Published: 09:31, June 18, 2025 | Updated: 10:39, June 18, 2025
US has complete control of skies over Iran, says Donald Trump
By Xinhua
Smoke billows from a site near the Azadi Tower (left) in central Teheran, as fighting between Israel and Iran continues on June 16, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

NEW YORK/JERUSALEM/VIENNA - "We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran," US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.

"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," Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump left the G7 summit in Canada late Monday, one day earlier than expected as Israel and Iran traded missile strikes.

Trump said earlier on Tuesday he was seeking "a real end" to the conflict instead of "a ceasefire." He also said on his social media platform that the United States knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding, calling him an "easy target" and urging an "unconditional surrender" by Iran.

"I think they know not to touch our troops," Trump said of Iran, warning the United States would be "gloves off" in its response.

Trump said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that the United States was not involved in Israel's military strikes against Iran, but "it's possible we could get involved."

Israel had urged the United States to join the conflict with Iran to eliminate Iran's nuclear program, local media reported. 

Huge smoke rises up from an oil facility after a Saturday explosion in Southern Teheran, Iran, June 15, 2025. (PHOTO / AP)

Israel rules out talks with Iran 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel is not engaged in any negotiations with Iran to halt the deadly aerial conflict that began with a large-scale Israeli strike on Friday.

"We are not engaged in any negotiations, and we will not allow harm to Israeli civilians," Katz told reporters during a visit to Herzliya, a coastal city north of Tel Aviv, where a missile fired from Iran struck earlier.

Katz said Israel would continue its offensive until Iran is no longer capable of launching missiles against Israeli territory.

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Military campaign

Israel said on Tuesday it had launched another wave of airstrikes in Iran and was determined to press ahead with its military campaign, now in its fifth day.

Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said Iranian forces had been pushed toward the center of the country as a result of sustained Israeli airstrikes.

"Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft are continuously operating in the skies over Isfahan, detecting threats in real time and striking them," he told reporters.

Defrin said around 60 Israeli fighter jets had carried out a major strike earlier on Tuesday, targeting 12 underground missile launch sites in the Tehran area.

Nuclear facility

Additional elements have been identified that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Iran's Natanz, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.

The finding was based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected following Friday's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities by Israel, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on social media platform X.

"No change to report at (Iran's nuclear facilities) Esfahan and Fordow," the IAEA added.

In its statement published on Monday, the IAEA noted there has been no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and the main Fuel Enrichment Plant.

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Fresh attack

Several missiles were fired from Iran toward Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens across multiple areas, including Tel Aviv, the Israeli military said.

"Sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel," the military said in a statement. The attack sent millions of residents in central Israel, along the coastal plain, and in the occupied West Bank scrambling to shelters.

The military said the salvo included several ballistic missiles, most of which were intercepted.

US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries deployed in the region took part in the interceptions, Israeli Channel 12 TV news reported. Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said no injuries had been reported.