Israel says it attacked Iran, declares state of emergency

Israel launched a daylight attack on Iran’s capital Saturday, sending a cloud of smoke rising from the city’s downtown, the Associated Press reported.

It was not immediately clear what the target was. But the attack came as the United States assembled a massive fleet of warplanes and warships in the region to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the attack as “removal of threats”. He did not immediately explain.

In Tehran, witnesses heard an explosion. Iranian state television later reported on the blast without giving a reason.

At the same time sirens blared throughout Israel. Israel’s military said it had “issued a pre-emptive warning to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being fired towards the State of Israel”.

The US military declined to immediately comment on the attack.

President Donald Trump warned in February that “really bad things” would happen unless Tehran agreed to a deal on the future of its nuclear program. The attack comes after a significant build-up of military assets in the oil-rich Middle East region.

The US and Iran held a third round of talks in Switzerland on Thursday to try to resolve the crisis.

Ahead of the discussions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s reluctance to talk about its ballistic missile development program alongside its nuclear program was a “big, big problem”. Iran has said it is ready to compromise when it comes to its nuclear program, but has repeatedly said Tehran’s missile program was not part of the negotiating agenda.

There have been earlier signs that Washington is losing patience with Iran after the White House said after earlier talks that Iran was not addressing its key demands.

In February, Iran said in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran would respond “decisively” if subjected to military aggression.

Energy market participants are closely watching rising geopolitical tensions, with oil prices rising to six-month highs since Trump’s election amid concerns of a possible supply shock.

Iran, a founding member of OPEC, is a major oil producer and lies at the heart of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes.

Last June, the US launched strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which intelligence indicated severely damaged Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran responded by launching a retaliatory strike on an American airbase in Qatar, which caused minor damage but no casualties.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.