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The announcement comes following the implementation of a ceasefire between the longtime foes

Iranian authorities on Wednesday announced the gradual easing of internet restrictions imposed during the 12-day war with Israel, following the implementation of a ceasefire between the longtime foes.

“The communication network is gradually returning to its previous state,” said the Revolutionary Guards’ cyber security command in a statement carried by state media.

The country’s communications minister, Sattar Hashemi, said in a post on X: “With the normalisation of conditions, the state of communication access has returned to its previous conditions”. 

Iranian authorities on Wednesday announced the gradual easing of internet restrictions imposed during the 12-day war with Israel, following the implementation of a ceasefire between the longtime foes.

“The communication network is gradually returning to its previous state,” said the Revolutionary Guards’ cyber security command in a statement carried by state media.

The country’s communications minister, Sattar Hashemi, said in a post on X: “With the normalisation of conditions.

Iran Nuclear Talks: Donald Trump’s announcement comes a day after he declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States and Iran “may sign an agreement” regarding Tehran’s nuclear programme when the two sides meet for talks next week, but was quick to add that it’s “not necessary”. President Trump’s announcement comes a day after he declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

“The way I look at it, they fought the war. It’s done. I could get a statement that they’re not going to go nuclear. We’re probably going to ask for that. But they’re not going to be doing it,” President Trump said, adding that “We’re going to talk to Iran next week, we may even sign an agreement, (though) to me, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Little over 48 hours ago, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had said that by joining Israel in its military offensive against Iran, the United States had “betrayed” diplomacy, suggesting that no further dialogue is possible with Washington.

WHAT THE US INTELLIGENE ASSESSMENT SUGGESTS

President Trump reiterated on Wednesday that the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities were necessary and have dealt a crushing blow to Tehran’s ambitions to have enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon. His remarks came despite a US intelligence assessment stating that the precision strikes have only inflicted a marginal setback.

US’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the President’s claim of a “crushing blow” by saying that the leaked intelligence assessment claiming Iran only suffered a delay of a few months due to US’ strikes was just “prelimnary” in nature and is of “low confidence”

Meanwhile, the United States and Israel are on a hunt for more than 400 kg of enriched uranium in Iran, which is enough to make at least 10 nuclear bombs. The ‘missing’ stockpile of uranium is reportedly 60 per cent enriched, and at 90 per cent, it can be used in nuclear weapons.

Satellite photos and sources indicate that Iran most likely moved the uranium, and possibly some equipment to continue enrichment, to a secret location days before American B-2 ‘Spirit’ bombers dropped ‘bunker busters’ on Fordrow, Natanz, and Isfahan, causing significant damage and destruction.

While red flags have been raised about the unknown location of the uranium, US Vice President JD Vance and other senior members of the Trump administration have privately admitted that they do not know, at this time, where the ‘missing’ uranium could be.

TEHRAN’S PLAN TO RESTART URANIUM ENRICHMENT

After the precision strikes on its nuclear facilities by the United States, Iran said it had taken “necessary measures” to ensure that the programme continues. “We have taken necessary measures and are taking stock of the damage caused by the strikes,” Mohd Eslami, chief of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in a televised address.

“Plans for restarting (the facilities) have been prepared in advance,” he said, underlining Tehran’s determined effort to continue enriching uranium despite US threats, “Our strategy is to ensure production is not disrupted,” he said.

Experts question whether Iran, preparing for strike, moved out some 400 kilogram of enriched uranium which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country.

President Donald Trump’s administration hit back Wednesday at accounts Iran may have moved enriched uranium before US bombing, as a row grew on how much the strikes set back Tehran’s nuclear program.

Trump, seeking credit for ordering military action and then quickly announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, has lashed out angrily at media accounts of a classified report that doubted the extent of damage to Iranian nuclear sites.

Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400 kilogram (880 pounds) of enriched uranium — which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country.

“I can tell you, the United States had no indication that that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

“As for what’s on the ground right now, it’s buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening,” she said.

Vice President JD Vance, asked about the uranium on Sunday, had sounded less definitive and said the United States would discuss the issue with Iran.

We’re going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel,” Vance told ABC News program “This Week.”

The quantity of uranium had been reported by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, with which Iran is considering severing cooperation after the Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear program.

“The IAEA lost visibility on this material the moment hostilities began,” the agency’s chief, Rafael Grossi, told France 2 television.

But he added: “I don’t want to give the impression that it’s been lost or hidden.”

Trump lashes out 

The US military said it dropped 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs — powerful 13,600-kilogram (30,000-pound) weapons — on three Iranian nuclear sites.

Trump has repeatedly said that the attack “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities, including the key site of Fordo buried inside a mountain.

But an initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and that Iran’s nuclear program was set back only months at most.

Trump furiously lashed out at the CNN reporter behind the story, taking to his Truth Social platform to demand that the network fire her.

