Israel attacks Iran's capital with explosions booming across Tehran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites.
The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. 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 official there have repeatedly warned it could build them. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq's capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. 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. There are no known nuclear sites in that area -- but it wasn't immediately clear if anything was happening in the rest of the country.
An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian nuclear sites, without identifying them.
The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation, which is also targeting military sites.
Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising nearly 5% on the news.
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that his country carried out the attack, without saying what it targeted.
'In the wake of the state of Israel's preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately,' he said in a statement.
The statement added that Katz 'signed a special order declaring an emergency situation in the home front.'
'It is essential to listen to instructions from the home front command and authorities to stay in protected areas,' it said
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.
Trump earlier said he was urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off from taking action for the time being while the administration negotiated with Iran.
'As long as I think there is a (chance for an) agreement, I don't want them going in because I think it would blow it,' Trump told reporters.
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
35 minutes ago
- National Post
Trump rejected Israel's plan to assassinate Iran's supreme leader, official says
President Donald Trump vetoed a plan presented by Israel to the U.S. to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Article content The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei. Article content After being briefed on the plan, the White House made clear to Israeli officials that Trump was opposed to the Israelis making the move, according to the official who was not authorized to comment on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Article content Article content The Trump administration is desperate to keep Israel's military operation aimed at decapitating Iran's nuclear program from exploding into an even more expansive conflict and saw the plan to kill Khamenei as a move that would enflame the conflict and potentially destabilize the region. Article content Asked about the plan during an interview on Fox News Channel's 'Special Report with Bret Baier,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not directly address whether the White House rejected the plan. Article content 'But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States,' Netanyahu said. Article content Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu with a message to Iran's supreme leader and the Iranian people #foxnews #SpecialReport #Israel #Iran — Bret Baier (@BretBaier) June 15, 2025 Article content Article content Netanyahu also said regime change 'could certainly be the result' of the conflict, because the Iranian regime is very weak.' Article content Trump's rejection of the proposal was first reported by Reuters. Article content Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the reports. Article content Trump on Sunday issued a stark warning to Iran against retaliating on U.S. targets in the Middle East while also predicting Israel and Iran would 'soon' make a deal to end their escalating conflict. Article content The president in an early morning social media posting said the United States 'had nothing to do with the attack on Iran' as Israel and Iran traded missile attacks for the third straight day. Iran, however, has said that it would hold the U.S. — which has provided Israel with much of its deep arsenal of weaponry — for its backing of Israel. Article content ( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump - Jun 15, 2025, 12:32 AM ET ) The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight. If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you… — Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) June 15, 2025
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Israel, Iran trade attacks for third straight day
Watch CTV's Kamil Karamali has the latest on the 'devasting impacts' of the ongoing attacks between Israel and Iran.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Investors unnerved as Israel-Iran conflict fuels turmoil in oil markets
Investors were on edge ahead of markets reopening late on Sunday, gripped by anxiety over nationwide protests against President Donald Trump and the escalating threat of a sweeping conflict in the Middle East. Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other into Sunday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israeli strikes would intensify as Tehran called off nuclear talks that Washington had held out as the only way to halt the bombing. Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis joined the fray. 'The market is very headline-driven and short-term focused, so there's just a lot of volatility over the near term,' said Kathryn Rooney Vera, chief market strategist at StoneX Group. Oil prices rose by 7% on Friday, as Israel and Iran traded strikes, and investors will be watching closely to see how prices react when markets open later. 'So far we are at a stage of 'controlled confrontation,'' said Lombard Odier's chief economist, Samy Chaar, in which it is too soon to call for real and persistent economic damage despite high risk. 'For now, you get spikes in the oil price, you get volatility, everyone's a bit nervous, but there is no clear sign that we're moving toward the no-return type of scenario.' On Saturday, Israel appeared to have also hit Iran's oil and gas industry for the first time, with Iranian state media reporting a blaze at a gas field. A timeline of the Israel-Iran conflict and tensions between the two countries Israel's air offensive against Iran that began early on Friday, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop Tehran from building an atomic weapon, knocked risky assets including stocks, on Friday. It also lifted oil prices and prompted a rush into gold and the dollar, which resumed its role as a safe-haven asset for the first time in months. Oil prices at close to six-month highs could pose a risk to the inflation outlook, as central banks around the world grapple with the impact on prices from Trump's trade tariffs and the effect on economic growth. Rooney Vera at StoneX said she was worried about possible supply restrictions in case of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman. Any closure could restrict trade and impact global oil prices. 'That could worsen inflationary pressures,' she said. Lombard Odier's Chaar said a spike in oil prices should not in theory derail monetary policy for now, as possible disruption to Iranian oil supplies could be partly offset by output rises elsewhere. 'It seems to me that long gone are the days when a central bank would hike rates because of a spike in the oil prices,' Chaar said, adding that policy-makers will more likely stay focused on economic fundamentals and demand-drivers. Investors are nervous though, and the S&P 500 appears to have stalled after rallying about 20% from its trade war-induced April low to near-record highs. 'The overall risk profile from the geopolitical situation is still too high for us to be willing to rush back into the market,' said Alex Morris, chief investment officer of F/m Investments in Washington. Meanwhile, protests, organized by the No Kings coalition to oppose Trump's policies, and the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker on Saturday, added to downbeat sentiment. U.S. stock futures are set to resume trading at 6 p.m. (2200 GMT) on Sunday. With risky assets sinking, investors' expectations for near-term stock market gyrations jumped. The Cboe Volatility Index, often called the Wall Street 'fear index,' rose 2.8 points to finish at 20.82 on Friday, its highest close in three weeks. Michael Thompson, co-portfolio manager at boutique investment firm Little Harbor Advisors, said he would be watching near-term volatility futures prices for any rise toward or above the level for futures set to expire months from now. 'This would indicate to us that near-term hedging is warranted,' he said.
