The IRGC statement said the projectiles hit vital installations and caused a massive outage in the central parts of occupied Palestine. There are reports of casualties as a result of the missile and drone attack.
Iran says it will keep launching attacks on the Zionist regime to force it to stop its aggression.
According to Iranian media reports, the attack occurred in the Nobonyad area of the capital, where the command headquarters of the Ministry of Defense was struck.
The building sustained minor structural damage, with no official reports of casualties so far.
In a separate strike in the same area, the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, commonly known by its Persian acronym SEPAND, was reportedly hit.
Emergency response and air defense units swiftly responded to the incident and are currently managing the situation.
Details regarding the extent of the damage have not yet been released.
In a separate but possibly related development, an incident was also reported at Fajr Jam Gas Refinery, where gas from the South Pars field and the Nar and Kangan gas fields is processed and sweetened.
The cause of that incident remains under investigation. The Ministry of Petroleum has not yet issued an official statement but has confirmed that a thorough inquiry is underway.
In a telephone conversation with EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas on Saturday, Araqchi denounced the Israeli regime’s hostile attacks against Iran as a result of Washington’s direct supports for Tel Aviv.
The foreign minister said the continuation of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US would be unjustifiable while the Zionist regime’s savagery is in progress.
Araqchi also called for the global condemnation of the Israeli acts of aggression, its violation of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and residential areas that have resulted in the martyrdom of Iranian military officials, university professors, women and children.
The foreign minister then called on the European Union officials and the permanent members of the UN Security Council to condemn the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression against Iran.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has given a decisive response to the Zionist regime’s aggression in order to protect its national sovereignty, people and security, and is also determined to exercise its legitimate right to retaliatory action,” Araqchi added.
For her part, Kallas voiced deep concern about the escalation of tensions in the region, expressing the EU’s readiness to support diplomatic efforts by the UNSC and other international organizations to help relieve the tensions and restore regional peace and security.
Iran and the US have held five rounds of talks since April 12, mediated by Oman, with the purpose of reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of sanctions on Tehran.
While the next round of negotiations between Iran and the US was planned to be held in Muscat on June 15, the Israeli regime attacked a number of residential neighborhoods of Tehran as well as military and nuclear sites in other parts of Iran in the early hours of June 13.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and at least six Iranian nuclear scientists have been martyred in the strikes.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has warned the Zionist regime that it will receive a severe punishment for the strike, saying, “With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.”
Ebrahim Rezaei, the commission’s spokesman said that the letter also calls for the removal of all non-safeguards cameras, the expulsion of extra-safeguards inspectors, and halting any reporting to the IAEA beyond Iran’s legal obligations under the safeguards agreement.
The commission also stressed the need to prevent access to Iran’s nuclear sites by individuals deemed undesirable.
In an extraordinary sessions held on Saturday, the commission’s members discussed the recent Israeli attacks inside Iran and the country’s response strategy.
Rezaei confirmed that parliament strongly supports the armed forces and is drafting legislation aimed at enhancing Iran’s defense budget for the current and future years.
Rezaei also reiterated full support for the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s decision to suspend all talks with the US.
Leo, in one of the strongest peace appeals yet of his five-week papacy, told an audience in St. Peter’s Basilica he was following the situation with “great concern.”
“In such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason,” said the pope.
“The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good,” he added.
“No one should ever threaten the existence of another,” stated Leo.
“It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.”
Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran early on Friday, targeting commanders, military targets, nuclear sites and residential areas.
Iran, which denies that its uranium enrichment activities are part of a secret weapons programme, retaliated by launching waves of missiles at Israel, killing at least three people and injuring dozens.
The advanced stealth aircraft was reportedly targeted and successfully hit by Iranian air defense systems during “a hostile incursion.”
The pilot is said to have ejected from the aircraft, but their current status remains unknown and is under investigation.
The situation remains highly fluid as both sides maintain heightened alert.
Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi as the new chief of the elite Iranian force, following the targeted killing of his predecessor Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
“In view of the glorious and honorable martyrdom of Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh at the hands of the wicked Zionist regime, and given the proposal of the commander-in-chief of the IRGC and your valuable qualifications and experiences, I appoint you to the command of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps,” the Leader wrote in his decree on Saturday.
Ayatollah Khamenei added that he expected enhancement of comprehensive capabilities, an increase in the preparedness of missile and drone units, as well as groundwork and a strong presence in the aerospace sector under Mousavi’s command.
The Leader also called for “strengthening the piety and insight of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division personnel, and having a spiritual foundation in moving toward building a force at the level of the Islamic Revolution.”
Ayatollah Khamenei finally expressed his admiration for the valuable infrastructural services of Major General Hajizadeh during his command and wished Mousavi success in his new position.
Major General Hajizadeh, who was critically wounded during an Israeli attack on an IRGC command center in the early hours of Friday, June 13, succumbed to his injuries and was martyred later in the day.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, and six nuclear scientists, including Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi, have also been martyred in the Israeli strikes.
Ayatollah Khamenei has warned the Zionist regime that it will receive a severe punishment for the strike, saying, “With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.”
Equipment at the two facilities was moved in anticipation of the strikes, Behrouz Kamalvandi said.
A shed at the Isfahan facility caught fire, Kamalvandi stated, without clarifying the extent of damage to the Fordow site.
There is no risk of contamination, he added.
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is buried deep in the mountains near Qom in northern Iran and houses advanced centrifuges used to enrich uranium up to high grades of purity.
On Friday, Kamalvandi played down the extent of damage inflicted on Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment plant in Natanz, noting the facility “did not encounter serious damage.”
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog however said during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday that the above-ground area of the facility was destroyed.
The warning comes amid heightened regional tensions following recent deadly incidents, including Israeli strikes on Iranian territory.
According to media reports, Iran has explicitly communicated that any country aiding Israel in intercepting or responding to Iranian strikes will be considered a direct participant in hostilities.
This includes military bases and assets of those countries in the region, specifically in Persian Gulf nations, as well as naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
The UK government has denied providing any military assistance to Israel’s aggression against Iran or aiding it in the interception of Iranian drones.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Friday that while France would defend Israel if attacked by Iran, it would not participate in any offensive operations against Tehran.
US President Donald Trump described Israel’s attacks on Iran as “excellent,” despite having previously warned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu against actions that could disrupt nuclear negotiations.
Trump portrayed the escalating tensions as a potential opportunity for Iran to reconsider its stance, stating they now have a “second chance” to avoid further devastation.
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