Israel, US launch attacks against Iran

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that a first wave of retaliatory missile and drone attacks had been launched against Israel, warning that all US bases and interests in the region were within Iran’s reach, an Iranian official told Reuters.

Explosions were reported in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.

Bahrain said the service centre of the US Fifth Fleet had been subjected to a missile attack. Video footage from witnesses in Bahrain showed a thick grey plume of smoke rising from near the small island state’s coastline as sirens wailed.

At least half a dozen witnesses, including Reuters correspondents, heard loud booms in various parts of the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, a major oil producer and close US ally.

One witness told Reuters she heard five booms in rapid succession that caused windows in a house near Abu Dhabi’s Corniche to vibrate. Other witnesses in the Al Dhafra and Bateen areas also reported loud explosions.

Qatar said it had downed all missiles targeting the country, according to the state news agency. A Qatari official told AFP that defence systems intercepted an Iranian missile as warning sirens sounded across the Gulf state.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Qatar’s US-made Patriot interceptors downed the missile. Qatar hosts the Al-Udeid military base, the largest U.S. military facility in the region.

The UAE said one person was killed by falling shrapnel following the Iranian missile attack.

The United Arab Emirates said it was targeted on Saturday by what it described as a “blatant attack” involving Iranian ballistic missiles, adding that its air defence systems intercepted a number of them.

The Defence Ministry said debris fell in a residential area of Abu Dhabi, causing material damage and killing one person of Asian nationality.

Authorities said the security situation was under control and that all relevant agencies were monitoring developments around the clock.

The ministry strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “dangerous escalation” and a “cowardly act” that threatens civilian safety and regional stability. It said the strike was a clear violation of the UAE’s sovereignty and international law.

The UAE reserved “its full right to respond” and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, people and national interests. It added that it was fully prepared to deal with any threats and that the safety of citizens, residents and visitors remained a top priority.

The ministry urged the public to rely on official sources for information and avoid spreading rumours.

Saudi Arabia also strongly condemned what it called Iranian aggression and a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan.

Riyadh expressed full solidarity with those countries and said it was ready to place all its capabilities at their disposal to support any measures they take. It warned of the serious consequences of continued violations of state sovereignty and international law.

In Israel, a series of explosions was heard and air raid sirens sounded over Jerusalem after Israel and the United States launched a joint attack on Iran earlier in the day. The Israeli military had said it identified a barrage of missiles launched from Iran.

Explosions were also heard near Iran’s Kharg Island. Iran exports about 90% of its crude oil via Kharg, shipping it through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reported explosions in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah. Blasts were also heard in the northwestern city of Tabriz, according to Fars news agency.

Iran’s Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour are believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks, two sources familiar with Israel’s military operations and one regional source said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former US president Donald Trump of waging an unjustified confrontation against Tehran, warning that Iran’s armed forces were ready to respond.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, Araghchi said: “Netanyahu and Trump’s war on Iran is wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate.”

He further criticised Trump’s foreign policy stance, stating: “Trump has turned ‘America First’ into ‘Israel First’—which always means ‘America Last’.”

The minister also issued a warning regarding Tehran’s military preparedness. “Our Powerful Armed Forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve,” he said.

A source told Reuters that Iranian officials were the main target of the first wave of US-Israeli strikes.

Iran’s senior officials are “in perfect health”, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and security chief Ali Larijani, the Fars news agency reported on Saturday.

“While Israeli sources have claimed to have targeted and succeeded in attacking the president and senior Iranian leaders, official sources within the country report that senior regime officials, including the heads of the armed forces, are in perfect health,” the report said.

The joint strikes by Israel and the United States earlier on Saturday pushed the Middle East into renewed military confrontation and further dimmed hopes for a diplomatic solution to the West’s long-standing effort to denuclearise Iran, despite Tehran’s repeated assertions that it will not pursue nuclear weapons.

An official told Reuters that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a secure location, and the news agency Mehr is reporting that Iran’s President is “safe”. The New York Times, citing a US official, reported that US strikes on Iran were underway.

US strikes are being launched by air and sea, a US official tells Reuters. Speaking to CNN, a US official claims that the strikes are “only on military targets”.

Previously, an Iranian official said that Tehran is preparing for retaliation, “The response will be crushing.”

“The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

Israeli Defence officials state that this operation was planned months ago, with the launch date decided some weeks prior. They added that this attack was coordinated with the US, and the US has planned “several days of attacks” against Iran.

Iranian state media says that mobile phone lines have been cut in parts of western and eastern Tehran, and internet connectivity has been weakened in some areas. International monitor Netblocks says that, according to network data, Iran is now under a near-total media blackout.

Explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported, and sirens sounded across Israel around 08:15 local time in what the military said was a “proactive alert” to prepare the public for the possibility of an incoming missile strike.

The Israeli military announced the closure of schools and workplaces, with exceptions for essential sectors, and a ban on public airspace. Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights, and the airport authority asked the public not to go to any of the country’s airports.

They stated that their forces are deployed and ready for an offensive “across all sectors”, adding that air force strikes will continue across Iran as needed.

UN chief urges immediate de-escalation in Middle East

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the escalating military tensions in the Middle East, warning that continued hostilities risk undermining global peace and stability.

In a statement on X, Guterres said: “I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East. The use of force by the United States & Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermine international peace & security.”

