TEHRAN: A house in downtown Tehran was seen in ruins on Saturday following attacks by the United States and Israel, with early reports suggesting it belonged to former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed “major combat operations” in Iran in a video posted on Truth Social, warning members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, police, and armed forces to lay down their weapons with immunity or face certain death.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the joint operation as necessary to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran” and called on the Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.
In retaliation, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps announced widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel. Reports indicate that U.S. military bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, and Kuwait were also targeted.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, stating that Iranians have never bowed to foreign aggression, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the operation “wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate.”
Regional diplomacy continues amid the escalation. Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, who mediated recent talks between the U.S. and Iran, urged Washington not to get further involved. Meanwhile, the UK, France, and Germany issued a joint statement emphasizing that Iran must halt its nuclear program and expressing concern over escalating tensions. French President Emmanuel Macron called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting.
The strikes come after three rounds of diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Iran—one in Muscat and two in Geneva—highlighting the fragile state of ongoing negotiations.
