Israel announced that it had launched a “preemptive” attack on Iran and was preparing for possible retaliation. In several Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran and Isfahan in the central part of the country, strong explosions were heard.
Reuters reports that long queues have formed at gas stations in Tehran, as many citizens try to leave the city. An unnamed Iranian official said several ministries in southern Tehran were targeted.
Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights on Saturday after announcing “preemptive strikes” on Iran and sounding sirens in Jerusalem.
“Following the security incidents, the Minister of Transport ordered the Director of the Israel Civil Aviation Authority to close the airspace of the State of Israel for civilian flights,” said Minister Miri Regev.
The supreme leader transferred to a safe location
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not in Tehran and has been moved to a safe location, an official told Reuters. Israel confirmed that it was a pre-planned, pre-emptive attack.
Trump: Military option still on the table
On Friday, Donald Trump said that he had not yet made a final decision on launching US strikes against Iran, but stressed that he was “not satisfied” with the situation and that military force, including regime change, remained an option.
Negotiations between the US and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program ended without a concrete agreement, with the announcement of possible new talks next week.
The “buildup” of American naval forces in the Middle East
It all comes at a time of a major build-up of US naval forces in the Middle East, including the relocation of aircraft carriers and other warships.
Trump earlier gave Tehran 10 to 15 days to reach an agreement to resolve the long-running dispute over its nuclear program or face “very bad consequences.” Iran has accused the US of spreading “big lies” about its missile program after Trump claimed Tehran was developing weapons that could hit the United States.
During the State of the Nation Address, the US President said that Iran “has already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases abroad, and that they are working on building missiles that will soon be able to reach” the US.
He described Iran as the “world’s largest sponsor of terrorism” and claimed that at least 32,000 protesters had been killed during recent unrest in the country.
Baqaei dismissed the claims, without mentioning Trump directly. “Everything they state about Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles and the number of victims during the January riots is just a repetition of ‘big lies,'” X posted online.
