Iran says its missile attacks forced Israel into ceasefire

Iran has told the United Nations Security Council that its missile strike on the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was a legitimate act of self-defense and posed no threat to the Qatari government or people, according to a letter from its ambassador released Wednesday.

In the letter, Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, said the June 23 strike was carried out in response to US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and was consistent with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows for self-defense.

The letter cited US responsibility for strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan on June 22, which President Trump publicly acknowledged. Iravani said the Iranian response was “defensive, legitimate, and proportionate,” and emphasized that the targeted US base was located far from civilian areas to avoid collateral damage.

Iran also stressed that the action did not endanger Qatar, calling the country a “friend and brother” and reaffirming its commitment to strong bilateral relations.

The death toll in Iran from Israeli military strikes has risen to 1,054, with 4,476 others injured, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Tuesday.

Of those killed, 417 were civilians, and around 2,000 of the wounded were non-combatants, according to HRANA. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect earlier in the day and remains in place.

Since the start of the conflict, at least 823 people in Iran have been arrested on political or security-related charges, the human rights group added.

The United States is holding negotiations with Iran aimed at securing a long-term peace agreement, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday in an interview with Fox News.

"We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising. We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran,” Witkoff said.

He also defended recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, rejecting doubts about their effectiveness. “Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon following the destruction of Esfahan, Natanz, and Fordow,” Witkoff said, adding that the strikes eliminated Iran’s nuclear capability.

Witkoff said bunker buster bombs rendered Esfahan’s conversion facility and Natanz’s enrichment site inoperable, and that the Fordow site was also destroyed.

His comments came after CNN reported on a leaked preliminary US intelligence assessment suggesting the strikes did not destroy the three targeted nuclear sites. Citing sources familiar with the assessment, CNN said the Defense Intelligence Agency believes the attacks failed to eliminate key components of Iran’s nuclear program or its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and likely only delayed its progress by several months.

Witkoff called for an investigation into the leak, saying the claims undermined the administration’s message and ongoing diplomatic efforts.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has no information on the location of roughly 900 pounds (408 kilograms) of enriched uranium in Iran, Director General Rafael Grossi said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News.

Grossi said Iranian officials told the agency they removed the material for “protective measures” ahead of US strikes on nuclear facilities, but the IAEA has not been informed where it was taken. “We do not have information on the whereabouts of this material,” he said.

He stressed that locating the uranium is part of the agency’s mandate and not a political act. “My job is to determine where this material is, as Iran has an obligation to report and account for all nuclear material in its possession,” Grossi said. “This will continue to be my focus.”

Grossi also confirmed that US strikes caused “very serious damage” to a centrifuge hall at the Natanz nuclear site. He said the Isfahan facility was also hit, but added the IAEA does not currently have access to fully assess the extent of the damage.

The arrests targeted individuals with criminal records, suspected terrorism ties, and past deportation orders, Homeland Security said. One US citizen was also taken into custody after allegedly threatening to shoot federal officers while shielding an illegal Iranian national.

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In Alabama, agents arrested Ribvar Karimi, a former sniper for the Iranian army from 2018 to 2021. Karimi was found with an Iranian military ID card and had entered the country in October 2024 on a K-1 fiancé visa under the Biden administration, Homeland Security said. He never adjusted his immigration status and is now in federal custody pending removal.

Mehran Makari Saheli, a 56-year-old Iranian citizen and ex-member of the IRGC, was arrested on June 22 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the department said. Saheli, who also admitted ties to Hezbollah, had previously been convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm. He was ordered removed in 2022 but remained in the US illegally, officials said.

Other arrests included individuals in Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Mississippi, and New York. Among them was Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, detained in Houston while carrying a loaded 9mm pistol and previously arrested for domestic violence. Hamid Reza Bayat, also arrested in Houston, had been ordered removed in 2005 and has multiple drug convictions.

In Mississippi, Yousef Mehridehno—once a lawful permanent resident—was taken into custody after being listed as a known or suspected terrorist earlier this year, DHS said. His residency had been revoked in 2017 for lying on his visa application and suspected marriage fraud.

Several of those arrested had been living in the US for years despite removal orders, some with criminal records that included drug trafficking, firearms violations, and fraud. All are now in ICE custody awaiting removal proceedings, Homeland Security said.