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Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said his country had delivered a “severe blow” to Iran’s military leadership and dismantled key strategic sites, removing what he called an imminent threat.
Speaking ahead of the UN Security Council session on Iran’s nuclear proliferation, Danon confirmed Israel had agreed to a ceasefire “in full coordination with President Trump", and thanked the US for its support.
He said Israel remains open to diplomacy but warned that any future threat “will be met with a forceful response.”
An early US intelligence assessment suggests that the US bombing of Iran's three key nuclear sites (Fordo, Natanz, Isfahan) did not destroy the core components of Tehran's nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing three people briefed on it.
"This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong," CNN quoted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying.
A Revolutionary Guards spokesman says Israel has violated Iranian airspace with drones since Tuesday morning and carried out strikes on parts of the country.
Eleven Iranian nationals, including a suspected former army sniper and an individual with admitted ties to Hezbollah, were arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend.
The arrests, made across multiple states, highlight what officials say is a broader crackdown on individuals with ties to Iran and potential national security risks.
Among those detained is Mehran Makari Saheli, a former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was convicted of firearm offenses in Minnesota and admitted to having ties to Hezbollah.
He had been ordered removed in 2022 but remained in the country illegally, according to Homeland Security.
ICE also arrested Ribvar Karimi, an alleged former sniper for the Iranian army found in Alabama with an Iranian military ID, and Yousef Mehridehno, labeled a known or suspected terrorist after US officials revoked his legal residency over alleged visa fraud.
Other arrests spanned Texas, Arizona, Mississippi, Colorado, California, and New York, involving individuals with histories of drug trafficking, firearms offenses, domestic violence, and prior removal orders.
One US citizen, Linet Vartaniann, was also arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot ICE agents while harboring an undocumented Iranian man.
All individuals are now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Homeland Security officials say the operation is part of President Trump’s directive to proactively remove threats before they escalate.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel had been dealt a “severe and historic punishment” as it agreed to halt its military campaign, in a message to the nation on Tuesday following a 12-day war.
“Today, the enemy aggressor was forced to stop its warmongering under conditions where it suffered a harsh and historic punishment,” he wrote.
“This war ended through the will and strength of the great Iranian nation,” he added.
