Bombs strike Iran’s energy plants ahead of Trump ‘unleashing hell’ deadline
· Yahoo NewsIsraeli fighter jets have pounded energy infrastructure in Iran, hitting petrochemical sites and triggering an evacuation at a nuclear power plant.
On Saturday Tehran also suffered one of its heaviest bombings since the war began, as the US focused on the search for a missing pilot.
Although the strikes were conducted by Israeli rather than US forces, they followed Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday when he said Iran would be bombed “back to the stone ages” over the next two to three weeks.
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“If there is no deal [by April 10], we are going to hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously,” he added.
On Saturday, the US president repeated his threat, writing on Truth Social:
Iran’s atomic energy agency said that the strike at the Bushehr nuclear facility had killed a security guard and damaged a support building, adding that it was the fourth time the facility had been targeted during the war.
The plant uses enriched uranium from Russia to supply about 1,000 megawatts for Iran, about 1-2 per cent of Iran’s total power. Scores of Russian technicians also work there.
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No radiation was released following the strike, but Israel was reported to be helping Russia evacuate its workers from the area.
A diplomatic source told Kan News, the Israeli media outlet: “Senior IDF officials are coordinating with senior Russian officials to evacuate Russian experts from the Bushehr reactor, in a sort of safe passage out of Iran.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, released a video statement saying the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had bombed metalworks and petrochemical plants.
He said: “After we destroyed 70 per cent of its ability to create steel, which is used as the raw material for the weapons used against us, today we attacked their petrochemical factories.
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“These two things are their money machine, which funds their war of terror against us and against the world. We will continue to hit them, as I promised.”
Israeli media also reported that defence officials were preparing to escalate the bombing campaign further.
Sources told i24NEWS the IDF was preparing to “expand its bank of targets” to more energy facilities once the green light had been given by Mr Trump.
In response to the latest strikes, Iran continued to hit back at targets across Israel and the Gulf.
Several salvos of ballistic missiles caused extensive damage to homes and commercial property in Israel on Saturday, hitting more than a dozen separate sites and injuring six people.
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One missile hit the Neot Hovav industrial zone in southern Israel, the country’s main hazardous waste disposal facility, resulting in a major blaze.
“As of this time, there are no known injuries and no involvement of hazardous materials have been identified,” the Fire and Rescue Service said on Saturday afternoon.
American airman still missing
US forces continued to search for a missing airman after Iran shot down an F-15 fighter jet over the south-west of the country on Friday.
The jet’s navigator was rescued by US special forces shortly after he ejected, but the fate of the pilot remains unknown, with Iran continuing to offer a reward for his capture.
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The White House would not be drawn to comment on the downed jet or the search for the missing airman.
Separately, Iran continued to push a diplomatic initiative designed to peel away the US and Israel’s traditional allies.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s consultative assembly, told Al Jazeera Arabic that the war and resulting security breakdown had “affected the world”.
“Escalating tensions against Iran will be met with a decisive and broad response against US interests in the region,” he was reported to have said.
He added: “The countries of the region can secure their interests through bilateral and multilateral security agreements without foreign interference.
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“The main drivers of insecurity in the region must be removed, and security must be built without the US and Israel.”
Iran opens Strait of Hormuz to certain ships
The UK and other US allies were not consulted before the launch of Operation Epic Fury five weeks ago, but all have seen an economic impact from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil.
Iran is playing on this potential fissure by targeting companies and countries it considers supportive of the US and Israel.
In the strait, Iran has started allowing ships that submit to vetting procedures and taxes to pass.
A French-owned container ship and three Oman-linked tankers have exited the Gulf during the past 48 hours.
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“What this shows is that the Strait of Hormuz is potentially open to select ships and countries that can strike a deal with Iran,” Martin Kelly, head of advisory at maritime intelligence group EOS Risk, told the Financial Times.
“It seems Iran is officially implementing a procedure for ships to exit the strait and it’s largely around [denying] the US [transits].”