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Iran Conflict 2026
8JUN

Day 101: Trump said don't strike; Israel struck Iran

2 min read
09:58UTC

Iran fired ten ballistic missiles at an Israeli airbase on Sunday; the IDF intercepted all of them and struck inside Iran the next day, after Trump publicly told Netanyahu not to retaliate. At the IAEA Board, Washington tabled a draft resolution on Iran's uranium. An Iranian MP put a price on Hormuz: $1.5 to $2 million per ship, paid in goods and crypto.

Key takeaway

Trump asked Israel not to strike Iran; Israel struck anyway, and the deal moved to months

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Military
Diplomatic
Economic

Iran's IRGC fired at least 10 ballistic missiles at Ramat David airbase in northern Israel on Sunday 7 June; the IDF intercepted all 10 and reported no casualties.

Sources profile:This story draws on mixed-leaning sources from Israel
Israel
LeftRight

Trump publicly urged Netanyahu not to retaliate; on Monday 8 June the IDF struck the Mahshahr petrochemical complex and missile sites inside Iran regardless.

Sources profile:This story draws on centre-leaning sources from Israel
Israel
LeftRight

Washington submitted a draft resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors as its 8-12 June session opened, demanding Iranian transparency on nuclear sites and uranium stockpiles.

Sources profile:This story draws on centre-right-leaning sources from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The US tabled a nuclear transparency resolution at the UN atomic agency (IAEA) board in Vienna on 8 June. Iran has blocked inspectors for 97 days, leaving 440.9 kg of enriched uranium unaccounted for.

Russia and China oppose censure, so the resolution cannot trigger binding UN sanctions. Putin's offer to hold Iran's uranium also fails: no one can transfer a stockpile nobody has verified. 

Sources:Arab News

An Iranian lawmaker disclosed on Sunday 7 June, via IRGC-affiliated media, an official per-ship charge for Strait of Hormuz passage, taken in barter goods and cryptocurrency.

Sources profile:This story draws on neutral-leaning sources

The IRGC said on 7 June it killed four anti-government fighters in Saravan and seized weapons, ammunition and Starlink satellite terminals near the Pakistan border.

Sources profile:This story draws on neutral-leaning sources

Iran's IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) killed four anti-government fighters in Saravan, a city in south-eastern Iran near the Pakistan border, on 7 June. The operation also seized weapons, ammunition, and Starlink satellite internet terminals.

Iran has made possession of Starlink terminals a capital offence since the 2026 internet blackout began. Seizing them in Saravan alongside fighters confirms opposition groups smuggle terminals across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to coordinate under conditions where IRGC communications-intercept coverage is thin. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 7-8 June that Iran's enrichment matters could take months to resolve, walking back the administration's earlier weekend timeline.

Closing comments

Salvo count rose from 7 (5 June, Gulf-state bases) to 10 (7 June, Israeli military airbase); the IDF answered with strikes in Khuzestan province and blast reports in Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan on 8 June. Bahrain's PAC-3 magazine is at 87% depletion with no 2027 resupply. No party has signalled a de-escalation mechanism: the US has produced rhetoric not paper; Russia's custody offer requires verification the IAEA cannot provide after 97 days of inspector absence; the IAEA draft cannot enforce access. Rezaei's threat of a 'more crushing response' preserves the IRGC option to escalate beyond 10 missiles if the IDF strikes again.

Different Perspectives
Iran / IRGC
Iran / IRGC
The IRGC framed its 10-missile salvo as proportional retaliation for the IDF's Beirut strike, with Rezaei promising a more crushing response to further Israeli action. An Iranian MP simultaneously confirmed the Hormuz toll on the record, politically entrenching both tracks.
Israel / Netanyahu government
Israel / Netanyahu government
Netanyahu struck the Mahshahr complex and missile sites inside Iran within 24 hours of Trump's public no-retaliation request, a second kinetic override of US counsel that confirms Israel will not allow Tehran to dictate the terms of the exchange.
United States / Trump administration
United States / Trump administration
Trump publicly asked Netanyahu not to retaliate and described a deal as 95% done; Rubio then acknowledged enrichment terms could take months. The 24-hour gap between the request and the Mahshahr strike removes the credible-restraint argument from US diplomatic leverage with Tehran.
Russia
Russia
Putin reaffirmed at SPIEF on 6 June his offer to hold Iran's uranium stockpile as custodian, a proposal the IAEA's 97-day verification gap now renders undeliverable: no one can transfer or confirm a stockpile that has not been inspected.
China
China
China absorbed the Shanghai Qianye designation by OFAC and opposes censure at the IAEA Board, arguing the verification gap was created by strikes rather than Iranian non-compliance, a framing it shares with Russia to protect the non-Western bloc's Board votes.
IAEA / Vienna process
IAEA / Vienna process
IAEA officials cited proliferation concerns over 440.9 kg of HEU unaccounted for after 97 days without inspector access; the Board session that opened 8 June cannot retroactively close the evidentiary gap its own resolution documents.