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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Israel seeks 'quick end' to war as heavy Iranian attacks pummel major cities: Report</h1><p class="gmail-">Washington
is asking China to pressure Iran to avoid closing the Strait of Hormuz,
claiming it would be 'economic suicide' for Tehran</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">News Desk</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span style="color:rgb(84,88,94)">JUN 23, 2025 - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-seeks-quick-end-to-war-as-heavy-iranian-attacks-pummel-major-cities-report">https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-seeks-quick-end-to-war-as-heavy-iranian-attacks-pummel-major-cities-report</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/9662fc9e-5033-11f0-a84a-00163e02c055.jpeg" alt="" width="394" height="222" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>(Photo credit: Reuters)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span class="gmail-article-body"><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Israel is signaling an interest in concluding its war with Iran in the near future, according to Israeli and Arab officials who </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-israel-us-latest-news/card/israel-seeks-an-end-to-fighting-with-iran-soon-bijK6KrvRZnWxiwhlQ6Z"><span style="background-color:transparent">spoke</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent"> with the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>. The effort comes after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and another wave of Iranian missiles targeting Israel.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Israeli
officials said they believe the current military phase is nearing its
conclusion and expect to finish striking the remaining targets in Iran
within days. The goal, officials added, is to pressure Iran back to the
negotiating table and secure a commitment to permanently abandon its
nuclear program.</span></p><p style="margin-left:auto">On Monday, Iran conducted the 21<sup>st</sup> wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel, inflicting heavy damage in multiple cities.</p><p style="margin-left:auto">Tehran
has used advanced missiles in the attacks as well as special tactics to
render Israel's air defense ineffective, Iranian media <a href="https://english.news.cn/20250623/65700823a754419487501cdb0b50bd36/c.html">reported</a>.</p><p style="margin-left:auto">Earlier on Monday, Iran's army announced that it had launched tens of kamikaze drones equipped with warheads towards Israel.</p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div> <p><span style="background-color:transparent">Another
Israeli official added that Tel Aviv reserves the right to act
militarily again if Iran attempts to revive its nuclear ambitions.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Iran
has the right under international law to enrich uranium for a peaceful
nuclear program as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT).</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">On
Monday, the Israeli Air Force allegedly carried out a major attack on
Tehran. Among the targets were IRGC camps, command centers, as well as
Evin Prison.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Israel
also launched fresh strikes on Fordow while assessments continue at
Natanz and Isfahan. According to Israeli intelligence, the Natanz
nuclear site has been completely destroyed, with dozens of IRGC
personnel reportedly killed in the strikes.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">Meanwhile,
geopolitical tensions have escalated beyond the battlefield. Iran's
parliament has reportedly backed a plan to close the Strait of Hormuz,
though the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security
Council. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">The
move \u2013 if carried out \u2013 would disrupt roughly 20 percent of the world's
oil supply and risk triggering global economic shockwaves.</span></p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div> <p><span style="background-color:transparent">US
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to use its influence to
prevent Tehran from taking such an action. \u201cI encourage the Chinese
government in Beijing to call them [Iran] about that,\u201d Rubio </span><a href="https://youtu.be/E-SVkTqMug4?si=3ToOd6K5W3QJwBLC"><span style="background-color:transparent">said</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent">
in a Fox News interview. \u201cIf they close the Straits, it will be
economic suicide for them \u2026 it would hurt other countries' economies a
lot worse than ours.\u201d If Iran does close the strait, \u201cWe have responses
that are devastating,\u201d he added.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent">China, Iran's largest oil customer, would be significantly affected by such a closure. Energy analyst Vandana Hari </span><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c056pyv723vo"><span style="background-color:transparent">warned</span></a><span style="background-color:transparent">
that Iran has \u201clittle to gain and too much to lose\u201d from closing the
Strait. \u201cIran risks turning its oil and gas producing neighbors in the
Gulf into enemies and invoking the ire of its key market, China,\u201d she
told BBC.</span></p></span></div></div></div></div>
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