Melbourne, June 20: As Israel continues its attacks on Iran, US President Donald Trump and other global leaders are hardening their stance against the Islamic Republic.

While considering a US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, Trump has threatened Iran’s supreme leader, claiming to know his location and calling him “an easy target”.

He has demanded “unconditional surrender” from Iran. Meanwhile, countries such as Germany, Canada, the UK and Australia have toughened their rhetoric, demanding Iran fully abandon its nuclear programme.

So, as the pressure mounts on Iran, has it been left to fight alone? Or does it have allies that could come to its aid?

Has Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ fully collapsed?

Iran has long relied on a network of allied paramilitary groups across the Middle East as part of its deterrence strategy. This approach has largely shielded it from direct military strikes by the US or Israel, despite constant threats and pressure.

This so-called “axis of resistance” includes groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq, the Houthi militants in Yemen, as well as Hamas in Gaza, which has long been under Iran’s influence to varying degrees. Iran also supported Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria before it was toppled last year.

These groups have served both as a regional buffer and as a means for Iran to project power without direct engagement.

However, over the past two years, Israel has dealt significant blows to the network.

Hezbollah — once Iran’s most powerful non-state ally — has been effectively neutralised after months of attacks by Israel. Its weapons stocks were systematically targeted and destroyed across Lebanon. And the group suffered a major psychological and strategic loss with the assassination of its most influential leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

In Syria, Iranian-backed militias have been largely expelled following the fall of Assad’s regime, stripping Iran of another key foothold in the region.

That said, Iran maintains strong influence in Iraq and Yemen.

The PMF in Iraq, with an estimated 200,000 fighters, remains formidable. The Houthis have similarly sized contingent of fighters in Yemen.

Should the situation escalate into an existential threat to Iran — as the region’s only Shiite-led state — religious solidarity could drive these groups to become actively involved. This would rapidly expand the war across the region.

The PMF, for instance, could launch attacks on the 2,500 US troops stationed in Iraq. Indeed, the head of Kata’ib Hezbollah, one of the PMF’s more hardline factions, promised to do so:

If America dares to intervene in the war, we will directly target its interests and military bases spread across the region without hesitation.

Iran itself could also target US bases in the Persian Gulf countries with ballistic missiles, as well as close the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply flows.

Will Iran’s regional and global allies step in?

Several regional powers maintain close ties with Iran. The most notable among them is Pakistan — the only Islamic country with a nuclear arsenal.

For weeks, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has tried to align Iran more closely with Pakistan in countering Israel’s actions in Gaza.

In a sign of Pakistan’s importance in the Israel-Iran war, Trump has met with the country’s army chief in Washington as he weighs a possible strike on its neighbour.

Pakistan’s leaders have also made their allegiances very clear. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered Iran’s president “unwavering solidarity” in the “face of Israel’s unprovoked aggression”. And Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently said in an interview Israel will “think many times before taking on Pakistan”.

These statements signal a firm stance without explicitly committing to intervention.

Yet, Pakistan has also been working to de-escalate tensions. It has urged other Muslim-majority nations and its strategic partner, China, to intervene diplomatically before the violence spirals into a broader regional war.

In recent years, Iran has also made diplomatic overtures to former regional rivals, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in order to improve relations.

These shifts have helped rally broader regional support for Iran. Nearly two dozen Muslim-majority countries — including some that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel — have jointly condemned Israel’s actions and urged de-escalation.

It’s unlikely, though, that regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey would support Iran materially, given their strong alliances with the US.

Iran’s key global allies, Russia and China, have also condemned Israel’s strikes. They have previously shielded Tehran from punitive resolutions at the UN Security Council.

However, neither power appears willing — at least for now — to escalate the confrontation by providing direct military support to Iran or engaging in a standoff with Israel and the US.

Theoretically, this could change if the conflict widens and Washington openly pursues a regime change strategy in Tehran. Both nations have major geopolitical and security interests in Iran’s stability. This is due to Iran’s long-standing “Look East” policy and the impact its instability could have on the region and the global economy.

However, at the current stage, many analysts believe both are unlikely to get involved directly.

Moscow stayed on the sidelines when Assad’s regime collapsed in Syria, one of Russia’s closest allies in the region. Not only is it focused on its war in Ukraine, Russia also wouldn’t want to endanger improving ties with the Trump administration.

China has offered Iran strong rhetorical support, but history suggests it has little interest in getting directly involved in Middle Eastern conflicts.

Kyiv, June 20: A Russian missile strike on a nine-story Kyiv apartment building was a sign that more pressure must be applied on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as Moscow intensifies attacks in the war.

The drone and missile attack on Kyiv early Tuesday, the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killed 28 people across the city and wounded 142 others, Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said.

Zelenskyy, along with the head of the presidential office, Andrii Yermak, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the apartment building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 people who died there after a direct hit by a missile brought down the structure.

“This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine’s partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to “feel the real cost of the war.”

Intensifying attacks

Tuesday’s attack on Kyiv was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskyy called one of the biggest bombardments of the war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.

As Russia proceeds with a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected an offer from US President Donald Trump for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt on Ukraine’s mobilization effort and a freeze on Western arms supplies.

Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn away world attention from Ukraine’s pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Moscow.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. Yet on Wednesday, Putin denied that his military had struck such targets, saying that attacks were “against military industries, not residential quarters.”

Putin told senior news leaders of international news agencies in St. Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelenskyy, but repeated his accusation that the Ukrainian leader had lost his legitimacy after his term expired last year — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies.

“We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement,” Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Prisoners exchanged

A new round of such exchanges took place in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region on Thursday, involving the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war who, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health issues caused by injuries and prolonged detention.

The exchange was confirmed by Russia’s Defense Ministry, which released a video of Russian servicemen at an exchange area in Belarus after being released in the prisoner swap.

Commenting on the exchange, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram: “We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one.”

Many of the exchanged Ukrainian POWs had spent over three years in captivity, with a large number captured during the defense of the now Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in 2022, according to the KSHPPV, which added that preparations for another prisoner exchange are ongoing.

In St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin praised Trump’s push for peace in Ukraine. But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X on Thursday that it was his country that had “unconditionally accepted” the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire, and said that Russian claims of willingness to end the war were “manipulations.”

“It has been exactly 100 days since Ukraine unconditionally accepted the U.S. peace proposal to completely cease fire, put an end to the killing, and move forward with a genuine peace process … 100 days of Russia escalating terror against Ukraine rather than ending it,” Sybiha wrote.

“Ukraine remains committed to peace. Unfortunately, Russia continues to choose war, disregarding US efforts to end the killing,” he added.

Overnight on Wednesday, Russia fired a barrage of 104 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine, according to the country’s air force. Of those, 88 were intercepted, jammed, or lost from radars mid-flight.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage caused by the attack.

Aden, June 20: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a warning about the emergence of famine hotspots in Yemen in the coming months.

“Food insecurity in Yemen remains at alarming levels. Millions are in acute hunger and pockets of famine could emerge in the coming months. We must act now to save lives,” OCHA said in a brief statement on social media platform X.

On Wednesday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Shaya Zindani held discussions with Julien Harneis, the United Nations resident coordinator in Yemen, focusing on mobilising international resources to address the country’s deteriorating humanitarian situation, according to a statement from the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The humanitarian response to the Yemeni crisis has been severely hampered by funding shortfalls. In May, the United Nations reported that the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan was less than 10 per cent funded, calling for urgent international support to prevent the country from sliding into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Yemen has been mired in a civil conflict since late 2014 when the Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognised government out of the capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated into a broader regional crisis in 2015 with the intervention of a Saudi-led coalition in support of the displaced government.

The war, now in its second decade, has triggered what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Despite repeated mediation efforts, a lasting peace remains elusive.

Israel, June 19: For years, Israel has targeted Iranian nuclear scientists, hoping to choke progress on Iran’s nuclear program by striking at the brains behind it.

Now, with Iran and Israel in an open-ended direct conflict, scientists in Israel have found themselves in the crosshairs after an Iranian missile struck a premier research institute known for its work in life sciences and physics, among other fields.

While no one was killed in the strike on the Weizmann Institute of Science early Sunday, it caused heavy damage to multiple labs on campus, snuffing out years of scientific research and sending a chilling message to Israeli scientists that they and their expertise are now targets in the escalating conflict with Iran.

“It’s a moral victory” for Iran, said Oren Schuldiner, a professor in the department of molecular cell biology and the department of molecular neuroscience whose lab was obliterated in the strike. “They managed to harm the crown jewel of science in Israel.”

Iranian scientists were a prime target in a long shadow war

During years of a shadow war between Israel and Iran that preceded the current conflict, Israel repeatedly targeted Iranian nuclear scientists with the aim of setting back Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel continued that tactic with its initial blow against Iran days ago, killing multiple nuclear scientists, along with top generals, as well as striking nuclear facilities and ballistic missile infrastructure.

For its part, Iran has been accused of targeting at least one Weizmann scientist before. Last year, Israeli authorities said they busted an Iranian spy ring that devised a plot to follow and assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist who worked and lived at the institute.

Citing an indictment, Israeli media said the suspects, Palestinians from east Jerusalem, gathered information about the scientist and photographed the exterior of the Weizmann Institute but were arrested before they could proceed.

With Iran’s intelligence penetration into Israel far less successful than Israel’s, those plots have not been seen through, making this week’s strike on Weizmann that much more jarring.

“The Weizmann Institute has been in Iran’s sights,” said Yoel Guzansky, an Iran expert and senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank. He stressed that he did not know for certain whether Iran intended to strike the institute but believed it did.

While it is a multidisciplinary research institute, Weizmann, like other Israeli universities, has ties to Israel’s defense establishment, including collaborations with industry leaders like Elbit Systems, which is why it may have been targeted.

But Guzansky said the institute primarily symbolizes “Israeli scientific progress” and the strike against it shows Iran’s thinking: “You harm our scientists, so we are also harming (your) scientific cadre.”

Damage to the institute and labs literally decimated

Weizmann, founded in 1934 and later renamed after Israel’s first president, ranks among the world’s top research institutes. Its scientists and researchers publish hundreds of studies each year. One Nobel laureate in chemistry and three Turing Award laureates have been associated with the institute, which built the first computer in Israel in 1954.

Two buildings were hit in the strike, including one housing life sciences labs and a second that was empty and under construction but meant for chemistry study, according to the institute. Dozens of other buildings were damaged.

The campus has been closed since the strike, although media were allowed to visit Thursday. Large piles of rock, twisted metal and other debris were strewn on campus. There were shattered windows, collapsed ceiling panels and charred walls.

A photo shared on X by one professor showed flames rising near a heavily damaged structure with debris scattered on the ground nearby.

“Several buildings were hit quite hard, meaning that some labs were literally decimated, really leaving nothing,” said Sarel Fleishman, a professor of biochemics who said he has visited the site since the strike.

New Delhi, Jun 20: US President Donald Trump has indicated he will decide on whether to launch a military strike on Iran “within the next two weeks,” suggesting a potential diplomatic pause even as regional violence intensifies.

Speaking through White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday, Trump said the United States was weighing its options in light of possible diplomatic engagements with Tehran. “I have a message directly from the president, and I quote,” Leavitt told reporters: “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”

The announcement, described a signal that “opened a window of diplomacy and lowered the temperature in the region,” offers a rare moment of potential de-escalation after nearly a week of heightened hostilities between Iran and Israel.

For days, speculation had mounted that President Trump would act swiftly, with many media and analysts anticipating decision within 48 hours. But the two-week timeline, while not ruling out military action, offers breathing room for a flurry of diplomatic activity now unfolding across Europe.
Europe Pushes Diplomatic Track

On Friday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to meet his French and German counterparts, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in Geneva. The high-stakes talks, also to be attended by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as reported by BBC mark the first direct contact between Iranian and Western officials since the latest conflict between Iran and Israel erupted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, as reported by the BBC, the meetings aimed to secure “a lasting rollback of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lammy added: “Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.”

While the outcome remains uncertain, the effort reflects growing urgency among European powers to curb a conflict that threatens to spill far beyond its current borders. Meanwhile, violence on the ground shows no signs of abating. Thursday marked the seventh consecutive day of cross-border strikes between Israel and Iran. Israeli authorities say an Iranian missile struck a hospital in Beersheba, injuring dozens. In response, Israeli warplanes have intensified their targeting of suspected Iranian nuclear facilities and command centres.

Trump’s decision to delay potential US military action is being interpreted by some as a calculated pause. What happens next may depend as much on the restraint of regional players as on backchannel diplomacy in Geneva and Washington.