Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

On Truth Social - a platform whose users are, unsurprisingly, generally supportive of Donald Trump - anti-war sentiment is increasingly evident in the comments.

Some of the comments appear to come from Trump's MAGA base, to whom he previously pledged to avoid foreign entanglements and foreign wars after decades of messy US interventions in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

"No war with Iran. No more foreign wars," one user wrote. "America first!"

Another user warned that US involvement in Israeli operations could cost the Republicans politically in the years ahead.

"Don't do this," the user wrote. "Republicans will never win again if you do this."

The posts are anonymous, and there is no way to ascertain how widespread this sentiment is among the president's supporters.

The last few days, however, have seen a growing schism among Republicans, pitting the "MAGA" wing of the party - such as Marjorie Taylor Greene - against Iran hawks that would like to see the US take action against Iran and help Israel.

Soroush Negahdari, BBC Monitoring, and Ghoncheh Habibiazad, BBC Persian

We're hearing reports from Iranians across the country - including in Tehran, Gilan, Mazandaran, Isfahan and Khuzestan provinces - of a significant slowdown in internet connectivity.

Internet tracking service Netblocks is now showing a significant reduction in internet traffic in Iran.

Major social media websites, messaging platforms and streaming services are blocked in Iran, but people in the country use VPNs to circumvent the ban.

Some say they are unable to access VPN services, further limiting their ability to use social media to connect with friends and family and gather updates amid minimised reporting by state media on Israeli strikes.

From what we have observed on Telegram groups, people are sending VPN links to each other or asking others to download offline maps in case the internet goes down completely.

Authorities lifted a longstanding ban on WhatsApp in December, but users now report access has been restricted again in some areas.

State TV has warned about using foreign social media apps, including WhatsApp.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani today described the situation as a "hybrid war" and warned citizens against “enemy psychological warfare” and rumours online.

Mohajerani confirmed yesterday that the authorities have slowed down the internet to “combat cyber-attacks”. Access to some state-affiliated news websites has been slower and more restricted today.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

On the Air Force One flight back from Canada last night, we pressed the president for more details - but his answers were mostly opaque. He wanted the residents of Tehran to “be safe”. He wanted more than a ceasefire, he wanted a “real end” to the conflict - one that could include a complete Iranian “give-up”.

I asked him what he could do in Washington that he couldn't in Canada, and he said he preferred not to conduct sensitive business by telephone. And he told us he wasn’t in the “much in the mood” to negotiate with Iran now.

Earlier in the day Trump said he thought Israel is winning its war with Iran. If that's the case, perhaps Trump's main goal is to be around to accept Iran’s eventual surrender.

The US could try to hasten that along, such as by providing Israel high-powered ‘bunker-busting” bombs to hit Iranian nuclear research targets or ordering such strikes with American warplanes. The president didn’t offer any indication that this was a possibility, however - and such an escalation could further destabilise the region.

Throughout Monday, Trump hinted that something was going to happen - or change - once he returned to Washington.

“I think a deal will be signed, or something will happen,” he told reporters as he stood outside with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “As soon as I leave you, we’re going to be doing something."

Trump has left Canada - and the waiting for what that “something” is begins in earnest.

Will the US join in?published at 17:48 British Summer Time 17 June

17:48 BST 17 June

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Image source, USAF

This is the 30,000lb question. Because that, (13,600kg), is the tonnage of the weapon that would be needed to reach some of Iran’s most secretive and valuable nuclear apparatus, buried 90m (295ft) deep under a mountain in a place called Fordo.

The weapon, to give it its full name, is the GBU-57 MOP, standing for Massive Ordnance Penetrator and it can hit targets as deep as 61m underground, or deeper with repeated strikes.

The US has it, Israel does not.

Almost the only aircraft configured to carry this massive but non-nuclear bomb is the USAF B-2 Spirit bomber, which can carry two at a time.

These aircraft are currently believed to be stationed on the Indian Ocean US-British base at Diego Garcia, 2,358 miles (3,796km) from Iran and well within the B-2 range.

There is also a US Navy Carrier Strike Group heading for the region, led by the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.

So if Israel is to destroy Iran’s capacity to build a nuclear weapon, it needs to deal with Fordo.

It can’t do that from the air but the US could, if it chose. An Israeli commando raid is one, extremely risky, option.

But for now, a lot of people will be watching the US military build-up in the region and asking: is this a bluff to pressure Tehran into a deal or is America going to join in this fight, despite President Trump’s aversion to wars?

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

While Trump is posting a flurry of messages to Truth Social, things are quiet at the White House. It's a strange juxtaposition with the urgency of the news coming from the Middle East - as well as the aggressive tone of the president's recent posts.

So far, we've not received any word about the president's activities or movements today since he returned to Washington.

He does not appear to be in the West Wing of the White House, which would normally have a Marine standing outside the gate if he were.

I've repeatedly asked the White House for details on what's going on today, but so far received no answer. I also just went up to the White House offices to ask in person, but saw mostly closed doors and empty chairs.

The only activity here is, at the moment, TV reporters working outside, plus a handful of reporters inside clacking away on keyboards. But by the standards of this White House, it's by no means busy.

Trump was not supposed to be back at the White House until midnight tonight, but ended up cutting his trip to Canada short to return to Washington amid the Israel-Iran fighting.

We've just had the third post from the US president in quick succession, in which he says: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

In the previous two, Trump had said "we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran", and claimed to know where the Iranian leader is, saying: "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now".

Donald Trump has just posted a follow up on social media.

He says: "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding.

"He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.

"But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Moments ago, he posted to say that "we have complete and total control of the skies over Iran".

Image source, Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Trump's post is sure to cause some alarmpublished at 17:19 British Summer Time 17 June

17:19 BST 17 June

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

After a relatively quiet morning following his early return from the G7 meetings in Canada, Donald Trump is back with a post on Truth Social that is sure to cause some alarm.

“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” he wrote, before going on to remark how that nation’s air defences had been good but they weren’t as strong as American-made hardware.

While the post could be viewed as another “Made in America” boast by the president, his first word – “we” – is striking.

The Israeli military has been responsible for degrading Iran’s air defence system, but Trump is using a collective pronoun when describing the accomplishment.

He does so even after his administration had been emphasising for days that the US was not directly involved in the attacks.

Trump’s Truth Social post gives a very different impression.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump has just posted on social media, saying: "We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.

"Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured 'stuff.' Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA."

The US has long provided Israel with military aid and equipment - but its official position since strikes began on Friday has been that the US is not involved in Israeli strikes on Iran.

Caroline Hawley
Diplomatic correspondent

I’ve been hearing from a 40-year old mother in Iran who was given a two-year suspended jail sentence last year after speaking out against the theocratic leadership and defying Iran’s dress codes.

Like many Iranians, she’s both frightened at what Israel is doing - and furious with the Iranian regime.

“I’ve found myself in a situation I never imagined. Even now I can’t believe the ignorance and recklessness of this regime has brought us to this point.”

“The shadow of war and bombing is terrifying,” she says. “But honestly, now that we’ve come this far, I’m just praying that at the very least, they take out the head of the snake. Because if they don’t, we’ll be stuck in a deep, dark misery. If this snake survives the war, we’ll have lost everything.”

The snake she refers to is the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. President Trump is reported to have vetoed an Israeli plan to kill him.

Today Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, suggested that Iran’s Supreme Leader could face the same fate as the former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2003 and - eventually - hanged.

“Do you know what the most psychologically devastating thing in the world is?” she asks.

“It’s that I’ve reached a point in history, in this land, where I’m placing my hopes in a country that is bombing us and attacking us - just so they might cut off the head of the snake! That’s the most bitter feeling a person can experience: to be clinging to a second occupier for hope.”

She adds: “To be honest, these are the most hopeless days of my life."

Image source, EPA

US Vice-President JD Vance says President Donald Trump "may decide he needs to take further action" to end Iran's nuclear programme.

In a social media post,, external he says Iran has "enriched uranium far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose", and that the US president "may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment".

Vance praises Trump's "restraint in keeping our military's focus" on protecting troops and civilians, and says he is yet to "see a single good argument for why Iran was justified in violating its non-proliferation obligations".

He ends with an assurance that Trump "is only interested in using the American military to accomplish American people's goals.

"Whatever he does, that is his focus."

Image source, Reuters

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Trump has not said anything to suggest the US is about to get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict.

The two men met alongside other leaders at the G7 summit in Canada, but the US president left early, citing events in the Middle East.

Trump's call for Tehran's evacuation could be "a tactic to put pressure on the regime", a former US National Security Council director says.

Javed Ali, who was on the NSC during Trump's first term, says only Trump can reveal what was meant by his comment, but evacuating a city of 10 million people "doesn't seem to be very feasible".

The fact that Trump has cut short his G7 trip and "called a full-up National Security Council meeting" is significant, Ali tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

These meetings only happen when the president calls them himself, or when his advisors believe that "the situation is so serious that that type of meeting is necessary".

As we reported earlier, Fox News said Trump has told his NSC to be ready to meet. He has not announced the meeting himself.

