Iran strikes Israel with missiles and drones after US bombs nuclear targets

Tel Aviv: Iran launched a salvo of missiles and drones at Israel on Monday, while cautioning the United States that its military now has “free hand” to target American interests following the Trump administration’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The chief of the UN’s nuclear watchdog also warned of “very heavy damage” at Iran’s underground Fordo site after it was hit by advanced US bunker-buster bombs.

With Sunday’s targeted strikes on three nuclear sites, the US has directly entered Israel’s ongoing conflict, heightening concerns of a broader regional escalation. Iran denounced the attacks, declaring that Washington had “crossed a major red line” with its high-stakes intervention.

Israel stated its defense systems were actively intercepting a new wave of Iranian attacks that appeared to target northern and central regions of the country, prompting authorities to advise civilians to seek shelter. Iran referred to the assault as part of its Operation “True Promise 3,” claiming it was aimed at the cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television.

Explosions were also reported in Jerusalem, though there were no immediate reports of damage.

Meanwhile, in Iran, eyewitnesses observed Israeli airstrikes around Tehran around midday, though the specific targets remained unclear.

In Vienna, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that given the "explosive payload utilized and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred.” He added that “at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordo.”

Also Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint staff of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand“ to "act against US interests and its army.” Tens of thousands of American troops are stationed throughout the Middle East, many within range of Iran’s short-range missile systems.

The United States described its Sunday strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan as a limited operation aimed at disabling Iran’s nuclear capabilities. However, President Donald Trump warned that further retaliation from Tehran could prompt additional American military action.

Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency, denounced the American strikes as a violation of Iran’s sovereignty and equated them with an invasion.

Iran, which maintains that its nuclear program is solely for civilian use, had previously agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal to limit uranium enrichment and permit international inspections in exchange for sanctions relief from the US, France, China, Russia, Britain, and Germany.

After the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement during President Trump’s first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60%—just shy of weapons-grade levels—and limited international oversight of its nuclear facilities.

On Monday, ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels, the German Foreign Minister reiterated calls for Tehran to reengage in direct talks with Washington, while emphasising Europe’s continued diplomatic role. “We already made it very clear to the Iranian side that a real precondition for a settlement to the conflict is that Iran be ready to negotiate directly with the U.S.,” he said, adding that the European group known as the E3 “will contribute what we can.”

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, as diplomatic efforts intensified among Iran’s key allies.

(inputs from PTI)