Trump also said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom he dubbed “war” secretary, would hold a news conference at 8 am (1200 GMT) on Thursday to “fight for the dignity of our great American pilots” after the media accounts on the efficacy of the strike he ordered.

Trump’s intelligence chiefs also pushed back on Wednesday. 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe in a statement said that new intelligence from a “historically reliable” source indicated that “several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.”

Iran’s government has said that its nuclear facilities were “badly damaged.”

The uranium in question is enriched to 60 percent — above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade.

The arrest came after Israel’s military chief said on Wednesday that its commandos had operated secretly inside Iran during the12-day war.

Iran’s intelligence services have arrested 26 people, accusing them of collaborating with Israel, state media Fars news agency reported, days after a ceasefire between the two countries was announced.

“These individuals were identified as operatives and deceived participants in the recent imposed war by the Zionist regime have been arrested by the Intelligence Organization of the Hazrat Vali Asr Corps,” Iranian state media Fars news agency said on Wednesday.

“Most of them have confessed to their actions, including anti-security activities, spreading public anxiety, and acts of sabotage,” it added, citing a statement by the organisation.

The arrest came after Israel’s military chief said Wednesday that its commandos had operated secretly inside Iran during the countries’ 12-day war, as its spy chief also hailed assistance from US intelligence.

“We achieved full control over Iranian airspace and in every location where we chose to operate,” Israeli chief of staff Eyal Zamir had said in a televised address.

“This was made possible thanks to, among other things, coordination and tactical deception carried out by our air force and ground commando units,” he added.

“The forces operated in secret deep within enemy territory and created operational freedom of action for us.”

Iran said Wednesday that it executed three men accused of spying for Israel.

Tehran regularly announces the arrest and execution of agents suspected of working for foreign intelligence services, including its arch-foe Israel.

Both countries have claimed victory in the conflict since a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday.

The design of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding invitation has been mocked online for being amateurish and lacking the sophistication expected of a billionaire couple.

The wedding festivities for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former news anchor Lauren Sanchez have already begun in Venice, but the couple has found itself at the centre of an unexpected criticism – their wedding invitation.

A glimpse of the invite, obtained by ABC News, has triggered a wave of ridicule online. The couple, together for six years, will exchange vows in a multi-day celebration said to include an official ceremony on the picturesque island of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday, June 27.

Far from the elegance expected of a billionaire’s wedding, the invitation’s design – a collage of butterflies, birds, feathers, and shooting stars in shades of pink and blue, set against a stark white background – has been branded “atrocious” and “ugly” by social media users.

The card included a message requesting guests not to bring gifts. It read, “We are excited for you to join us! We have one early request: please, no gifts.”

France’s military took part in efforts to stop Iranian drones targeting Israel prior to this week’s ceasefire, the country’s defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said late on Wednesday.

“I can confirm that the French army intercepted less than 10 drones in the last few days during the different military operations conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel, either by ground-to-air systems or via our Rafale fighter jets,” Lecornu said during a parliamentary debate on the situation in the Middle East.

Lecornu said Iran had launched some 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones towards Israel during the 12-day conflict.

Israel started attacking Iran on June 13, saying it aimed to destroy its arch-enemy’s nuclear capabilities. Its strikes wiped out a senior echelon of Iran’s military command and killed several nuclear scientists. Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed and nearly 5,000 injured in the country.

Tehran’s retaliatory missiles killed at least 28 people in Israel and damaged hundreds of buildings, until a ceasefire came into effect on Tuesday.

Iran’s Khamenei said the US intervened in the war because “it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime [Israel] would be utterly destroyed”.

Iran will never surrender to the US and any future aggression would come at a great cost, its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today in his first remarks after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The ceasefire followed the US’ targeting of three nuclear sites in Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strike at a US base in Qatar.

“The American president indicated in one of his statements that Iran must surrender. Surrender! It is no longer a question of enrichment, nor the nuclear industry, but of the surrender of Iran,” Khamenei said in a televised speech. “Such an event (surrender) will never happen. It will never happen.”

Referring to Iran’s airstrikes on US’s Al Udeid air base in Qatar, Khamenei said, “The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to key US centers in the region and can take action whenever it deems necessary is a significant matter. Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.” The remarks were posted on X, too. 

Addressing a weekly briefing on Thursday, Randhir Jaiswal said, “We launched Operation Sindhu on the 18th of June. We have around 10,000 people from the Indian community in Iran, around 40,000 people in Israel who are Indian nationals.”

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India, so far have evacuated 3,426 Indian nationals from Iran and 818 Indian nationals from Israel in Operation Sindhu.

Addressing a weekly briefing on Thursday, Mr Jaiswal said, “We launched Operation Sindhu on the 18th of June. We have around 10,000 people from the Indian community in Iran, around 40,000 people in Israel who are Indian nationals.”

“From Iran, we have so far evacuated 3,426 Indian nationals, 11 OCI cardholders, 9 Nepalese nationals and some Sri Lankan nationals as well. I’ll give you the exact figure. Plus one Iranian national who happens to be the spouse of an Indian national. In all, we mounted 14 flights to bring back Indian nationals from Iran. These flights, they flew from Mashhad, as well as from Yerevan in Armenia, and Ashgabat, Turkmenistan,” he added.

Further, Mr Jaiswal confirmed that, “one more flight is to come from or is on its way from Armenia and it will land later this evening. With that, we would have completed all the people who wish to be evacuated from Iran and they would be back home.”

In Israel, 818 Indian nationals were evacuated in four flights. Due to Israel’s closed airspace, Indians were taken to Jordan and Egypt, from where special flights were operated to bring them back home. The MEA expressed gratitude to the governments of Egypt, Jordan, and Israel for their support.

As far as Israel is concerned, we have so far evacuated 818 Indian nationals in four flights. As you are aware, the airspace in Israel was closed, so we had to take our people to bordering countries, that is Jordan and Egypt, and from both these countries they were put on special flights and they came back home. We are thankful to the governments of Egypt, Jordan for this support,” he said.

“Our embassies in Israel, in Jordan, in Egypt, collaborated very closely with the ministry headquarters here in mounting this operation. Once again, we’d like to thank the governments of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt for the support in Operation Sindhu,” he added.

Mr Jaiswal also thanked the governments of Iran for opening their airspace for evacuation.

“We made a request and they hope to open the airspace for us to evacuate our nationals. We are grateful to the government of Iran for this special gesture. We are also thankful to the government of Turkmenistan and Armenia for helping us evacuate our people,” he said.

On Thursday, in a news conference at the Pentagon, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff described in great detail the planning and execution of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

On Thursday, in a news conference at the Pentagon, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff described in great detail the planning and execution of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 

Gen. Caine shared test footage of the bunker buster bombs. 12 of these were used during the Iran strikes, a US official told CNN.

They pushed back against the classified Defense Intelligence Agency report that the attacks damaged the facilities but did not destroy them, and that the country’s nuclear programme has been pushed only by a few months.Hegseth said that the strike was “decimating – choose your word – obliterating, destroying.” He added that the report was “low confidence” and had “gaps in the information”.

They played videos of how the bombing took place on the nuclear sites, explaining how the bombers attacked. Unlike other normal bombs, the damage done by a bunker-buster bomb, cannot be seen on the surface level. They are designed to deeply bury and then function.

“A bomb has three effects that cause damage: blast, fragmentation and overpressure. In this case, the primary kill mechanisms in the mission space were a mix of overpressure and blast,” Gen Caine added.

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz have been broadcasting unusual messages concerning nationality in a bid to avoid being attacked as doubts linger over the ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz have been broadcasting unusual messages concerning nationality in a bid to avoid being attacked as doubts linger over the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, according to maritime risk analytics firm Windward and ship tracking data on Thursday.

The signals have been used since conflict broke out between Israel and Iran early this month, which led the U.S. to strike Iranian nuclear sites.

U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire after 12 days of war but the maritime threat remains elevated, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said.

“The perception among shipowners is that due to the convoluted nature of shipping it’s hard to know or ascertain clearly a chain of ownership to nationalities which may be under higher threat in shipping, namely the UK, U.S. and Israel,” said Ami Daniel, chief executive officer of Windward.

Fifty-five vessels transmitted 101 atypical messages across the Gulf and Red Sea from June 12-24, Windward said, including “China owned” and “Russian crude”, in the hope of preventing attacks because those countries are less likely to be targeted than Western ships.

Commercial maritime traffic surged 30% on June 24, the day after the ceasefire, according to the JMIC. Roughly a fifth of the world’s fuel and oil consumption moves through the Strait of Hormuz.

Vessels typically broadcast their destinations or say “For Orders”. Occasionally, vessels also transmit messages such as “Armed Guards on Board” to deter pirates or other attacks.

Unusual messages were almost only seen in the Red Sea before June 12, said Windward’s Daniel. The Red Sea had been the focus of a series of attacks by Houthi rebels since the Israel-Gaza war broke out.

“I’ve never seen it in the Persian Gulf,” Daniel said.

Panama-flagged container ship Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan, bound for Pakistan, was broadcasting “PKKHI all Chinese” on Thursday as it crossed the Strait of Hormuz, according to LSEG data.

China-flagged supertanker Yuan Yang Hu was broadcasting “Chinese ship” on Thursday morning while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to China, the signal changed to “CN NBG”, the Chinese Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, once the vessel had cleared the Strait.

Singapore-flagged container ship Kota Cabar was signalling “Vsl no link Israel” as it sailed through the Red Sea.