Egypt Daily News – Israel launched a series of strikes on Iran’s capital, Tehran, early Friday morning, with loud explosions echoing across the city. The attack comes amid rising tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and follows the censure of Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the first time in nearly two decades.
Tehran residents awoke to the sound of blasts, with smoke reportedly seen rising from the Chitgar neighborhood in the western part of the city. Iranian state media acknowledged the explosions, while global oil markets reacted swiftly, with Brent crude prices rising more than 2%.
The Israeli government has long warned that it would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, despite Tehran’s repeated claims that it has no such intentions. The IAEA recently accused Iran of failing to cooperate with its inspectors and declared the country in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. In response, Iran announced plans to establish a third uranium enrichment site and replace existing centrifuges with more advanced models.
Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israel had carried out a “preemptive strike” and warned that a retaliatory missile and drone attack from Iran was expected imminently. A state of emergency was declared in Israel, with schools closed and air raid sirens sounding in Tel Aviv.
As the situation escalated, the United States began evacuating non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad and offered voluntary departures for military families across the Middle East. However, U.S. officials stated that America had no involvement in the Israeli strike. President Donald Trump, who was seen mingling with members of Congress at the White House as the explosions occurred, continued his engagements without immediate comment.
The White House did not issue a statement Thursday night.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking just prior to the Israeli attack, vowed that Iran would continue its uranium enrichment program regardless of outside pressure or military strikes. He emphasized that the country would rebuild any destroyed facilities and declared that Iran would pursue its goals with the support of its younger generation.
The IAEA’s censure came after it concluded Iran had failed to provide satisfactory explanations for uranium traces found at undeclared sites. A recent report indicated that Iran has enough enriched uranium to potentially produce up to ten nuclear bombs. Nineteen of the 35 members of the IAEA Board of Governors voted for the resolution, submitted by the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany.
In light of the situation, nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are expected to resume in Oman on Sunday. While hopes for progress persist, skepticism remains high. President Trump recently expressed doubt that Iran would meet American demands, stating that Tehran appears to be stalling.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been a vocal critic of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, arguing that Tehran has never truly abandoned its pursuit of nuclear weapons. He reaffirmed that Israel would not allow Iran to obtain them, stating, “One way or another, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.” Former Israeli officials have previously claimed that Netanyahu had pushed for strikes on Iran as early as 2010, but was overruled by senior members of the security establishment.
Iran has indicated it is prepared to respond with force. According to sources cited by The New York Times, Tehran has an immediate counter-attack plan that could mirror the large-scale offensive it launched in October of the previous year, when it fired over 200 drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles at Israel. Most of those attacks were intercepted, causing minimal damage.
As the international community watches closely, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that the U.S. remains strategically positioned in the region for any contingencies and emphasized America’s commitment to creating conditions for peace.
With tensions at a boiling point and the potential for further escalation high, the Middle East faces a precarious and uncertain path forward.
