Israel attacks Iran's Fordo nuclear site: Iranian media
TEHRAN: Israel carried out a fresh strike on Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site south of Tehran, a media outlet in the country reported.
'The aggressor attacked the Fordo nuclear site again,' Tasnim news agency reported, quoting a spokesperson for the crisis management authority in Qom province where the site is located.
The latest attacks come a day after the United States launched unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities including Fordo and sites at Isfahan and Natanz.
US President Donald Trump said the strikes had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear capabilities, but other officials said it was too soon to assess the true impact on Iran's nuclear programme.
Iran condemned the attack and vowed retaliation, noting there were 'no signs of contamination' after the US strikes.
The US strikes came around 10 days after Israel launched an attack on Iran killing nuclear scientists, top military commanders as well as striking military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country.
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Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Israel strikes Tehran's Evin prison in largest attack yet; Iran warns US but holds fire — for now
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The Mizan news outlet of Iran's judiciary confirmed that the prison had been hit. It said part of the building was damaged but the situation was under control. A video posted by Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar on X showed an explosion at a building with a sign identifying it as an entrance to Evin prison in northern Tehran and the accompanying words: 'Viva la libertad!' — Spanish for 'Long live liberty.' Reuters could not immediately verify the video. Evin has been the primary prison for housing political detainees and security prisoners, notably since Iran's 1979 revolution, and the site of executions that remain potent symbols for the opposition. It is where several high-profile foreign prisoners are also held. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made clear that Israel was no longer limiting its attacks to its initial stated targets such as Iran's nuclear programme and missiles, and would go after the Tehran government's ability to maintain power. 'The IDF is currently striking, with unprecedented force, regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran,' he said in a statement. There were conflicting reports on Iranian media about the full extent of strikes on Tehran, a city of 10 million people where much of the population has fled after 10 days of bombing. Tasnim news agency reported a strike at an electricity feeder station in the Evin neighbourhood. Power company Tavanir reported some areas in the capital saw electricity cuts. Iran's student news network reported that Shahid Beheshti University, one of the main universities in Tehran, had also been hit. The university's public relations office denied it. Limited options Since Trump joined Israel's campaign by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning, Iran has repeatedly threatened to retaliate. But while it has continued to fire missiles at Israel, it has yet to take action against the United States itself, either by firing at US bases or by targeting the 20 per cent of global oil shipments that pass near its coast at the mouth of the Gulf. 'Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,' Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said today in English in a recorded video statement. Trump's administration has repeatedly said that its aim is solely to destroy Iran's nuclear programme, not to open a wider war. But in a social media post yesterday, Trump spoke of toppling the hardline clerical rulers who have been Washington's principal foes in the Middle East since Iran's 1979 revolution. 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' he wrote. Experts surveying commercial satellite imagery said it appeared that the US attack had severely damaged the site of Iran's Fordow nuclear plant, built inside a mountain. Trump called the strike a 'Bullseye!!!' 'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran,' he wrote. More Israeli strikes Israel's airstrikes on Iran have met little resistance from Iranian defences since Israel launched its surprise attack on June 13, killing many of Iran's top commanders. In an apparent effort to limit panic, Iran has released few images of the damage since the initial days of the bombing. The internet has largely been down for days, making it difficult for information to circulate within Iran and abroad. The Israeli military said a missile launched from Iran early today had been intercepted by Israeli defences. Air raid sirens blared overnight in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel. But Iran's ability to retaliate is far more limited than a few months ago, since Israel inflicted defeat on Iran's most feared regional proxy force, Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran's most powerful client ruler, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, fell soon after. Iran's most effective threat to hurt the West would be to restrict global oil flows from the Gulf, but oil prices have not shot up to crisis levels. After briefly jumping above US$80 (RM343) a barrel at the open, Brent crude futures were up just 0.5 per cent to US$77.38 in this morning's trading, having even at one point even been down on the morning. Prices are still above the level before Israel started its attacks this month. Traders said even that premium could fade. 'It's worth noting that the current geopolitical risk premium — now exceeding US$10 per barrel — cannot be sustained for long without a tangible supply disruption,' said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy for Saxo Bank. Iranian lawmakers have discussed shutting the Strait of Hormuz that leads into the Gulf, though no decision has been taken. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down the threat. 'It's economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that,' he said. — Reuters
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Oil rises in choppy session as investors weigh up US strikes on Iran
LONDON: Oil prices touched a five-month high before paring gains on Monday as oil and gas transit continued on tankers from the Middle East after US airstrikes against Iran at the weekend. Brent crude futures were up 85 cents, or one per cent, at US$77.86 a barrel by 1126 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose by 84 cents, or one per cent, to US$74.68. US President Donald Trump said he had "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes over the weekend, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself. Israel carried out fresh strikes against Iran on Monday including on capital Tehran and the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow, which was also a target of the US attack. Iran, which is OPEC's third-largest crude producer, said on Monday that the US attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called US President Donald Trump a "gambler" for joining Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, China said the US attack had damaged Washington's credibility and warned that the situation could go "out of control". The Brent and WTI crude benchmarks touched five-month highs of US$81.40 and US$78.40 respectively on Monday before giving up gains to turn negative and then recover to a one per cent gain. Prices have risen since the start of the conflict on June 13 on mounting fears that Iran could retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude supply flows. "All eyes remain on the Strait of Hormuz ... and whether Iran will seek to disrupt tanker traffic," said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen. Investors are still weighing up the extent of the geopolitical risk premium, given the Middle East crisis has yet to crimp supply. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said the risk premium is fading but it is unclear how the conflict might evolve, and prices are likely to remain volatile in the near term. A Goldman Sachs report on Sunday said that Brent could briefly peak at US$110 a barrel if oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz were halved for a month and remain down by 10 per cent for the following 11 months. The bank still assumed no significant disruption to oil and natural gas supply, citing global incentives that prevent sustained and very large disruption. Given the waterway is indispensable for Iran's own oil exports, which are a vital source of its national revenue, a sustained closure would inflict severe economic damage to Iran itself, making it a double-edged sword, said Sugandha Sachdeva at research firm SS WealthStreet.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Iran's Fordow nuclear site
ISTANBUL: Israel launched new airstrikes on the Fordow nuclear site, south of the Iranian capital Tehran, on Monday, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported, citing Iranian media. "Moments ago, the aggressor enemy attacked the Fordow nuclear site again," said a spokesperson from the Qom Province Crisis Management Headquarters. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency confirmed the attack but did not provide details about the damage. The strike came a day after United States forces bombed three nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Israel and Iran have been engaged in aerial combat since June 13, when Tel Aviv launched a surprise attack on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to respond with retaliatory strikes. At least 430 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.
