Israeli Air Force attacks regime assets across Iran with 'unprecedented force'
The Israeli Air Force struck key regime targets across Tehran on Monday, including a headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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The IAF attacks on Iranian 'regime targets and governmental repression bodies' also targeted the headquarters of the Basij militia, the notorious Evin Prison for political prisoners, the clock that counts down to the 'destruction of Israel' in Palestine Square, as well as an 'ideology headquarters,' Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
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'Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate, struck command centres and assets belonging to the Internal Security Forces and the IRGC in Tehran, Iran,' the Israel Defense Forces said.
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'As part of the strike, the headquarters of the Basij was targeted. The Basij is one of the IRGC's central armed bases of power. Alongside its other functions, it is also responsible for enforcing Islamic law and reporting civilians who violate it to the regime authorities,' the military's statement continued.
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The targeted command centres are 'significant, both militarily and politically, and striking them harms the Iranian regime's military capabilities,' it added.
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Israeli officials told Ynet that Jerusalem's security establishment believes that hundreds of IRGC members were killed in the latest wave of strikes.
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Another attack targeted access roads to the Fordow uranium enrichment plant in central Iran, one of the three facilities U.S. President Donald Trump has said were 'completely and totally obliterated' in airstrikes on Saturday.
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Israeli officials said the IDF strikes on Monday also targeted a vehicle and Iranian soldiers seeking to approach one of the entrances to the enrichment plant.
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Earlier on Monday, the IAF targeted six airports across western, eastern and central Iran. The strikes focused on runways, underground hangars, a refuelling aircraft and several Iranian regime warplanes, including F-14 and F-5 fighter jets and AH-1 attack helicopters.
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According to the IDF, the destroyed aircraft were intended for use against Israeli Air Force jets to hinder future strikes within Iranian territory. The attacks significantly disrupted takeoff capabilities at the targeted airports and degraded the Iranian military's ability to operate its air force from those locations.
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Winnipeg Free Press
31 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Europe scrambles to revive diplomacy after the US strikes Iran's nuclear sites
LONDON (AP) — European nations worked Monday to keep diplomatic efforts to curb the Israel-Iran war alive as the two countries traded strikes following the United States' weekend attack on Iran's nuclear program. Calls for Tehran to enter talks with Washington appeared to fall on deaf ears as it reached out to ally Russia for support. The crisis topped the agenda for European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, where diplomats agonized about the potential for Iranian retaliation to spark a wider war and global economic instability. 'The concerns of retaliation and this war escalating are huge,' said the bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. Kallas said any attempt by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global shipping, would be 'extremely dangerous and not good for anybody.' Europe seeks more talks Along with the EU, the 'E3' of Britain, France and Germany have led efforts to find a diplomatic solution, holding a tense seven-hour meeting in Geneva on Friday with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. A day after those talks ended with a vague promise to 'meet again in the future,' U.S. bombers struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites. No further E3 talks with Iran are currently planned, a European diplomatic official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations. Still, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Iran to meet the E3 again, and to open negotiations with the United States. Planned U.S.-Iran talks in Oman were scuttled after Israel began attacking Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13. Iran has since ruled out negotiating while it is under attack. 'Take the off-ramp, dial this thing down and negotiate with the United States immediately and seriously,' said Lammy, who spoke to both Araghchi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Europe had a role to play, but that 'a real precondition for a settlement to the conflict is that Iran be ready to negotiate directly with the U.S.' Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters in Brussels that he was proposing a meeting between the United States and Iran in Rome. Iran's envoy visits Russia It was Moscow that Iran reached out to Monday, though, sending Araghchi to meet President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Putin condemned the United States' 'unprovoked aggression' against Iran and said Russia would help the Iranian people. Putin said he saw the visit as a chance to explore 'how we can get out of today's situation.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had offered to mediate. European diplomatic efforts were complicated by a lack of foreknowledge of the Trump administration's moves. Some countries had no advance notice of the strikes. Britain was notified, but only shortly before bombs fell. Another hurdle was Trump's post on social media late Sunday musing about the potential for 'regime change' in Iran, despite U.S. officials' insistence that Washington is not seeking to change the government in Tehran. