{"id":153587,"date":"2025-06-16T09:18:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/middle-east-conflict-live-updates-israel-defense-chief-says-iran-residents-will-pay-the-price-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-06-16T09:18:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T09:18:58","slug":"middle-east-conflict-live-updates-israel-defense-chief-says-iran-residents-will-pay-the-price-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/middle-east-conflict-live-updates-israel-defense-chief-says-iran-residents-will-pay-the-price-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East conflict live updates: Israel defense chief says Iran residents 'will pay the price' – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mithil Aggarwal<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, the president of Iran told the country’s parliament today.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will, however, pursue its right to nuclear energy and research, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media.
Israel says the aim of its military campaign is to eliminate Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and the “existential threat” it would face if Iran were to successfully develop an atomic bomb. Iran says its programs are for peaceful purposes only.
The U.S., which is pursuing nuclear talks with Iran, has distanced itself from the attack, saying Israel acted alone.
Lawahez Jabari<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Mithil Aggarwal<\/span><\/span><\/span>
The Israeli military said it had struck command centers in Tehran belonging to the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Operatives in the command centers “advanced terrorist attacks against the State of Israel using the proxies of the Iranian Regime in the Middle East,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
The Quds Force oversees ties with Iran-backed militias in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories.
Iran has not commented on the strikes. While Quds Force positions in Syria had been targeted multiple times, this would mark the first time their command centers and bases have been struck inside Tehran.
Matt Bradley<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Israel\u2019s defense minister, Israel Katz, accused Iran of targeting Israeli civilians in its overnight attacks.
Then in the very next breath, he appeared to threaten Iranian civilians, saying \u201cresidents of Iran will pay the price.\u201d
Liam Woods<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Mithil Aggarwal<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Iran\u00a0has executed a man convicted of\u00a0spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Reuters reported, citing Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.
The man, identified as Esmail Fekri, is the third person Iran has executed in recent weeks in connection with accusations of espionage on behalf of Israel.
Iranian police in Alborz province\u00a0said earlier that they had arrested two Mossad operatives, Iranian state media reported.
Peter Guo<\/span><\/span><\/span>
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and the embassy branch in Tel Aviv will be officially closed today as military tensions continue to escalate between Israel and Iran.
No U.S. staffers have been injured, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in a post on X<\/a>, though there has been “some minor damage from concussions of Iranian missile hits” near the Tel Aviv branch.
The U.S. Embassy has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place in and near their residences until further notice, it said in a statement<\/a>.
Jennifer Jett<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Trump said he hoped for a deal between Israel and Iran as he headed to Canada for a meeting of world leaders where the conflict is high on the agenda.
“I hope there\u2019s going to be a deal. I think it\u2019s time for a deal, and we\u2019ll see what happens. But sometimes they have to fight it out,” Trump told reporters before he left the White House for a summit of the Group of 7 major economies in Canada.
Amin Khodadadi<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Reporting from Tehran
At least 224 people have been killed in Iran since the Israeli strikes started Friday, Iranian state media reported.
More than 90% of the casualties are civilians, according to Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency, which cited a spokesperson for the health ministry.
Yarden Segev<\/span><\/span><\/span>
Lawahez Jabari<\/span><\/span><\/span>
The Israeli military said it had begun a series of strikes on dozens of surface-to-surface missile targets in western Iran.
It later said missiles had been launched from Iran, instructing the public to seek shelter. Sirens sounded in several places across Israel.
The Israeli military said it was “operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat.”
A day of strikes across both countries included a rare daytime attack on the Iranian capital, Tehran, where streets were jammed with traffic as residents tried to flee.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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