Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, June 12, with explosions booming across Tehran. The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Iran’s air defense was activated Friday morning at full capacity, state TV reported, after a series of blasts were heard in Tehran. “Iran’s air defence says it is at 100% operational capacity,” state TV reported, adding the reason behind the blasts remains unknown.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel’s operation against Iran will “continue as many days as it takes.”
Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz said early Friday that the country had conducted a “preemptive strike against Iran.”
The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for not working with its inspectors for the first time in 20 years on Thursday. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more advanced ones.
Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn’t want, though officials there have repeatedly warned it could. The US has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of US troops in the wider Middle East.
People in Tehran awoke to the sound of the blast. State television acknowledged the blast.
It wasn’t immediately clear what had been hit, though smoke could be rising from Chitgar, a neighborhood in western Tehran. Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising over 2%.
Partner service
Learn French with Gymglish
Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day.
Try for free
The White House did not have an immediate comment Thursday night. As the explosions in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed, but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.