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stressed Monday that 'we reject all attempts to organize a change of regime by force.' 'It would be illusory and dangerous to think that such a change can be provoked through force and bombs,' he said. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Trump and Israeli leaders have argued that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon, making it an imminent threat. Mixed emotions among US allies The U.S. strikes have brought mixed emotions in European capitals. Amid alarm at the potential for a wider war and calls for de-escalation, some American allies expressed relief that Iran's nuclear program had been set back. 'We can't pretend that the prevention of Iran getting nuclear weapons isn't a good thing for this country. But we're prioritizing diplomacy as the way forward,' said Tom Wells, a spokesman for British leader Starmer. 'The prime minister's priority is getting parties back around the table to negotiate a lasting settlement.' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose country is a particularly staunch ally of Israel, said he saw 'no reason to criticize what Israel began a week ago, and also no reason to criticize what America did last weekend.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. He acknowledged 'it is not without risk, but leaving things the way they were was also not an option.' Merz said he was 'somewhat optimistic' that the conflict would not widen. He said Iran's response so far has been far short 'of what we had to fear,' and that Iran's regional proxies had shown 'relatively little' reaction so far. But he cautioned that 'it doesn't have to stay that way.' ___ Joyner reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Elise Morton in London, Lorne Cook and Sam McNeil in Brussels, John Leicester in Paris, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital route for oil. Closing it could backfire on Iran
The war between Israel and Iran has raised concerns that Iran could retaliate by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil chokepoint due to the large volumes of crude that pass through it every day. The U.S. military's strike on three sites in Iran over the weekend has raised questions about how its military might respond. The Strait of Hormuz is between Oman and Iran, which boasts a fleet of fast-attack boats and thousands of naval mines as well as missiles that it could use to make the strait impassable, at least for a time. Iran's main naval base at Bandar Abbas is on the north coast of the strait. It could also fire missiles from its long Persian Gulf shore, as its allies, Yemen's Houthi rebels, have done in the Red Sea. About 20 million barrels of oil per day, or around 20% of the world's oil consumption, passed through the strait in 2024. Most of that oil goes to Asia. Here is a look at the waterway and its impact on the global economy: An energy highway in a volatile region The strait connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It's only 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point, but deep enough and wide enough to handle the world's largest crude oil tankers. Oil that passes through the strait comes from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, and Bahrain, while major supplies of liquefied natural gas come from Qatar. At its narrowest point, the sea lanes for tankers lie in Omani waters, and before and after that cross into Iranian territory. While some global oil chokepoints can be circumvented by taking longer routes that simply add costs, that's not an option for most of the oil moving through the strait. That's because the pipelines that could be used to carry the oil on land, such as Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, they don't have nearly enough capacity. 'Most volumes that transit the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region,' according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Closing the Strait of Hormuz would send oil prices massively higher — at least at first If Iran blocked the strait, oil prices could shoot as high as $120-$130 per, at least temporarily, said Homayoun Falakshahi, head of crude oil analyst at Kpler, in an online webinar Sunday. That would deal an inflationary shock to the global economy — if it lasted. Analysts think it wouldn't. Asia would be directly impacted because 84% of the oil moving through the strait is headed for Asia; top destinations are China, India, Japan and South Korea. China gets 47% of its seaborne oil from the Gulf. China, however, has an oil inventory of 1.1 billion barrels, or 2 1/2 months of supply. U.S. oil customers would feel the impact of the higher prices but would not lose much supply. The U.S. imported only about 7% of its oil from Persian Gulf countries through the strait in 2024, according to the USEIA. That was the lowest level in nearly 40 years. Iran has good reasons not to block the strait Closing the strait would cut off Iran's own oil exports. While Iran does have a new terminal under construction at Jask, just outside the strait, the new facility has loaded oil only once and isn't in a position to replace the strait, according to Kpler analysts. Closure would hit China, Iran's largest trading partner and only remaining oil customer, and harm its oil-exporting Arab neighbors, who are at least officially supporting it in its war with Israel. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. And it would mean blocking Oman's territorial waters, offending a country that has served as a mediator between the U.S. and Iran. The US would likely intervene to reopen the strait Any price spike would probably not last. One big reason: Analysts expect that the U.S. Navy would intervene to keep the strait open. In the 1980s, U.S. warships escorted Kuwaiti oil tankers through the strait to protect them against Iranian attacks during the Iran-Iraq war. A price spike 'wouldn't last very long' and the strait would likely be reopened 'very fast,' said Kpler's Falakshahi. U.S. use of force to reopen the strait would likely be supported by Europe and 'even unofficially by China,' he said. 'Iran's navy would probably get destroyed in a matter of hours or days.'
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Trump wants oil producers to pump more crude amid jitters that Iran may close critical shipping lane
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to speak from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's nuclear program. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP) WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday called for the U.S. and other oil-producing economies to pump more oil as crude prices remain volatile following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump urged stepped-up production as the White House sharpened its warnings to Iran against closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping lane, in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear program. 'To the Department of Energy: DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!' Trump posted on social media. He added, 'EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I'M WATCHING! YOU'RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON'T DO IT!' The push by Trump comes at an uncertain moment as U.S. embassies and military installations in the Middle East are on high alert for potential retaliation. Global markets are trying to ascertain what lays ahead after the U.S. struck key Iranian nuclear facilities with a barrage of 30,000-pound bunker busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles. Iran's parliament has approved cutting off the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane in the Persian Gulf that about 20 per cent of global oil and gas passes through. It's now up to Iran's national security council to decide whether to move forward with the idea, which could lead to a spike in the cost of goods and services worldwide. The price of oil jumped 4 per cent shortly after trading began on Sunday night, but it quickly pared back as the focus shifted from what the U.S. military did to how Iran would react. Oil futures were flip-flopping in Monday morning trading between gains and losses. They still remain higher than they were before the fighting began a little more than a week ago. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned Tehran anew against closing the strait, saying, 'the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision.' The State Department has doubled the number of emergency evacuation flights it is providing for American citizens wishing to leave Israel, ordered the departure of nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. It also is stepping up travel warnings around the Middle East because of concerns Iran will retaliate against U.S. interests in the region. In an alert sent to all Americans worldwide and posted to its website on Sunday, the State Department warned all U.S. citizens abroad to exercise caution. The U.S. Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website Monday urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to 'shelter in place until further notice,' although Qatar later said the situation was 'stable.' The embassy did not elaborate and did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press. Many energy industry analysts are skeptical that Iran would go forward with a full closure of the strait, something that it has threatened to do in the past. Iran would face the possibility of retaliation against its own shipments and the possibility that the move would upset China, the biggest purchaser of Iranian crude. The U.S. and allies pressed Russia in the leadup to Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine with threats to its oil industry, and then followed through as many Western oil companies pulled out of the country and the U.S. and Europe imposed sanctions on Russian industry. But Iran is far less integrated into the global economy than Russia, which was reliant on European markets for its oil and gas exports and still went forward with the invasion despite U.S. warnings. 'There's been a lot of suggestion as well that this isn't something that is incredibly likely, and that's generally attributed to economic interdependence, which I don't want to suggest doesn't matter. It absolutely does,' said Colby Connelly, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Connelly added, 'if the 2020s have taught us anything so far, it's that economic ties don't always prevent conflict.' In another development Monday, Leavitt appeared to play down Trump calling into question the future of Iran's ruling theocracy, seemingly contradicting his administration's earlier calls on Tehran to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting. '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???' Trump posted on social media. 'MIGA!!!' Leavitt said Trump's 'posture and our military posture has not changed.' 'The president was just simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking,' Leavitt said. Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press AP writers Stan Choe in New York, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Chris Megerian contributed reporting.