Image source, Getty Images

Last night, Donald Trump warned that "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran" shortly after Israel issued an evacuation warning for north-eastern parts of the city.

The BBC Persian has been speaking to civilians for their reaction to the US president's warning made on social media.

"What do they mean by 'evacuate the city immediately'? Is that even possible?" one resident asked.

"What are they supposed to leave with? Where should they go? How should they get there?... What kind of nonsense are you saying?"

Another resident said she hasn't heard her parents' voices for three days. "Every time there’s an attack, which we hear about, it feels like life and death, because my dad has no access to the internet, and my mom’s internet is completely cut off."

One medical student in Europe said: "The worry about our families’ safety is what’s killing us...If Iran’s airspace wasn’t closed, many of us would have already returned by now."

The Israeli military is urging people to shelter as sirens are sounding across several areas of Israel.

It says its air force is attempting to intercept missiles launched by Iran.

We're also getting reports of explosions in Iran.

BBC Persian correspondent Ghoncheh Habibiazad says she is hearing that residents in the central Iranian province of Isfahan have heard explosions.

The Mehr News Agency also says that explosions were heard in eastern and northern parts of Isfahan, and the country’s air defence has been activated.

Yesterday, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that a nuclear facility had been damaged at Isfahan.

Ione Wells
Reporting from Herzliya

This is the bus depot that was hit this morning in Herzliya, a touristy coastal city near Tel Aviv.

Many buses are smashed and one is totally burned. There were no casualties here.

People I’ve spoken to in other areas of Herzliya reported hearing a loud boom and seeing plumes of smoke.

We’ve got a pretty good idea from the location of the strike what the target was, but censorship rules mean we cannot broadcast that.

Those rules, issued by Israel yesterday, prohibit the media from publishing details that "could aid the enemy", particularly regarding strike locations near military or security sites.

Iranian leadership is facing criticism from its citizens onlinepublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 17 June

15:18 BST 17 June

Jiyar Gol
BBC Persian

Many people in Iran see not this as the people's war, but the regime's war.

We are seeing many people, despite restrictions in Iran, saying they are against the regime.

That doesn't mean they support Netanyahu, but they are so fed up with the regime that they want it to disappear.

The Iranian intelligence services have been arresting people for posting jokes about the weakening of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

One person in Tehran told me his 14-year-old boy was taken for questioning simply for posting meme on social media, and his father had to go and beg them to release him.

That's the kind of environment in Iran right now.

In addition to military targets, Israel has been trying to weaken the Iranian security services which play a pivotal role in supressing unrest and protest.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar says regime change in Iran is not the objective of the IDF's military action. It might be a result of it, but it is not the objective, he says.

The comments were made while on a visit to the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, which was hit by Iranian strikes.

Sa'ar told reporters gathered there that Israel had three key objectives: "First of all, to severely damage the nuclear programme [of Iran] - we haven't finished with that.

"We still have targets," Sa'ar adds, claiming that Israel's warplanes now have superiority in Iranian air space.

He says Israel's second objective is to "severely damage the ballistic missile programme of the Iranian regime" and finally to "severely damage the plan to eliminate the state of Israel".

Victoria Gill
Science correspondent

While Israeli attacks have targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, they have focused on uranium enrichment facilities.

Damage to those sites does not pose the risk of a “nuclear incident” the likes of disasters at Chernobyl or Fukushima, experts have told BBC News. That’s because there is no nuclear reaction taking place in an enrichment facility.

When nuclear reaction takes place, atoms of uranium are split in a controlled fission reaction that produces heat for power and waste products that are more radioactive than the uranium fuel.

Enrichment facilities, on the other hand, simply produce the fuel.

Nuclear materials scientist Prof Simon Middleburgh from Bangor University explained to me that if an enrichment facility were bombed “the uranium being enriched would be ejected from the facility - possibly into the environment.

“But no nuclear reaction is likely to occur, and therefore the hazards would remain local and pose no radiological risk beyond a small exclusion zone around the facility.”

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

With no signs of either de-escalation or diplomacy, the conflict between Israel and Iran continues.

Israel says it’s killed a top Iranian military commander, Ali Shadmani, who had been promoted to chief of staff after his predecessor was killed last week.

This is another indication of the intelligence Israel has gathered about key Iranian officials. Large numbers of people are fleeing Tehran amid fears of even more attacks.

In turn, Iran has launched more missiles at Israel. But its recent attacks haven’t been as intense, which could be a sign of the impact of Israel’s air strikes on the country’s military.

President Trump also insisted that Iran should abandon its nuclear programme – something Tehran has rejected in the past. That would require negotiation, but the president said he was not too much in the mood to negotiate now.