Explosions across Iran as strikes intensify and regional attacks widen the conflict

The United States and Israel have carried out a fourth consecutive day of air strikes across Iran, as President Donald Trump claimed the country’s air defences and military capabilities had been largely destroyed.

Explosions were reported across multiple parts of Iran as Israeli and American forces targeted military infrastructure, command centres and strategic sites. The Israeli military said it struck Iran’s presidential office, a covert nuclear-related compound and a commander from the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran.

The US military said it had destroyed command facilities, missile launch sites and military airfields as part of the ongoing operation.

Iranian authorities have not issued an official comment on the latest wave of strikes. However, the Iranian Red Crescent said at least 780 people have been killed across the country since Saturday.

The conflict intensified after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran over the weekend. That first wave of strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials, according to reports.

President Trump said the goal of the military campaign is to eliminate Iran’s ballistic missile capability, weaken its navy and halt its ability to develop nuclear weapons. He also accused Iran of supporting armed proxy groups in the region.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said the strikes had delivered a devastating blow to Iran’s military power.

“We’ve had a very powerful impact,” he said. “Virtually everything they had has been knocked out now. Their missile count is going down.”

The president also repeated a claim that 49 Iranian leaders were killed during the initial attack on Saturday. He added that another strike had targeted Iran’s new leadership, although he did not provide details.

When asked who he believed should take power in Iran after the conflict, Trump replied: “Most of the people we had in mind are dead.”

The Israeli military later said an air strike in Tehran had killed Daoud Alizadeh, described as the temporary commander of the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force, the overseas operations branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to the Israel Defence Forces, Alizadeh had recently pushed the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah to carry out attacks against Israel.

The Israeli military also said it had struck a compound on the outskirts of Tehran where it alleged scientists working for Iran’s defence ministry were developing capabilities related to nuclear weapons.

Iran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear programme is peaceful and denies seeking to build nuclear weapons.

Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency said satellite images showed damage to entrance buildings at the underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant. The agency said no radiological consequences were expected and no additional impact was detected inside the facility.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation also said there had been no release of radioactive material following what it described as a “criminal attack”.

Satellite images released later showed extensive damage to several political and military buildings in Tehran, including the presidential complex, the judiciary complex, the ministry of intelligence, a building owned by the state broadcaster IRIB and the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards.

Iranian media also reported that the Assembly of Experts building in the city of Qom had been bombed. Verified videos showed the structure almost completely destroyed, while a nearby building was also heavily damaged. The state broadcaster said the buildings had been evacuated beforehand, and no casualties were reported.

Meanwhile, Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military bases.

A drone struck a car park next to the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday evening, causing a fire, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Hours earlier, two drones hit the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, causing what the Saudi defence ministry described as a limited fire.

Casualty figures continue to rise as the conflict expands. The Iranian Red Crescent said nearly 800 people have died in more than 1,000 reported strikes across the country since Saturday.

A US-based monitoring group, Human Rights Activists News Agency, said the deaths include hundreds of civilians and more than 170 children.

Funerals were held in the southern town of Minab for children who Iranian authorities say were killed in a strike on Saturday when a school was hit.

Officials said at least 165 girls and staff died in the attack. Israel said it was not aware of strikes in the area, while US officials said the Pentagon was investigating the incident.