As the second week of fighting between Israel and Iran unfolds, high-level diplomatic efforts are underway.
The foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany are expected to meet with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva, aiming to de-escalate tensions in the region.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the global authority on nuclear safety, confirmed on Friday that Iran’s Khondab Heavy Water Production Plant suffered damage from Israeli rocket strikes.
Initially, no visible harm was reported, but further evaluation revealed destruction to vital infrastructure.
In a statement shared on X, the IAEA said, “As mentioned in yesterday’s update, while damage to the Khondab Heavy Water Production Plant was initially not visible, the Agency later assessed that key buildings at the facility were damaged, including the distillation unit.”
This update followed the agency’s Thursday announcement that the reactor had been struck without any subsequent radiation leaks.
Meanwhile, Israel is facing mounting pressure on multiple fronts. With ongoing military operations, the country’s economy is under strain.
Officials hope that increasing taxes might help absorb some of the financial burdens, even as its tech sector continues to attract investor confidence.
Around the globe, nations accelerated evacuation plans for their citizens and diplomatic personnel. On Friday, China disclosed that more than 1,600 Chinese nationals had been flown out of Iran, along with several hundred others from Israel.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, efforts are being maximized to ensure their safe passage. The Embassy in Israel was scheduled to start group evacuations the same day.
The European Union also stepped in, announcing the successful evacuation of 400 individuals from Israel to neighboring Jordan and Egypt.
France revealed plans to transport citizens out of the country by bus, while Germany confirmed it had already flown out 345 citizens from Amman, Jordan, across two days, with additional flights arranged for the weekend.
Greece, Bulgaria, India, Indonesia, Japan, Oman, and Poland were also among the nations actively retrieving their citizens as hostilities escalate.
Israel’s Tourism Ministry reported that nearly 22,000 of the 38,000 tourists still in the country had requested evacuation support as of Thursday.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called on Americans in Israel to register for evacuation assistance.
“Any of the roughly 700,000 Americans living in Israel and interested in leaving should register in order to be evacuated by plane or ship,” Huckabee said.
On the battlefield, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday that it had executed numerous airstrikes against Iranian military facilities, including targets tied to Tehran’s suspected nuclear weapons research.
A statement from the IDF said Israeli forces had, “completed a series of strikes in the heart of Tehran: dozens of targets were struck, including military missile production sites and the SPND headquarters for research and development of Iran’s nuclear weapons project.”
Amid worsening security conditions, Australia declared on Friday that it had suspended all embassy operations in Tehran.
The country’s Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, cited safety concerns and confirmed that Australian defense personnel and aircraft were on standby for evacuation.
“We have a very volatile security situation here,” Wong said, explaining that a crisis response team was being dispatched to Azerbaijan to assist with evacuations at the border. She added, “We are in the process of getting a crisis response team into Azerbaijan, and the purpose is to assist any Australians who get to that border and that is the border crossing that is the most likely for exit from Tehran.”
According to Wong, roughly 2,000 Australian families are seeking help. She emphasized that Australia has no military involvement in the conflict, and noted that during her recent call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “no such request was made.”