Iran-Israel escalation sparks fears of wider conflict
Staff Reporter :
The escalating conflict between Iran and Israel entered its fifth day on Monday, marked by deadly missile exchanges, rising civilian casualties, and growing global diplomatic concern.
In a sharp turn of events, Iran’s missiles struck several major Israeli cities, while Israel claimed “full aerial operational control” over Tehran, signaling a dangerously volatile standoff in the Middle East.
Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s critical infrastructure and top military figures.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the killing of four senior Iranian intelligence officials, including the head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) intelligence unit.
Meanwhile, Iranian missile barrages again breached Israel’s highly touted Iron Dome defense system overnight, resulting in 24 deaths in Israel since the hostilities began on Friday.
In retaliation, Iran intensified its counter-operations, reportedly arresting dozens of alleged Israeli-linked “saboteurs and spies.”
Tehran is experiencing what observers call its worst security breach since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Amid the tensions, Iran’s parliament is preparing a bill to exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), although Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasised that the Islamic Republic remains opposed to developing weapons of mass destruction.
In parallel, the humanitarian fallout is extending beyond Iran and Israel. The Bangladeshi Embassy in Lebanon issued a safety alert for its citizens, urging them to remain indoors, especially at night.
Citing the “special situation arising in the Middle East,” the embassy shared emergency contact numbers for expatriates in need of assistance.
The Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also established emergency hotlines for its citizens living in Iran, enabling them and their families in Bangladesh to seek urgent support.
The Embassy in Tehran can be reached at +989380577368 and +989122064545, while the Foreign Ministry in Dhaka has opened a helpline at +8801712012847.
Meanwhile, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) Yearbook 2025, in its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security reported that risk of nuclear war grows amid new arms race.
It said there are nine nuclear-armed states in the world and nearly all of them continued with intensive nuclear modernization programs in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions.
In the mid-1980s, nuclear warheads, bombs and shells worldwide numbered around 64,000. Today, the figure stands at an estimated 12,241. That trend now looks set to be reversed, according to the latest assessment.
“The most worrying single thing that we see in the nuclear arsenals at the moment is that the long-term reduction in the numbers of nuclear warheads is coming to an end,” SIPRI Director Dan Smith told DW.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the end of the Cold War, the dismantling of retired warheads – warheads removed from the nuclear stockpile – has outpaced the deployment of new ones.
However, as the conflict rages, diplomatic efforts are gaining urgency. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate peace talks and facilitate a return to nuclear negotiations.
During a phone call with President Pezeshkian, Erdogan condemned Israel’s actions as “banditry” and accused the Netanyahu government of dragging the world into potential disaster.
“The spiral of violence that began with Israel’s attacks on Iran has endangered the security of the entire region,” Erdogan said in a separate call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Turkish leader emphasised the need to return to diplomacy and avoid a broader war that could destabilize the already fragile Middle East.
Meanwhile, China urged Iran and Israel to “immediately” take steps to reduce tensions on Monday.
“We urge all parties to immediately take measures to cool down the tensions, prevent the region from falling into greater turmoil, and create conditions for returning to the right track of resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
Meanwhile, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, warned that escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, pose grave dangers to diplomacy and nuclear safety and has urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
Speaking at an emergency session of the United Nations nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors on Monday in Vienna, Director General Grossi stressed that the region is at a critical juncture.