz, hit but currently not seeing an increase in radiation levels
• Separately, the Israeli Air Force has said it has destroyed "dozens" of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers - this appears to suggest Israel is planning further attacks in the coming days, writes our diplomatic correspondent

• Other countries and international organisations have called for restraint, including the UN's nuclear watchdog which said strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were "deeply concerning"

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC

Last night, we had a brief statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio in which the US seemed to distance itself from Israel's operation in Iran - explicitly saying that the US played no part in the strikes.

This morning, however, Washington awoke to an early morning Truth Social post from President Trump in which he seems to justify the attack and warning Iran to come to the table.

In his post, Trump said he gave Iran "chance after chance" but that "no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done".

The post also seems to warn Iran against any retaliatory actions that could catch the US military in the crossfire, which istration officials - including Rubio - have so far made clear is the American priority for the time being.

Trump has left room for negotiations, saying that "Iran must make a deal". Last night, it was reported in US media outlets that American officials still hope to hold negotiations with Iran which were scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday.

US officials have yet to comment on that publicly and it remains unclear whether Iran would still be willing, although it could potentially provide an "off-ramp" from the fighting.

Trump is meeting with his National Security Council behind closed doors at the White House today.

During the day, we're likely to hear and see strongly worded statements from the istration, with a particular focus on repeating that the US played no active part in the strike, and warning Iran of a stern response should US forces in the Middle East be attacked.

Image source, Getty Images

US President Donald Trump has urged Iran to make a deal over its nuclear programme, saying he gave Tehran "chance after chance"

The talks between the US and Iran on a deal were about to enter their sixth round on Sunday.

"I told them, in the strongest of words, to “just do it,” but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done," Trump writes on Truth Social.

"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," he says.

"Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."

Trump previously said he was aware of Israel's plans before they launched strikes overnight, but made it clear the US military played no part in the operation.

Iran's foreign minister, Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, says the Israeli strikes were a "declaration of war" in a letter to the United Nations. Abbas Araqchi also shared the letter to his Telegram channel.

Abbas Araqhchi has also called on the UN Security Council to "immediately address this issue” and says the attack is a "gross violation of Iran's sovereignty".

Image source, Reuters

Iran launched around 100 drones towards Israel on Friday morning and according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), many of these were intercepted.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "should anticipate a severe punishment" and that military forces "won’t let them go unpunished.”

Iran's foreign ministry said its armed forces would not "hesitate to defend Iran's sovereignty with full strength and in the manner they deem appropriate".

In a video statement released earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to "Israel's very survival".

He said that Israel had targeted Iranian scientists "working on the Iranian bomb" and that the strikes "would continue for as many days as it takes".

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor, reporting from Moscow

We’ve just received the first reaction from the Kremlin to the Israeli strikes on Iran.

According to Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov: "Russia is concerned by and condemns the sharp escalation in tensions."

He added that President Putin is receiving updates on the situation from the Russian defence ministry, foreign intelligence service and Russian foreign ministry.

Russia is a close ally of Iran.

Earlier this year, presidents Putin and Pezeshkian signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between their two countries. But the deal doesn’t represent a formal military alliance or include mutual military assistance obligations.

Explosions were reported in Iran's capital Tehran around 03:30 local time (01:00 BST).

Iranian state TV said residential areas in Tehran were hit, with blasts also heard north-east of the capital.

Hours after the initial strikes, an explosion was reported at the Natanz nuclear facility, which is located about 225km (140 miles) south of the capital, according to Iranian state media.

The global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), later confirmed the Natanz facility had been hit, adding that it was informed by Iranian authorities that there had been no increase in radiation levels.

Israel's military said it had struck "dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran".

Indications Israel is planning more attacks in the coming dayspublished at 10:15 British Summer Time 13 June

10:15 BST 13 June

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Israel says Operation Rising Lion has only just begun.

The attacks so far have not just targeted elements of Iran’s nuclear programme but also its air defences.

This suggests that Israel is preparing the ground for further attacks in the coming days.

Israel says the operation involved 200 jets, but some reports already point to a clandestine element similar to Ukraine’s recent drone attack on Russian airbases.

Security sources are reported as saying that Israel’s spy agency, Mossad, smuggled explosive drones into Iran "well before the Israeli strike".

The drones are believed to have been used to attack surface-to-surface missile launchers that might pose a threat to Israel in the event of a large-scale Iranian retaliation.

But the drones that Iran has launched so far today seem mostly symbolic - a far cry from the Tehran’s major ballistic missile attack on Israel last October.

Israel’s retaliation, later that month, is believed to have targeted Iran's air defences, missile and drone production, almost certainly rendering Iran more vulnerable to future attacks and reducing its ability to strike back.

For all its defiant rhetoric, Iran’s ability to mount a direct military response is not what it was.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) says it has destroyed "dozens" of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers as part of the attacks on Iran's air defence systems in the west of the country.

Calling it a "large-scale strike", the IAF says this forms part of ongoing operations to damage Iran's air defence systems and those of its proxies.

As a reminder, Israel said the focus of this overnight operation had been military and nuclear targets. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Israel "should anticipate a severe punishment" in response.

Israel takes a gamblepublished at 09:48 British Summer Time 13 June

09:48 BST 13 June

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Israel has taken a huge gamble with what it is calling Operation Rising Lion. Its argument runs that it had no choice, that Iran was already accelerating its work towards building a nuclear bomb and that this was its best and possibly last chance to prevent that from happening.

But the counter-argument is more pertinent today than ever before. And that is that when the dust settles from this latest Iran-Israel exchange of fire enough of Iran’s leadership will survive to now race for the bomb.

Hawks in Iran’s security establishment have long argued that not only is it Iran’s national right to have this weapon but that this would be the best deterrent against future attack.

They will have taken careful note of the different paths taken by Libya and North Korea. Libya’s Colonel Gaddafi gave up his Weapons of Mass Destruction programme in 2003 and eight years later he was dead in a ditch, overthrown by the Arab Spring protests, backed by Western air power.

By contrast, Kim Jong-Un’s regime in North Korea has defied Western sanctions and managed to build up a formidable arsenal of nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. Nobody is in a hurry to attack North Korea.

Bethany Bell
Reporting from the IAEA in Vienna

Image source, EPA

The head of the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, has called the Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities “deeply concerning”.

In a statement to board Rafael Grossi says: “I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment.

“Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security."

He called "on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation”, saying “any military action that jeopardises the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond”.

“Despite the current military actions and heightened tensions, it is clear that the only sustainable path forward - for Iran, for Israel, the entire region, and the international community - is one grounded in dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace, stability, and co-operation,” Grossi adds.

He said he was in close with IAEA inspectors in Iran, after Israel said it targeted the "heart" of Iran's nuclear programme.

On Thursday, the watchdog formally declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years. Read more on that story here.

Iran confirms at least six nuclear scientists killedpublished at 09:37 British Summer Time 13 June

09:37 BST 13 June

By Shayan Sardarizadeh and Ghoncheh Habibiazad

Iran has so far confirmed that at least six of its nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli attacks overnight.

The most prominent of those is Fereydoon Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, the second one identified, served as the president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

Abdolhamid Minouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, and Amirhossein Feqhi were academics at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University.

The sixth victim has only been identified by their surname, Motallebizadeh.

Israel, Iran, Jordan and Iraq have all announced the closure of their airspace and grounded all flights following last night's attacks.

Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows that there are currently no flights over the three countries.

This morning, Air has said it’s suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv “until further notice.”

Image source, Flightradar24