Explosions rock Iran’s capital and more attacks target Israel

Explosions sent up clouds of dark smoke in the Iranian capital city early on Saturday and Tehran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel,

The latest bombardments come as the United States warned of a bombing campaign that officials said would be the most intense yet in the week-long conflict.

Donald Trump’s administration also approved a new 151 million dollar (£112 million) arms sale to Israel after the US president said he would not negotiate with Iran without its “unconditional surrender”.

Iran’s UN ambassador said the country would “take all necessary measures” to defend itself as Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on X more than 80 fighter jets had targeted Tehran and central Iran.

The IDF said targets included ballistic missile storage facilities and Imam Hossein military university, which it said was used for training by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

Associated Press video showed explosions flashing and smoke rising over western Tehran as Israel said it had begun a broad wave of strikes.

Also early on Saturday, the Israeli military said it was moving to intercept a new salvo of missiles launched from Iran.

In a sign of the widening nature of the conflict, sirens sounded early on Saturday in Bahrain as an Iranian attack targeted the island kingdom.

And Saudi Arabia said it destroyed drones headed toward its vast Shaybah oil field and shot down a ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces.

The US and Israel have battered Iran with strikes, targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear programme.

The stated goals and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted, as the US has at times suggested it seeks to topple Iran’s government or elevate new leadership from within.

Meanwhile, Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike the US military, according to two officials familiar with US intelligence on the matter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call on Friday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing his condolences over the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Kremlin said.

In other developments, evidence emerged suggesting that an explosion which killed scores of Iranian students at a school was likely caused by US airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with the regime’s Revolutionary Guard.

Qatar’s energy minister Saad al-Kaabi warned in an interview with the Financial Times that the war could “bring down the economies of the world,” predicting a widespread shutdown of Gulf energy exports that could send oil to 150 dollars (£111) a barrel.

The price for a barrel of benchmark US crude rose above 90 dollars (£67) on Friday for the first time in more than two years.

In a social media post on Friday, Mr Trump said “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

After a surrender, “and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s),” he said the US and its allies will help rebuild Iran, making it “economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before”.

The fighting has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries.

Mr Pezeshkian wrote on social media that “some countries” had begun mediation efforts, without elaborating.

Mr Trump has also told media outlets that he should be involved in choosing a replacement for Mr Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war. He spoke dismissively of the former leader’s son Mojtaba Khamenei — a front-runner to replace his father — calling him “a lightweight”.