Author: BBC World Service

The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites. The UN chief, Antonio Guterres, said that diplomacy and dialogue must prevail to prevent the Middle East from falling into a cycle of retaliation. We'll hear from a former security official in President Trump's first administration and assess the extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear operation caused by the US attacks.

Also in the programme: We speak to the wife of the Belarusian dissident Siarhei Tsikhanouski who has been released after five years in prison; and Syrian rescue workers say at least fifteen people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a church in the capital Damascus.

(Picture: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses delegates during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Credit: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

The United States has carried out massive precision strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran. The bombings early on Sunday at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordo took place after more than a week of Israeli air strikes on Iran. Republicans are divided on Trump's actions and Iranian foreign minister has accused Donald Trump of betraying the American people as well as Iran.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. U.S. June 21, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Pool)

Iran's foreign minister says the US crossed a big red line by bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. We ask what options Tehran has now. Also: Markets are reacting calmly so far, but worries remain.

President Trump says US strikes have obliterated three Iranian nuclear facilities. The Israeli Prime Minister has called his decision bold; Iran says the attack is outrageous and will have everlasting consequences.

Israel has been striking targets across Iran amid reports that the US is moving B-2 bombers to a base in the Pacific. Also: The science of revenge, and the healing power of video games.

The Belarusian activist Sergey Tikhanovsky, husband of the exiled opposition politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was freed in a surprise release along with several other prisoners. Also in the programme: a resident of Tehran tells us why he hasn't left the city during the Israeli bombardment; and why the UK plans to map the DNA of new-born babies. (Photo: Belarusian opposition politician Svetlana hugs her freed husband Sergey. Credit: Shutterstock)

At a gathering of Muslim-majority states in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has condemned Israel’s military strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating international law and risking “total disaster” in the region. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, also at the summit, warned that any US involvement in the conflict would be “very dangerous.” Also in the programme: In the UK, the launch of a new scheme to map the DNA of newborn babies; and 50 years after the hit film Jaws was released, we ask if it's finally time for a PR makeover for sharks.

Photo: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks in Istanbul Credit: REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The woman fulfilling her mother's dreams of travel by launching her ashes out to sea in a bottle. It's brought her happiness amid her grief. Also: Thailand's tigers bounce back; and making hospitals happier for children.

Presenter: Nick Miles. Music composed by Iona Hampson

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed near aid sites since late May. The Israeli military has repeatedly said it will investigate such reports. We ask why this keeps happening.

Iran agrees to a second day of talks in Geneva over the fate of its nuclear programme. Their meeting marked the first face-to-face dialogue between Tehran and western governments since Israel first attacked Iran a week ago. Also on the programme, witnesses say Israeli military kills 23 Palestinians near aid site in Gaza; and, 50 years since 'Jaws' became the first summer blockbuster.

(Photo: European foreign ministers to meet Iranian officials in Geneva, Switzerland - 20 Jun 2025. MARTIAL TREZZINI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock )