The attack occurred on Friday morning in the Esfahan area, where Iranian nuclear sites are located. The US denies involvement, but has been informed. Probable operation by Israel, which had promised retaliation for the offensive launched by Iran on 14 April
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The attack in the early hours of Friday in Iran was carried out with three “American or Israeli mini surveillance drones“said a member of the Iranian parliamentary committee on national security, Shahriar Heidari.
Iran has activated its air defense system in the Esfahan area, a central province of the country with important nuclear facilities. Explosions are “linked to an Israeli operation” said the spokesperson of the Presidential Council of the Iranian Parliament, Nezameddin Mousavim.
Although other authorities in the country wanted to minimize the hypothesis of an Israeli attack on national territory, the Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian he told CNN that if “the Israeli regime once again makes a serious mistake, our response will be decisive, definitive and a regret for them.”
Amirabdollahian also said that Iran has warned the US through the Swiss embassy in Tehran that the Islamic Republic has no intention of raising tension.
No confirmation of the bombing by Israel, where however for days the intention to respond to Tehran’s unprecedented assault last weekend had been confirmed.
Two US officials made it known that Israel launched the attack, but from the G7 in Capri the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, limited himself to denying US involvement in the operation.
The attack in the Esfahan area, where the Natanz nuclear site is located
The Iranian news agency, IRNA, said that air defenses fired near an important air base in Isfahan, which has long hosted Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcatspurchased before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies also reported explosions, without indicating the cause. State television acknowledged a “loud noise” in the area.
Again according to the Irna agency, which reports the words of the second brigadier general Siavosh Mihandous, no damage or accidents were recorded in Isfahan.
In January 2023, an Iranian army military site was attacked with drones in the same area. The province of E****sfahan is home to Iran’s main nuclear site, Natanz.
Airports reopen in Iran, flights to Israel suspended
Iran’s Airports and Air Navigation Company then announced that all flights from Tehran have returned to normal. Some flights at Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports, the IRNA agency wrote, had been delayed or suspended on Friday morning, following the activation of the country’s air defense to repel “some small aircraft”.
The German airline Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines instead they suspended all flights to Israel until 7am on Saturday morning.
EU, von der Leyen: “Avoid escalation in the region”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged both Iran and Israel to refrain from further attacks. “We must do everything possible to ensure that all parties avoid an escalation in that region,” she said during her visit to Finland.
“It is absolutely necessary that the region is stable and that all parties refrain from further action,” von der Leyen added and then said: “We are very concerned about the situation, the situation is very dangerous.”
Tajani: “The US warned of Israel’s attack” on Iran
The United States told G7 foreign ministers meeting in Capri that it had received “last minute” information about the attack on Iran, the foreign minister said, Antonio Tajaniwithout however confirming Israel’s responsibility.
Friday morning’s meeting of G7 ministers inevitably addressed the issue of the bombing in Iran.
Tajani also reassured on situation of compatriots in the country. “I spoke with our Ambassador to Iran and I am following developments following the night-time explosions in Esfahan. At the moment there are no critical issues for Italians living in Iran”, wrote the minister on social media.
IAEA: “No damage to nuclear facilities” in Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said no damage was reported to Iran’s nuclear sites. “General director Rafael Mariano Grossi continues to ask everyone for extreme moderation and reiterates that Nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts“, the agency wrote, explaining that it is monitoring the situation very closely.
ADVERTISINGIn an interview with Russian radio, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov He spoke of “telephone contacts between the leadership of Russia and Iran” and with “Israeli representatives”.
“In these conversations we made it very clear to the Israelis that Iran does not want escalation“, concluded Lavrov.
Tags: Attack Iran Tehran threatens Israel asks avoid escalation Middle East
