Tehran: Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as US President Donald Trump weighed possible American military involvement, even as diplomatic efforts appeared to gather momentum.
Trump is reportedly considering whether to target Iran’s well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, buried under a mountain and considered out of reach for all but America’s most powerful “bunker-buster” bombs. He said he would decide within two weeks on direct US military involvement, given what he described as a “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to be travelling to Geneva for talks with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Flight-tracking data showed a plane using his usual call sign departing the Turkish city of Van near the Iranian border. Iran typically confirms his departures only hours later.
Britain’s foreign secretary said he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House to explore options for defusing the crisis.
Before departing, Araghchi said on Iranian state television that Iran was “not seeking negotiations with anyone” as long as Israel’s attacks continued, accusing the US of being “companions and collaborators” in the Israeli campaign. He noted that Trump frequently used “we” when referring to the attacks.
Israel said it carried out airstrikes into Friday morning, with more than 60 aircraft targeting what it described as missile manufacturing facilities and the headquarters of Iran’s Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND). The US has previously linked SPND to suspected Iranian research tied to nuclear weapons development, an allegation Tehran denies.
“A week has passed since the operation began,” said Israeli military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin. “We are strengthening our air control in the region and advancing our air offensive. We have more sites to strike in Tehran, western Iran and other places.”
Israeli strikes reportedly reached Rasht, near the Caspian Sea. Iran’s media said Israeli warnings for civilians to leave the area were difficult to heed, given internet disruptions across the country.
In Israel, paramedic service Magen David Adom said missiles caused damage to buildings in a residential area in the south, including a six-storey building. Five people were treated for minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and anxiety.
This came a day after at least 80 patients and medical staff were wounded at Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba.
As per a Tehran Times report, Iranian officials denied that their missiles directly targeted the hospital. They said it did not suffer a direct hit but sustained damage from shockwaves of nearby blasts. The hospital lies between two key military sites, which Iran said were its intended targets. Iranian sources accused Israel of spreading false claims to deflect attention from damage to military command infrastructure.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz, referencing the strike near the hospital, threatened Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying: “Our military has been instructed and knows that to achieve its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusted Trump to “do what’s best for America” and noted: “They’re already helping a lot.”
Since the conflict began on June 13 with Israeli strikes on nuclear and military sites, at least 657 people — including 263 civilians — have been killed in Iran, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. More than 2,000 others have been wounded.
Iran has fired around 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli military estimates. Israel says most were intercepted, but at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds wounded.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. However, it is the only non-nuclear-armed nation enriching uranium up to 60 percent — close to weapons-grade. Israel, widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, has never officially acknowledged its arsenal.
The Israeli air campaign has hit sites at Natanz, Isfahan, and around Tehran, along with what it describes as most of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers — strikes it credits with reducing Iranian attacks in recent days.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated for clarity.
