Israel meets the Iranian government's goal, when Tehran launches new attacks, prisons – state
Israel hit the Iranian government target in Tehran on Monday, a series of strikes followed by missiles and drones fired in Israel after the Trump administration launched a massive strike on Iran’s nuclear site the day before.
The Israeli military also confirmed that it knocked the site down on roads around Iran's wealthy facilities. The underground site was one of three nuclear facilities on Sunday's attacks. The Israeli army did not specify it.
In the Tehran attack, the Israeli Ministry of Defense said it hit the target, including the infamous Avan prison in the Iranian capital and the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
“Iranian dictators will be punished with full force for attacking Israel's home court,” the ministry said.
Nuclear fears are getting more and more after our strike
In Vienna, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said he expected the Faudo plant to have suffered major damage after Sunday's U.S. air strikes and a sophisticated bunker bomb bomb.
“That's how much damage is expected to happen, considering the explosive payload used,” said Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA.
With Sunday's strike at Iran's nuclear site, the United States inserted itself into Israel's war, prompting fears of wider regional conflict. Iran said the United States has crossed “a very large red line” with its risky gambit hitting three locations with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker bombs.
Behrouz Kamalvandi, several Iranian officials, including the Iranian Energy Organization, claimed that Iran had removed nuclear material from its target location in advance.
Grossi told the International Atomic Conference Council Committee on Monday that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed him on June 13 that Iran would “take special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.”
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“I pointed out that it is necessary to announce the transfer of nuclear material from the protection facility to another location in Iran,” Grossi said.
Israel and Iran press their attacks
According to Iran's state television, Iran described its attack on Israel on Monday as a new wave of its “real promise 3” operation, saying it targets Israeli cities in Haifa and Tel Aviv.
The explosion was heard in Jerusalem. No immediate damage was reported.
In Iran, witnesses reported that Israeli air strikes hit areas around the Iranian capital Tehran. Iranian state television confirmed that an Israeli strike attacked the gates of Evan's prison.
The report shares black and white effects shots that appear to be strikes. Prisons are known for holding dual nationals and Iran is often used as bargaining chips for negotiations with the West.
Evin also has a professional unit of political prisoners run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and people with Western ties, which answers only the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is a target of US and EU sanctions.
Earlier Monday, Iranian General Abdolrahim Mousavi, joint chief of staff of the armed forces, warned that the strike in Washington allowed Iranian forces to “freely” “action on the interests of the United States and their military.”
Thousands of U.S. troops are headquartered in the Middle East, many within the range of short-term Iranian missiles.
The U.S. strikes its Sunday attack on the rich facilities of Fordo and Nataz and local nuclear weapons as well as the Isfahan nuclear program, but President Donald Trump warned that there will be additional strikes if Tehran retaliates.
According to the US state-owned IRNA news agency, Mousavi took the US attacks to violate Iran's sovereignty and got involved in invading the country.
Global calls for lowering escalation and returning to diplomacy in an attempt to resolve the conflict in the wake of the U.S. attacks.
On Monday, top EU diplomats said the group was “very focused on diplomatic solutions.”
“The concerns about revenge and the escalation of this war are enormous,” Kaja Kallas said at the beginning of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels.
“In particular, Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz is extremely dangerous and not good for anyone,” Karas said.
Iranian officials repeated the long-term threat of possible closing key transport lanes after Sunday’s attack.
Iran, which insists its nuclear program for civilian purposes only, has previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allows international inspectors to enter its nuclear sites under 2015 with nuclear sites in the United States, France, China, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief.
But after Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of the deal in the first semester, Iran began enriching uranium as high as 60% – away from 90% of the short-lived, technological level of the weapon, and limiting access to its nuclear facilities.
When German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul arrived in Brussels on Monday to meet with his EU counterparts, he updated his call for Iran to agree to negotiate with the United States again, but said Europe still has role-playing.
“We have made it very clear to Iran that the real premise of a conflict resolution is that Iran is prepared to negotiate directly with the United States,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met in Moscow on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of Iran's main allies.
–Lidman reported on Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson are based in Berlin, with Ella Joyner of Brussels and Stephanie Liechtenstein of Vienna contributing to the report.
