U.S., Israel launch strikes across Iran, energy hub Kharg Island before Trump’s deadline
The pace of bombardment accelerated on Tuesday as hopes for a deal to end the war with Iran appeared increasingly remote. Israel struck eight road and rail bridges across Iran, while the United States attacked military installations on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. Iran responded by attempting strikes on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The escalation came after Iran withdrew from negotiations with the United States, according to three senior Iranian officials who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters. The officials said the decision followed threats by President Trump, who warned that Iran’s “whole civilization” could be wiped out if its leaders did not meet his demands by an 8 p.m. Eastern deadline.
According to American and Israeli officials familiar with the operations, the United States and Israel have intensified attacks in an effort to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route. Reopening the strait is a central condition set by President Trump for easing military pressure.
Early Tuesday, the United States carried out more than 90 strikes on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub. A U.S. military official described the attacks as “restrikes,” meaning they targeted locations that had already been hit previously to inflict additional damage.
Israeli strikes were reported across multiple parts of Iran. Many targeted transportation infrastructure, though at least one strike hit a petrochemical facility in the city of Shiraz. In recent days, Israel has also struck several other petrochemical sites that it says Iran uses to produce explosives and materials for ballistic missiles.
Iranian state media reported that one Israeli strike destroyed the Rafi-Nia synagogue, leaving Torah scrolls buried beneath the rubble. Homayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, the Jewish community’s representative in the Iranian parliament, described the damage in comments to the state broadcaster Press TV.
In a message posted on its Persian-language social media account, the Israeli military said the synagogue was damaged as a result of collateral effects from a strike aimed at a senior commander Tuesday evening and expressed regret for the damage.
Iran fired missiles toward Israel and across the Persian Gulf toward Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Officials in all three countries said their air defenses were intercepting incoming missile barrages.
Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said debris from an intercepted missile landed near energy facilities in the eastern part of the country. Authorities said the extent of the damage was still being evaluated.
In Sharjah, part of the United Arab Emirates, officials reported responding to a ballistic missile incident involving a strike from Iran that targeted an administrative building belonging to a telecommunications company. Two Pakistani nationals suffered moderate injuries and were taken to a hospital, according to the Sharjah government’s media office.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported two missile barrages from Iran within less than 30 minutes just before 7 p.m. local time. Police said officers were dispatched to several locations where debris from intercepted missiles had fallen. Authorities said there were no known fatalities.
According to Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service, a total of 25 people in Israel were injured over the past day in missile and rocket attacks launched by Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
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