A plane carrying 311 Indian citizens evacuated from Iran arrived in New Delhi on Sunday evening amid escalating tensions in West Asia, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

This fresh batch of evacuees brings the number of Indians brought back from Iran to 1,428, PTI reported.

Earlier in the day, Tehran launched fresh strikes against Tel Aviv after the United States joined Israel’s war against Iran. American warplanes dropped bombs on three nuclear sites in the country.

The United States’ decision to directly enter the conflict came over a week after the Israeli military struck what it claimed were nuclear targets, and also other sites, in Iran with the aim of stalling Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iran also retaliated with missile attacks on Israel.

Here is more on this and other top updates:

  • During a Pentagon briefing on Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that Iran’s nuclear ambitions were “obliterated” after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on the country’s three nuclear sites, NPR reported. The attack did not affect Iranian troops or civilians, he said. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine provided further details on the mission, dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer”. He said the US attack involved seven B-2 Stealth Bombers and at least one submarine, marking the largest B-2 strike in US history.  “Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” Caine said, adding that final assessments would take time. 
  • Hegseth added that the strikes were not aimed at bringing out a “regime change” in Iran. He said: “The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel.” The defence secretary added that Trump was fully committed to the peace process. “[Trump] wanted a negotiated outcome…gave Iran every single opportunity and unfortunately was met by stonewalling.” 
  • During the briefing Hegseth also read out Trump’s social media posts which warned that any retaliation from Iran would be met with force “far greater”. Hegseth added: “Iran would be smart to heed those words, he said it before and he means it.”
  • Iran’s Supreme National Security Council will make the final decision on closing the Strait of Hormuz after parliament approved the measure after the US strikes, according to Press TV cited by Reuters. The closure, which would impact around 20% of global oil and gas demand, is not yet final. Lawmaker and Revolutionary Guards Commander Esmail Kosari said that closing the strait is on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary”. The decision awaits ratification by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and approval from the office of the supreme leader.
  • Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, condemned US strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities. He called it a “grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. “The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” he said in a post on social media. “Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior”. The minister added that in accordance with the UN Charter, Iran “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest and people”. 
  • The International Atomic Energy Agency said that after the US strikes “no increase in off-site radiation levels” was reported in the region. The global nuclear watchdog added it would continue assessing the situation in Iran as more information emerged. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the agency, also announced an emergency meeting of the board of governors on Monday.
  • Hours after the US strikes on Sunday, Iran launched its twentieth wave of missile and drone strikes against Israeli military targets, CNBC reported, quoting Iran’s state-owned media Fars. The Israeli Health Ministry said that 86 persons were injured in the latest round of Iranian missile strikes, The Times of Israel reported. 
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian,expressing concern over the recent escalation in the Iran-Israel conflict. In a social media post, Modi said that he reiterated the call for “immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward”.
  • Araghchi added that he will fly to Moscow and have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. “Russia is a friend of Iran and we enjoy a strategic partnership,” Al Jazeera quoted him as saying. “We always consult with each other and coordinate our positions.”