Israel targets Iran’s government, prison as Iran launches more attacks

By DAVID RISING, JON GAMBRELL and MELANIE LIDMAN

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel hit Iranian authorities targets in Tehran on Monday in a sequence of strikes that adopted a salvo of missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel within the wake of the Trump administration’s huge strikes on Iranian nuclear websites the day earlier than.

The Israeli army additionally confirmed it struck roads round Iran’s Fordo enrichment facility to hinder entry to the location. The underground web site was a kind of hit in Sunday’s assault by the US on three nuclear amenities. The Israeli army didn’t elaborate.

In Tehran assaults, Israel’s Protection Ministry mentioned it hit targets that included the infamous Evin Jail within the Iranian capital and the safety headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.

“The Iranian dictator will likely be punished with full power for attacking the Israeli house entrance,” the ministry mentioned.

The strikes additionally hit Tehran’s Palestine Sq. and different “army command facilities belonging to the Iranian regime,” it mentioned.

In keeping with an Israeli official conversant in the federal government’s technique, Israel is focusing on these websites to place stress on the Iranian administration however will not be actively looking for to topple it. The official spoke on situation of anonymity to debate inside authorities deliberations.

The Israeli transfer got here simply hours after President Donald Trump wrote on his Reality Social web site: “If the present Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???”

Nuclear fears mount after US strikes

In Vienna, the pinnacle of the United Nations nuclear watchdog mentioned he anticipated there to be heavy injury on the Fordo facility already following the Sunday’s U.S. airstrike there with refined bunker-buster bombs.

“Given the explosive payload utilized … very important injury … is predicted to have occurred,” mentioned Rafael Grossi, the pinnacle of the Worldwide Atomic Power Company.

With the strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear websites, the US inserted itself into Israel’s battle, prompting fears of a wider regional battle. Iran mentioned the U.S. had crossed “a really huge crimson line” with its dangerous gambit to strike the three websites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.

A number of Iranian officers, together with Atomic Power Group of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran eliminated nuclear materials from focused websites forward of time.

Grossi advised the IAEA board of governors on Monday that Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi had knowledgeable him on June 13 that Iran would “undertake particular measures to guard nuclear gear and supplies.”

“I indicated that any switch of nuclear materials from a safeguarded facility to a different location in Iran have to be declared,” Grossi mentioned, with out saying whether or not Iran had responded.

Israel and Iran press their assaults

Iran described its Monday assault on Israel as as a brand new wave of its Operation “True Promise 3,” saying it was focusing on the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, in accordance with Iranian state tv.

Explosions had been additionally heard in Jerusalem. There have been no rapid studies of harm.

In Iran, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes hit areas round Iran’s capital, Tehran, round noon. Iranian state tv confirmed one Israeli strike hit the gate of Evin Jail.

The report shared what gave the impression to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike. The jail is thought for holding twin nationals and Westerners typically utilized by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.

Evin additionally has specialised models for political prisoners and people with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which solutions solely to Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The ability is the goal of each U.S. and European Union sanctions.

Earlier Monday, Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of joint employees of armed forces, warned Washington its strikes had given Iranian forces a “free hand “ to “act towards U.S. pursuits and its military.”

Tens of 1000’s of American troops are based mostly within the Center East, many in places inside vary of short-range Iranian missiles.

Requires de-escalation

The U.S. described its Sunday assault on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment amenities, in addition to the Isfahan nuclear sit, as a one-off to take out Iran’s nuclear program, however Trump has warned of extra strikes if Tehran retaliates.

Mousavi described the American assaults as violating Iran’s sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the nation, the state-run IRNA information company reported.

Russia is one in all Iran’s closest allies and on Monday, President Vladimir Putin mentioned after assembly in Moscow with Araghchi, the Iranian overseas minister, that they’d explored “how we are able to get out of right this moment’s state of affairs.”

Putin referred to as the Israeli and American assaults on Iran an “completely unprovoked aggression.”

Elsewhere, calls continued for de-escalation and the return to diplomacy to attempt to resolve the battle.

Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian functions solely, beforehand agreed to restrict its uranium enrichment and permit worldwide inspectors entry to its nuclear websites below a 2015 take care of the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in alternate for sanctions reduction.

However after Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal throughout his first time period, Iran started enriching uranium as much as 60% — a brief, technical step away from weapons-grade ranges of 90% — and limiting entry to its nuclear amenities.

In Brussels, the European Union’s prime diplomat mentioned the bloc remained “very a lot targeted on the diplomatic resolution.”

“The issues of retaliation and this battle escalating are enormous,” Kaja Kallas mentioned at first of a overseas ministers’ assembly in Brussels the place Iran has jumped to the highest of the agenda.

“Particularly closing of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is one thing that will be extraordinarily harmful and never good for anyone,” Kallas mentioned, referring to a maritime route essential for oil transport.

After Sunday’s assaults, Iranian officers repeated their longtime threats of presumably closing the important thing transport lane.

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Related Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Elise Morton in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.

Initially Revealed: June 23, 2025 at 7:03 AM MDT