Iran fires long-range missiles for first time in war
· RTE.ieIsrael said Iranian forces had for the first time fired long‑range missiles, expanding the risk of attacks beyond the Middle East, even as US President Donald Trump said Washington was considering "winding down" its military operation against Iran.
Iran launched two 4,000-kilometer-range ballistic missiles at the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said.
"These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range reaches European capitals — Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range," Mr Zamir said in a statement.
The Israeli military said it was the "first time" Iran had used long‑range missiles in the conflict, marking its first expansion beyond the Middle East since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on 28 February.
A source at Britain's defence ministry said the attack had occurred before the government gave specific authorisation on Friday for the US to use British military bases to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites.
It comes as Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility was struck again as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week.
The capital Tehran saw heavy air strikes overnight and into the morning, residents said, as thousands of worshippers converged on Tehran’s grand mosque for prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said attacks would "increase significantly" next week.
He was speaking shortly after fragments from an Iranian missile slammed into an empty nursery school near Tel Aviv. No casualties were reported.
The attacks - and threats of more to come - indicate the war shows no sign of abating as its effects are felt far beyond the Middle East, raising food and fuel prices.
Iran’s official news agency, Mizan, said there was no leakage after the strike on the Natanz nuclear facility, nearly 135 miles south east of Tehran.
The UN nuclear watchdog has said the bulk of Iran’s estimated 970lb of enriched uranium is elsewhere, beneath the rubble at its Isfahan facility, with a lesser amount at Natanz.
Israel's military said it was "not aware" of a strike there by its own military.
In a social media post, Mr Trump said the US was close to meeting its goals but insisted that other countries should take the lead in policing the vital shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, whose near-closure threatens a global energy shock.
G7 ready to act to protect global energy supplies, backs Hormuz Strait security
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries (G7) said they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the Strait of Hormuz.
"We ... express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies," the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the regime's reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure," they said.
Mr Trump and his administration have sent mixed messages about US goals throughout the war, now entering its fourth week, leaving traditional US allies struggling to respond.
Mr Trump has suggested the war could wind down as the Iranian threat was being eliminated, while at the same time US Marines and heavy landing craft head to the region on a mission whose goals are not immediately clear.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Mr Trump said on Truth Social.
"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it - The United States does not!" he added.
"If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn't be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated."
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel attacked on 28 February, while American voters appear increasingly concerned at signs the war could expand further.
Vital energy infrastructure in Iran and neighbouring Gulf states has been attacked, sending oil prices up 50%.
Energy price shocks are also fuelling inflation, hitting consumers and businesses hard - a major political liability for Mr Trump as he seeks to justify the war to the US public before November elections in which he could lose control of Congress.
Mr Trump had also accused NATO allies, which have not been consulted about the war, of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the strait.
Iranian gas supplies to Iraq reportedly resumed after flows were halted by an Israeli attack on Iran's main gas field, South Pars, on Wednesday.
As the fighting continued, Iranian media said US-Israeli forces had attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex this morning.
Technical experts found that no radioactive leaks had occurred and nearby residents were not at risk.
Israel said it was unaware of such a strike while the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was investigating.
Russia called it "a blatant violation of international law".
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia, in the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran since Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on 2 March.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was "determined to continue leading the attack against the Iranian terrorist regime, to behead its commanders and to thwart its strategic capabilities until any security threats to Israel and US interests in the region are removed".
Israel also said it had attacked Tehran, Karaj, west of the capital, and the central city of Isfahan.
Three members of a family were killed in a strike on a residential building in the city of Ramsar, Iranian media reported.
Air raid sirens in Israel warned of incoming missiles from early morning, sending millions to shelters as the blasts of interceptions rang out from above.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Iran fired two ballistic missiles towards the US-British military airport on the island of Diego Garcia, 3,800km away in the Indian Ocean but did not hit the base, the Wall Street Journal reported.
A source at Britain's defence ministry said the attack had occurred before the government gave specific authorisation yesterday for the US to use British military bases to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites.
European gas prices surge
Natural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35% this week as Iran and Israel hit some of the region's most important gas infrastructure.
The European Union urged members to lower gas-storage targets and start refilling reserves gradually to curb demand, the Financial Times reported.
The Strait of Hormuz, conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been effectively closed to most shipping.
Leading allies of the US from Europe as well as Japan and Canada have pledged to join "appropriate efforts" to ensure safe passage through the strait, but Germany and France have spelled out that fighting must stop first.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Kyodo news agency that Iran was ready to let Japan-related vessels pass through the strait, which carries around 90% of Japan's oil imports.
Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr yesterday to end the fasting month of Ramadan and Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, marked the occasion with a message of defiance.
Mr Khamenei - who did not appear at Eid prayers and has not been seen in public since the initial Israeli attack, which killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - said in his statement that Iranians had responded with unity and resistance and "dealt a disorienting blow to the enemy".
Read more: Europe seeks fresh momentum amid multiple crises
Additional reporting by PA