Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research, the country’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said today.

The Iranian president was reiterating supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s religious edict against weapons of mass destruction.

The latest round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US, due last Sunday, were scrapped after Tehran said it would not negotiate while under Israeli attack.

Meanwhile, the conflict showed no signs of halting as Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early this morning in predawn strikes triggering air raid sirens across the country.

Donald Trump claims to be the leader who will end wars. But by effectively killing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear containment deal with Iran in his first term in office and allowing Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to run roughshod across the Middle East in his second, the Republican president is instead fanning the flames of conflict across the region.

It is Trump’s choices that have led Israel and Iran, the Middle East’s most powerful military actors, to the brink of all-out war, with a risk of escalation and spread, global economic disruption and mass casualties.

At least 5 people were killed in the latest Iranian strikes, national emergency service said, bringing Israel’s death toll to at least 18 since Friday.

At least 100 more were wounded in the overnight strikes, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel’s pre-emptive strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The deaths mounted today after Iranian missiles struck Israel’s Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn, destroying homes and creating widespread panic in the region.

Asian shares were mixed as the week began this morning and oil prices extended gains on worries that escalating Iran-Israel tensions could disrupt the flow of crude around the world.

US benchmark crude oil added 20 cents to $73.18 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 95 cents to $75.18 per barrel.

In share trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 added 1.3 per cent to 38,307.74, while the Kospi in Seoul gained 0.9 per cent to 2,920.57.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.1 per cent to 23,864.20 and the Shanghai Composite Index added less than 0.1 per cent to 3,378.78.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2 per cent to 8,547.40.

On Friday, oil prices jumped and stocks slumped after Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets.

At least three people were killed in the Israel’s centre while dozens more were wounded in the overnight strikes, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran, Israel’s national emergency service said this morning.

The attacks are in retaliation for Israel’s pre-emptive strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs that began on Friday.

Guydo Tetelbaun was in his apartment in Tel Aviv when the alerts came in shortly after 4am (0100 GMT).

“As usual, we went into the (shelter) that’s right across the street there. And within minutes, the door of the (shelter) blew in,” the 31-year-old chef said.

“A couple of people came in bloody, all cut up. And then when we came to the apartment, after it quietened down, we saw there wasn’t much of it… Walls are caved in, no more glass,” he added.

“It’s terrifying because it’s so unknown. This could be the beginning of a long time like this, or it could get worse, or hopefully better, but it’s the unknown that’s the scariest.”

The predawn missiles struck near Shuk HaCarmel, a popular market in Tel Aviv that typically draws large crowds of residents and tourists buying fresh fruits and vegetables, and to popular bars and restaurants.

A residential street in nearby Petach Tikva and a school in ultra-Orthodox Jewish city Bnei Brak were also hit.

Iranian missiles struck Israel’s Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa in an early morning raid this morning.

Israel’s national emergency service said three people were killed in the country’s centre while dozens more were wounded in the overnight strikes, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel’s pre-emptive strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs that began on Friday.

Iranian missiles struck Israel’s Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa in an early morning raid this morning, destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week’s G7 meeting.

Search and location operations were underway in the port city of Haifa where around 30 people were wounded, emergency authorities said, as dozens of first responders rushed to the strike zones. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port, local media reported.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the latest attack employed a new method that caused Israel’s multi-layered defence systems to target each other.

“The initiatives and capabilities used in this operation, despite the comprehensive support of the United States and Western powers and the possession of the most up-to-date and newest defence technology, led to the successful and maximum hitting of the missiles on the targets in the occupied territories,” it said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. Israeli officials have repeatedly said the defence system is not 100 per cent and warned of tough days ahead.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz said his goals for the summit include for Iran to not develop or possess nuclear weapons, ensuring Israel’s right to defend itself, avoiding escalation of the conflict and creating room for diplomacy.

“This issue will be very high on the agenda of the G7 summit,” Merz told reporters.

His concerns were echoed by the US president Donald Trump who said he answered a question on what he was doing to de-escalate the situation before leaving for the summit.

“I hope there’s going to be a deal. I think it’s time for a deal,” he told reporters. “Sometimes they have to fight it out.”

Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters yesterday.

Mr Netanyahu, who sought to justify Israel’s recent waves of missile strikes in Iran, asked host Bret Baier whether “these people who chant ‘death to America’” and “tried to assassinate President Trump twice” should “have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to your cities.”

Mr Baier then pressed Mr Netanyahu about his claim that Iran launched two assassination attempts.

“Through proxies, yes,” he said.

“Through, through their intel, yes, they want to kill him,” he added. “He’s enemy number one.”