PM celebrates with supporters as exit polls updated in his favor, but refrains from declaring victory

Iran hasn’t attempted to repair nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli strikes — IAEA chief

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during the annual General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, September 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

UNITED NATIONS — The head of the UN nuclear agency says there has been no indication Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct its nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli military strikes this year or last year.

US President Donald Trump has said one of the major reasons the United States went to war with Iran on February 28 was to deny Tehran the ability to develop nuclear weapons, even as he has insisted that strikes the US carried out on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 “obliterated” the country’s atomic program.

During a UN Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi urges Iran to give inspectors access to all nuclear sites, including those damaged in the military attacks. The IAEA has not been able to verify the status of Iran’s stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the US bombed its sites last year.

However, Grossi says that “since June 2025, we have not identified any activity to repair or reconstruct any of the facilities damaged in the military attacks of 2025 and 2026.”

Trump has consistently downplayed the economic impact of the Iran war, which has emerged as a liability for Republicans heading into next week’s midterm elections, and has argued that higher fuel prices are worth paying to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The White House doesn’t immediately respond Tuesday evening to a request for comment on Grossi’s remarks.

Gap between blocs starts narrowing as more ballots counted

With 32.5% of ballot boxes counted as of 4:51 a.m., partial results published by the Central Elections Committee give the pro-Netanyahu bloc 59 seats and the anti-Netanyahu bloc 46, after earlier results gave the former a majority of the Knesset’s 120 seats.

Parties currently below the 3.25% threshold: Reservists (2.7%), People of Israel (1.8%) and Charedi Public (0.3%).

The results are partial and will change as counting continues. Votes cast in double envelopes, including those of soldiers, are counted later.

Pro-Netanyahu bloc holds big lead with just over a quarter of ballots counted, though results likely to change

With 25.2% of ballot boxes counted as of 4:05 a.m., partial results published by the Central Elections Committee give the pro-Netanyahu bloc 63 seats and the anti-Netanyahu bloc 49. The remaining eight seats are held by the nonaligned Joint List of predominantly Arab factions.

The parties currently below the 3.25% threshold are Ra’am (3.2%), Reservists (2.9%), People of Israel (1.8%), Charedi Public (0.2%).

The results are partial and will change as counting continues. Votes cast in double envelopes, including those of soldiers, are counted later.

US said to warn Gulf states it may launch short yet intensive war with Iran after midterms

The United States has informed several unspecified Gulf Arab countries to be ready for a short yet intensive military offensive following the American midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources briefed on the discussions.

The report says the US military is sending a Patriot battery from Texas to bolster its air defenses and moving troops away from bases where they could be exposed to Iranian fire, part of what the newspaper describes as signs that the US and Israel are gearing up for a fresh round of fighting with the Islamic Republic.

The White House says in response that it won’t comment on “sensitive military plans that may or may not exist” but stresses “President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”

Netanyahu: Israel has ‘historic, one-time opportunity’ to defeat Iran ‘once and for all’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses his supporters at an election night event after the exit polls were announced, in Jerusalem on early October 28, 2026. (Jewel Samad/AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says at Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem that it is a “shame” that parties are willing to cooperate with Arab parties.

He asks how parties can talk about “the covenant of those who serve” with parties that attack IDF soldiers.

Netanyahu blasts “criminal political investigations” into him.

“Israel is facing a historic, one-time opportunity along with our friend President Trump,” he says, “to remove the Iranian threat once and for all.”

“We have been able to overcome our enemies, and we will be able to in the future,” he says, before joining in to the song blasting through the speakers.

Netanyahu arrives at Likud election event in Jerusalem

Supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrate at the Likud party headquarters in Jerusalem following the release of exit poll results from the general elections, October 28, 2026. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived at the Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem.

Supporters hold signs aloft and stand on chiars, as one activist clad in pink blows a shofar.