He stressed that all countries must adhere to international legal obligations, including those outlined in the United Nations Charter and called for restraint. “I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities & de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians & regional stability,” he said, encouraging all sides to return to dialogue.

Guterres reiterated that peaceful resolution remains the only sustainable path forward. “I reiterate that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN Charter,” he said, adding that the Charter forms the foundation for maintaining international peace and security.

The attack comes after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war in June, following repeated US-Israeli threats that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The US and Iran renewed negotiations in February in a bid to resolve the decades-long dispute through diplomacy and avert the threat of a military confrontation that could destabilise the region.

Israel, however, insisted that any US deal with Iran must include the dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure, not just stopping the enrichment process, and lobbied Washington to include restrictions on Iran’s missile programme in the talks.

Iran has repeatedly said that it has never sought nuclear weapons.

Iran said it was prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions, but ruled out linking the issue to missiles.

Tehran also said it would defend itself against any attack. It warned neighbouring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington struck Iran.

In June, the US joined an Israeli military campaign against Iranian nuclear installations, in the most direct American military action ever against the Islamic Republic.

Tehran retaliated by launching missiles toward the US Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest in the Middle East.

Trump’s video address

US President Donald Trump, in a video address, said the US is carrying out “major operations” in Iran.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating immediate threats from the Iranian regime.”

He added that Iran can “never have a nuclear weapon,” claiming that they tried to rebuild their nuclear program despite repeated Iranian assertions to the contrary.

He said they are developing “long-range missiles” that “threaten the US.”

“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground…we’re going to annihilate their navy… Americans may be lost, and we may have casualties.”

Trump addressed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, telling them to “lay down their arms…You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death.”

In a statement to Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the US and Israel have embarked on an operation to remove the “existential threat” posed by the Iranian regime.”

“The operation will create conditions for Iranian people to take destiny into their own hands.”

Pakistani reactions

Pakistan’s DPM/FM Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar received a call from FM of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi. They reviewed the evolving situation in Iran and the wider region.

The DPM/FM strongly condemned the unwarranted attacks against Iran and called for an immediate halt to escalation through urgent resumption of diplomacy to achieve a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the crisis.

Pakistan’s air traffic controllers have been directed to maintain strict monitoring of the country’s airspace. Air traffic controllers have also been instructed to closely monitor the Iran-Afghanistan region and adjoining airspace.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a travel advisory for Pakistani nationals regarding Iran, advising against all non-mandatory travel.

Pakistani airlines have been ordered not to use Iranian airspace.

Spokesperson of the Jafaria Alliance, Allama Baqir Zaidi, released a statement condemning Israel’s attack on Iran.

“Israel has initiated war and put the region at risk,” he said. “The people of Pakistan stand with the Iranian people.”

Chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, said that the joint US and Israeli attack on Iran is open terrorism. “The entire region is being pushed into war. Once again, the United States used negotiations as a deception.”

“Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ is in fact a ‘Board of War’,” he said, adding that the US and Israel have put the entire Middle East at risk to achieve their “sinister objectives”.

He called upon Muslim rulers to open their eyes, as over the past 25 years, several stable Muslim countries have been targeted under US “patronage”, spreading chaos and conflict there, he said.

“Pakistan’s rulers should also remember this lesson: the United States is no one’s friend.”

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has condemned Israel’s attack on Iran.

Bilawal termed Israeli aggression against Iran alarming for peace in the region. “To cover up its atrocities in Gaza, Israel carried out a cowardly attack on Iran. The United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation should take all possible measures to stop Israeli aggression against Iran.”

“The international community should take notice of Israel’s open violation of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

International reactions

Britain said that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and that is why it continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran.

“Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution,” a government spokesperson said.

The US embassy in Jerusalem has directed their governement employees to go to shelters until further notice, as well as the US embassy in Bahrain.

The Israeli airport authority has stated that land crossings to Egypt and Jordan remain open.

Iraq has closed its airspace, according to its state news agency.

The Russian transport ministry has stated that due to airspace closures, alternate flight plans have been worked out in advance, but that flight times will increase due to distance. Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said that Trump, “the peacemaker,” has once again shown his true colours.

The US Embassy in Qatar has issued a duck and cover warning to US citizens until further notice, warning that an Iranian missile strike is imminent. Before this, it had implemented a shelter-in-place order for all personnel, urging American citizens in the country to take similar precautions.

In a message posted on X, the embassy recommended that all U.S. nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice.

The embassy advised Americans to find a secure location within their residence or another safe building and to ensure they had adequate supplies of food, water, medication and other essential items.

The US embassy in the UAE has implemented shelter-in-place protocols for all personnel.

The Lebanese Prime Minister issued a statement saying, “We will not accept anyone dragging the country into adventures that threaten its security and unity,” in an indirect message to the armed group Hezbollah.

Lufthansa has suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Oman.

The Polish president was aware of strikes on Iran thanks to “communication channels with allies.”

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful Security Council, chided US President Donald Trump for the attack on Iran and questioned Washington’s staying power given the relatively short history of the United States compared to that of Persia’s civilisation.

“The peacemaker once again showed his face,” Medvedev, a former Russian president, said. “All negotiations with Iran are a cover operation. No one doubted it. No one really wanted to negotiate anything.”

“The question is who has more patience to wait for the inglorious end of their enemy. The USA is only 249 years old. The Persian Empire was founded more than 2,500 years ago. Let’s see in 100 years…”

This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly