World desk 

Explosions rocked Qatar on Monday night, shortly after the country closed its airspace amid Iranian threats of retaliation following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Witnesses reported seeing what appeared to be missiles in the sky, though Qatari officials have yet to confirm any attack.

Iran also has not officially acknowledged any action, but President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on social media shortly before the blasts, saying, “We did not start this war, nor do we seek it. But we will not leave aggression against the great Iran unanswered.”

Qatar, home to the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base and a close neighbor to Iran, shut its airspace earlier after Tehran vowed revenge for the American airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites Sunday.

Meanwhile, Israel widened its offensive against Iran, targeting symbols of the regime’s authority, including the gates of Tehran’s notorious political prison and the headquarters of the military force responsible for suppressing protests.

The Israeli military said more strikes are planned in Tehran, aiming at both military and symbolic targets, while urging civilians to stay away from potential strike zones. Internet outages continue to disrupt communications across Iran.

This escalation follows Israeli attacks on Iranian territory in response to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, alongside a new barrage of Iranian missiles and drones targeting Israel.

Adding to tensions U.S. President Donald Trump openly questioned the future of Iran’s government on social media, suggesting regime change might be inevitable if current leaders cannot “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN.” The White House clarified that Trump was merely posing a question, but Tehran reacted angrily, ruling out negotiations and warning of further retaliation against U.S. forces or interests in the already volatile Middle East, still reeling from the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

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Tehran strikes open new chapter of war

During its latest strikes on Tehran, Israel targeted Evin Prison, blowing open a gate at the notorious facility known for detaining dual nationals and Western citizens often used by Iran as leverage in negotiations with the West. Iranian state television released black-and-white surveillance footage showing the blast at the prison.

Evin Prison, which is partly controlled by the Revolutionary Guard — a paramilitary force reporting directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — also holds political prisoners in special units. Both the U.S. and European Union have sanctioned the facility for human rights abuses.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage, though Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported power outages on the outskirts of Tehran after the Israeli strikes.

State TV later broadcast footage from inside the prison, showing prisoners under control. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran expressed concern about the welfare of inmates, saying many families fear for their loved ones' safety.Meanwhile, Iranian military officials issued new warnings to the U.S. Iranian Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of joint staff of the armed forces, declared that recent American strikes had given Iran the "green light" to retaliate against U.S. forces and interests. Thousands of U.S. troops stationed in the region are within range of Iranian missiles.

Separately, Israel confirmed hitting roads near Iran's Fordo nuclear enrichment site to block access. The underground facility was one of three Iranian nuclear sites targeted by U.S. airstrikes on Sunday. Israel did not provide further details.

In a statement, Israel’s Defense Ministry vowed harsh retaliation for Iran's missile attacks on Israeli cities, warning, "The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force."

A senior Israeli official, speaking anonymously, said Israel’s strategy is to apply pressure on Iran’s leadership but stop short of pushing for regime change.

Nuclear fears mount after US strikes

In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs.

With the strikes Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed “a very big red line” with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the agency's board of governors Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed him on June 13 that Iran would “adopt special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials.”

“I indicated that any transfer of nuclear material from a safeguarded facility to another location in Iran must be declared,” Grossi said, without saying whether Iran had responded.

Iran presses on attacking Israel

Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as a new wave of its “Operation True Promise 3,” saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television.

Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defense systems in action, and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries.

In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists.

The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Masha Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel.

Israel launches fresh attacks on Iran’s Fordo as tensions soar

Calls for de-escalation

The U.S. described its attack on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities, as well as the Isfahan nuclear site, as a one-off to take out Iran's nuclear program, but Trump has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates.

Mousavi described the American attacks as violating Iran’s sovereignty and being tantamount to invading the country, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Russia is one of Iran’s closest allies and on Monday, President Vladimir Putin said after meeting in Moscow with Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, that they had explored “how we can get out of today’s situation.”

Putin called the Israeli and American attacks on Iran an “absolutely unprovoked aggression.”

Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the U.S., France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief.

But after Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities.