For now, links to 16 reports: from Middle East Eye, the Cradle, Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio, and to articles of commentary from Indian Punchline and the Cradle; others or at least headlnes are accessible by clicking on their names below. (IRAN 6-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM
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Iranian missiles rain down on Tel Aviv after Israel attacks Arak nuclear reactor, by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye Iranian ballistic missiles struck several areas of Israel today, with extensive damage reported at the Israeli stock exchange building in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, as well as a major hospital in the south of the country. READ MORE . . .
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IRGC targets Israeli command center in Beersheva. From the Cradle. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced today that it targeted an Israeli command center near Soroka Hospital in the city of Beersheva, following the launch of approximately 30 ballistic missiles at Israel that morning. READ MORE . . .
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Israel threatens Iran’s top leader after missiles damage hospital and wound more than 200, by Sam Mednick, Natalie Melzer, Melanie Lidman and Jon Gambrell | AP BEERSHEBA, Israel — Israel’s defense minister overtly threatened Iran’s supreme leader today after the latest missile barrage from Iran damaged the main hospital in southern Israel and hit several other residential buildings near Tel Aviv. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Anadolu Agency.
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IRGC claims ‘total air dominance’ over Israel. From the Cradle. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared “complete control over the skies” of Israel in a statement on Wednesday, following a wave of missile strikes. READ MORE . . .
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Israel says ‘it was a mistake’ to say Iran’s Bushehr was hit. From Reuters. An Israeli military official said today “it was a mistake” for a military spokesperson to have said earlier in the day that Israel had struck the Bushehr nuclear site in Iran. READ MORE . . .
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Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, hit by an Israeli airstrike, was part of Tehran’s nuclear deal, by Jon Gambrell | AP DUBAI — Much of the focus on Iran’s nuclear program has been on Tehran’s enrichment of uranium, but experts also keep a close watch on the Islamic Republic’s Arak heavy water reactor. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.
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President Trump says he hasn’t decided whether to strike Iranian nuclear facility. Reported by Franco Ordoñez and Leila Fadel | NPR President Trump on Wednesday declined to say whether the United States is moving closer to a decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM JUNE 18 Iran’s leader rejects calls to surrender and warns that intervention would harm the U.S., by Joseph Krauss, Jon Gambrell and Julia Frankel | AP DUBAI — Iran’s supreme leader rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.” European diplomats prepared to hold talks with Iran on Friday. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 18 Putin says Russia could help broker a deal between Iran and Israel, by James Jordan and Harriet Morris | AP ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Wednesday to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement that could allow . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.
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FROM JUNE 18 Israel’s president talks with NPR about Iran. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR As Israel’s war with Iran expands, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for international support in destroying Iran’s main nuclear facilities. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM JUNE 18 Weapons and war: Parallels between Iran and Iraq. Reported by Tinbete Ermyas, Michael Levitt and Ari Shapiro | NPR Author Steve Coll compares Iraq in 2002 with Iran today in connection with a potential war due to an adversarial country’s weapons program. His book The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq was published in 2024. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM JUNE 18 Iranians flee Tehran. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR Some iranians welcomed Israeli attacks on their leaders, but now fear for their own safety. Thousands are scrambling to get out of Tehran as the air war intensifies. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM JUNE 18 Trump orders ‘unconditional surrender’ by Iran. Who’s listening? by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline Trump has a major decision to take — how to rescue Israel from the attritional war that lies ahead. Pressure for U.S. military intervention is mounting. He is obligated one way or another to all three segments of the Israel Lobby. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 16 Tel Aviv miscalculates: Why Israel’s shock strategy failed against Iran, by Ali Salehian | The Cradle The Israeli occupation state’s early morning blitz on June 13 — the most brazen assault on Iranian soil in decades — was designed to replicate its past successes in Lebanon. It didn’t work. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 14 Israel’s war on Iran was never just about nukes, by Qassem Qassem | The Cradle The current war is a culmination of Benjamin Netanyahu’s decades-long obsession. As documented by Israeli think tanks and strategic planners, the long-term goal is regime change. READ MORE . . .
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TO BE CONTINUED