As Israel and Iran continued their escalating conflict into its second week, tensions deepened on Friday, June 20, with U.S. President Donald Trump indicating he may authorize airstrikes on Iran — giving Tehran a two-week window to avert potential military action. This comes as diplomatic talks in Geneva between Iranian officials and European ministers ended with no breakthrough.

President Trump said any American involvement would target Iran’s Fordo nuclear site, a hardened underground facility believed to be accessible only via U.S. “bunker-buster” munitions. While Trump is holding off on a final decision, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue military operations "for as long as it takes" to neutralize Iran’s nuclear and missile threat.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, following the Geneva talks, warned that U.S. intervention would be “very, very dangerous for everyone.” Tehran, he added, will not resume diplomatic dialogue unless Israel halts its “aggression.”

Meanwhile, on the ground, Israel carried out a second strike on Iran’s nuclear site in Isfahan, reportedly inflicting heavy damage to centrifuge infrastructure. In retaliation, drones struck a residential building in northern Israel, though no casualties were reported.

Russia weighed in as well, with President Vladimir Putin stating there’s no evidence that Iran seeks nuclear weapons — aligning with IAEA’s assessment. Putin said Moscow supports Iran’s right to a peaceful nuclear program and is urging both nations to end the bloodshed.

Amidst this chaos, misinformation has become rampant. AI-generated deepfakes and manipulated footage are blurring fact and fiction, fueling online disinformation campaigns. This digital fog is compounding the already tense information war surrounding the conflict.

A bizarre moment occurred when a British-Iranian woman trying to reach her mother in Tehran was answered by a robotic voice in broken English — further highlighting the surreal intersection of war and technology.

In a dramatic statement, a senior aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed that IAEA chief Rafael Grossi would “pay” after the war, accusing him of making conflicting statements that gave Israel a pretext for its surprise attacks.

With diplomacy faltering and military actions intensifying, the region remains on a knife’s edge — and global leaders are scrambling to contain a conflict that risks spiraling far beyond the Middle East.