Israel says it targeted a senior commander in Iran' joint military command
The Israeli military says it has targeted a senior commander in Iran’s top joint military command, adding that the results of the attack are under review.
The Israeli military says it has targeted a senior commander in Iran’s top joint military command, adding that the results of the attack are under review.








The White House on Tuesday denied that the Trump administration is considering the use of a nuclear weapon in Iran, after a post on social media alleged Vice President JD Vance had implied it might do so.
“We’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use. The president of the United States can decide to use them. And he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct,” Vance told reporters in Hungary earlier in the day.
President Donald Trump also posted to Truth Social that a “whole civilization will die tonight”.
Responding to a post from an account run by Democratic operatives that said Vance “implies Trump might use nuclear weapons,” the White House’s Rapid Response X account said, “Literally nothing @VP said here ‘implies’ this, you absolute buffoons.”
Health authorities in the southern port city of Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear power plant, have distributed 180,000 iodine tablets among residents as part of a crisis preparedness plan, a local official said.
The deputy for health at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences said the distribution began prior to the 12-day war in June 2025 based on a decision by the national crisis management headquarters, according to the state-run Young Journalists Club (YJC).
The official said the rollout initially prioritized areas surrounding the nuclear power plant before expanding to cover the entire city. The tablets have been made available through all comprehensive health centers across Bushehr.
“Since the beginning of the plan, all comprehensive health centers have been distributing iodine tablets using prepared forms and guidelines, and they are now available to all residents,” the official said.
Authorities said the tablets are intended for use in the event of a radiological incident. Residents are advised to take the tablets from 24 hours before to up to four hours after a potential exposure, with one tablet allocated per person, though dosage varies by age.
Health officials explained that radioactive iodine may be released during nuclear incidents, and the thyroid gland readily absorbs iodine. By taking iodine tablets, the thyroid becomes saturated with stable iodine, reducing its ability to absorb radioactive iodine and lowering the risk of thyroid damage.
Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The resolution, put to a vote in a significantly watered-down form after China’s initial opposition, received 11 votes in favor, with two abstentions by Pakistan and Colombia.
The latest iteration, seen by Reuters, dropped any explicit authorization of the use of force.
The resolution's text "strongly encourages States interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz."
It said such contributions could include "the escort of merchant and commercial vessels." It also endorsed efforts "to deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."
US President Donald Trump said his 8 p.m. (EST) deadline remains in place and warned Iran of a potential attack “like they have not seen,” according to remarks made in a phone interview with Bret Baier on Fox News.
“I just got off the phone with the president… I said, listen, if you were to put odds on it, what were the odds that this is going to end up being a negotiated deal? He said he wasn't going to put odds on it. But he said, ‘8 p.m. is happening,’” Baier said, recounting the call.
“He said, ‘it is—if we get to that point—there is going to be an attack like they have not seen.’ Now he's sticking to that at this point… it is moving forward with the plans that we have. That's a huge deal,” he added.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting Middle Eastern officials, reports that Iran has only cut off its "direct" communications with the US not its talks with ceasefire mediators.
While the move has temporarily complicated efforts to make a deal by Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline, it hasn't ended the talks, the report said.
"Iran intended to send a signal of disapproval and defiance by severing communications," one official was quoted as saying.
Iran's state-run Tehran Times later reported that "diplomatic and indirect channels of talks with the US are not closed."
The Tehran-based paper had earlier reported that Iran had cut "all diplomatic and backchannel talks" with the US.