… UN, Trump, UK Prime Minister React
Global oil prices jumped after Israel said it had struck Iran, in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
Benchmark oil contracts, Brent Crude and Nymex light sweet, were up by more than 10% after the news emerged.
Traders are concerned that a conflict between Iran and Israel could disrupt supplies coming from the energy-rich region.
The cost of crude oil affects everything from the price of food at the supermarket to how much it costs to fill up your car.
Analysts have told the BBC that energy traders will now be watching to see whether Iran retaliates in the coming days.
Israel has targeted s Iran’s nuclear sites and military commanders in major attack
According to Israel military Iran in retaliation has fired about 100 drones towards its territory, after Israel launched a major attack on Iran overnight
BBC reported that the IDF says it carried out strikes on nuclear sites in Iran and claims Revolutionary Guard chief Hossein Salami and other commanders have been killed
Iranian state TV said residential areas in Tehran were hit and civilians were among those killed – including children – though this could not be independently verified
The attack is part of Operation Rising Lion, Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu says, adding Iran was a threat to “Israel’s very survival”
Israel has declared a state of emergency, saying the country expected counter-attacks “in the immediate future”
Iran has accused the US of supporting Israel’s attack, which US strongly denies. US President Trump told Fox News he was aware of the strikes beforehand but emphasised that the US played no part
A number of senior Iranian military figures have been killed
UK Prime Minister Reacts
Now is the time for restraint, urges Starmer
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged Iran and Israel to “step back and reduce tensions urgently”, calling the strikes “concerning”.
“Escalation serves no-one in the region,” he says.
“Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoes Starmer’s call for restraint, saying further escalation “is a serious threat to peace and stability in the region”.
“Stability in the Middle East is vital for global security. This is a dangerous moment and I urge all parties to show restraint.”
Iran launches about 100 drones towards Israel – IDF
However, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin says Iran launched “approximately 100 UAVs towards Israeli territory”, which he says they are working to intercept
Defrin adds that the chief of staff of the Iranian army, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), and the commander of Iran’s emergency command were killed in last night’s strikes.
Iranian state media also reported earlier that Hossein Salami, the Revolutionary Guard chief, has been killed.
Israel launched strikes across Iran, saying they targeted the “heart” of Iran’s nuclear programme
The strikes have killed Hossein Salami, chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards – a powerful branch of the country’s armed forces – as well as nuclear scientists, according to Iranian state media
Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strikes were a “targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival”, claiming that “if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time”
A state of emergency has been declared in Israel, with counter-attacks expected “in the immediate future”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US was not involved in the strikes and did not provide any assistance
A spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces has said that both the US and Israel will pay a “heavy price” for the strikes
Iran hasn’t seen military operations of this scale on its soil since Iran-Iraq War, Nafiseh Kohnavard,Middle East correspondent, BBC World Service, in Beirut stated.
The flight information board at Qatar Airport shows that flights not only to Iran but also to its neighbouring country Iraq are being cancelled, one after another.
Iran has officially closed its airspace following an unprecedented series of Israeli attacks.
However, it appears that many airlines are also avoiding Iraq due to heightened security concerns.
Iranian and Iraqi paramilitary groups allied with Tehran have repeatedly warned that any attack on Iran – whether by Israel or the United States – would make American interests and bases in the region, particularly in Iraq, “legitimate” targets.
Just yesterday evening I spoke with an advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who told me the government has been engaged in intensive talks with Iran-backed groups to dissuade them from retaliating if Iran is attacked, as Baghdad tries to avoid entering a new conflict, BBC correspondent in Beirut,Natiseh Kohnaward, said.
Another foreign policy adviser to Sudani warned me earlier that if anything were to happen to Iran, “It won’t be like something that we had seen before.”
He was right. Although we’ve seen tit-for-tat exchanges between Iran and Israel in the past, Iran has not experienced military operations of this scale on its own soil since the Iran-Iraq War.
This latest attack comes just two days before the sixth round of Iran-US talks, which had been scheduled for this Sunday in Muscat – and to which I am currently en route. But now, uncertainty looms large.
It’s unclear whether the talks will proceed at all. And it’s harder than ever to predict what lies ahead for the region.
Iran issues new warning to media after strikes
The Iranian Attorney General’s Office has just issued a statement directed at social media users and media outlets.
The statement urges them to avoid discussing topics that could “disturb the public’s psychological security”.
According to Reporters Without Borders, Iran is now one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists. These latest comments suggest authorities may be preparing to tighten controls even further.
Officials are warning of legal action against anyone spreading “false content” or “disturbing public psychological security” – language often used to justify wider crackdowns on media and online activity.
In the wake of the strikes, Iranians could face even stricter limits on what can be reported or shared online.
The first, near Vanak Square in north Tehran, shows smoke billowing out of One Holding Tower. This is a well-known tower close to one of the busiest squares in Tehran.
The third location, in the affluent district of Farmanieh north of the capital, shows damage on two distinct towers metres from each other.
One of the upper floors of one tower appears to be struck, while shattered glass can be seen on the Kooh Noor tower nearby.
BBC Verify is continuing to examine footage of multiple other locations coming through via social media users and Iranian media.
People stand in the street looking at a flaming high-rise building at night
Trumps Reaction
Trump says he was aware of strikes beforehand – but reiterates US was not involved
US President Donald Trump spoken with Fox News about the strikes, claiming he was aware of Israel’s plans beforehand, but made it clear the US military played no part in the operation. He reiterated that he hopes Iran will continue negotiations with the US on curbing its nuclear programme.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see,” he told Fox News.
“There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back,” he said, noting that the US has confirmed multiple Iranian leaders have died in the attack.
He said his administration reached out to one key Middle Eastern ally before the strike to also inform them – he did not say what country it was.
UN Reacts
The head of the United Nations has called for “maximum restraint” in the Middle East and condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a spokesperson says Guterres is: “particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme are underway”.
“The Secretary-General asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford,” the spokesperson says.
Source: BBC
