Middle East crisis live: No plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, senior Iranian official says after blasts reported near Isfahan

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Egypt says it is deeply concerned about the continued mutual escalation between Israel and Iran, report Reuters.

In a statement issued on Friday, Egypt warned of the consequences of expanding conflict and instability in the region.

The reported Israeli drone strike on Isfahan may signal that this widening conflict has become more dynamic, writes Peter Beaumont.

In an analysis piece for the Guardian, Beaumont says that Iran and Israel are “playing with fire as old rules of confrontation are torn up”.

You can read the full analysis here:

China said on Friday that it will “continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate” tensions in the Middle East, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“China opposes any actions that further escalate tensions and will continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate the situation,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.

China is a close partner of Iran, its largest trade partner, and a top buyer of its sanctioned oil.

The US has repeatedly made public appeals for China to use its influence over Tehran to manage tensions in the region.

Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi held talks with his Iranian counterpart this week, with state media reporting that Tehran had said it was “willing to exercise restraint” after its first-ever attack on Israel’s territory.

EU Commission president calls on Israel and Iran to refrain from escalation

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called on Iran, Israel and their allies to refrain from escalation in the Middle East, after sources said Israel carried out an attack on Iranian soil on Friday, reports Reuters.

“It is absolutely necessary that the region remains stable and that all sides restrain from further action,” von der Leyen said alongside Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo in Lappeenranta, Finland, about 25 km (15 miles) from the Russian border.

That area of Syria is directly west of Isfahan, about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, and east of Israel.

Iran fired air defence batteries early on Friday and some flights were diverted or grounded after reports of explosions near a major airbase and nuclear site where drones were spotted, say AP.

Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani called on Friday for an “absolute de-escalation” following reports that Israel carried out a strike on Iran, saying G7 counterparts would discuss it at talks in Capri, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“We invite everyone to be cautious to avoid an escalation,” he told RAI news from the Italian island, where Rome is hosting a meeting between foreign ministers of the G7 nations.

The G7, which includes the UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and Canada, wants an “absolute de-escalation” in the Middle East, he said.

“We are monitoring the situation closely. We will address the situation with the foreign ministers at the G7 session this morning in Italy,” Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly said on X.

G7 ministers including US secretary of state Antony Blinken have been on Capri since Wednesday and are due to wrap up on Friday lunchtime.

Friday’s sessions were focused on rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, but Tajani confirmed the Iran situation would be “discussed”.

Oman, which has acted as a mediator in the Middle East, condemned on Friday the Israeli attack on Iranian soil, as well as “the repeated Israeli military attacks in the region”, said a foreign ministry statement, according to Reuters.

US vetoes Palestinian request for full UN membership

The US has vetoed a Palestinian request to the United Nations security council for full UN membership, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote in the 15-member security council was 12 in favor, the US opposed and two abstentions, the UK and Switzerland.

US officials had been hoping Washington could avoid use of its veto if other states objected to a draft resolution before the council recommending the “State of Palestine be admitted to membership of the United Nations”.

Before the vote, diplomats said the US mission had been trying to convince one or two other council members to abstain, to mitigate Washington’s isolation on the issue, but US officials said they were resigned to having to wield the US veto once more in support of Israel.

Washington’s position is that the emergence of a Palestinian state had to be the outcome of negotiations on all aspects of a Middle East peace settlement.

You can read the full piece by Julian Borger here:

Kiran Stacey

G7 foreign ministers are meeting to discuss their response to last night’s attack by Israel on Iran, according to a senior British minister.

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, told Sky News on Friday that the UK foreign secretary David Cameron was discussing the attack with his counterparts, as Britain added its voice to those calling for tensions to be dialled down.

“We accept that Israel has the absolute right to defend itself, and indeed, we were working with Israel and other allies to head off that attack last weekend that Iran made upon Israel,” he said.

“At the same time, though, we do think that de-escalation is absolutely key now. And our message to all in the region, including Israel, is that de-escalation is really important.”

“The foreign secretary currently is speaking with his G7 counterparts, so they will be very much focused on exactly that.”

Kiran Stacey is a political correspondent for the Guardian.

No plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, senior Iranian official says

Iran has no plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday, hours after sources said Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil.

“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” the Iranian official said on condition of anonymity.

According to Reuters, an Iranian analyst also told state TV on Friday that mini drones shot down by air defences in Isfahan were flown by “infiltrators from inside Iran”.

Meanwhile, the Israeli hard right minister Ben Gvir has posted a one-word post on X on Friday: “Feeble!”

Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and north Africa programme at Chatham House said of the reported strike on Isfahan:

Israel’s counter-strike on Iran is similarly targeted on a military site and calibrated to avoid damage and further Iranian aggression.

As long as Iran continues to deny the attack and deflect attention from it and no further hits are seen, there is space for both sides to climb down the escalation ladder for now.”

She said the strike’s timing, on the birthday of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, was clearly deliberate and symbolic by Israel.

Daniel Hurst is Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent.

The Australian government has urged Iran and Israel to “exercise restraint and step back to avoid a further spiral of violence”.

In response for a request for comment on Israel’s reported retaliatory military actions against Iran, the acting foreign minister, Katy Gallagher, said:

Australia remains extremely concerned about the potential for miscalculation and further escalation of conflict in the region.
This is in no one’s interests. We urge all parties to exercise restraint and step back to avoid a further spiral of violence.
Australia will continue working with partners to try to reduce tensions and prevent further regional spillover.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had earlier updated its travel advice for Australians in the region, warning of that the security situation could deteriorate quickly and flights could be cancelled.

Iran’s nuclear facilities are “secure”, officials have said, after Israel carried out airstrikes on the Iran province on Friday, according to US officials.

This explainer by Peter Beaumont lays out what is in Isfahan, the city that is home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear programme.

You can read it here:

Summary of the day so far

It’s 9:40am in Tehran and 9:10am in Tel Aviv. We’re about to hand over to London but first, a summary of what we know so far:

US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out airstrikes against Iran as explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz.

Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan, home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites. In a post on X, the agency said it continues to monitor the situation very closely and calls for extreme restraint from all sides, stressing that “nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported “three explosions” were heard near the Shekari army airbase in the north-west of Isfahan province, while Iran’s space agency spokesperson Hossein Dalirian said “several” drones had been “successfully shot down”.

Commercial flights including Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting their routes early on Friday morning over western Iran without explanation. Local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.

Mehr news agency reported that “flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and airports in the west, northwest and southwest have been suspended.”

Flight-tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan, and skirting Tehran to the north and east.

Iran’s civil aviation organisation says flight restrictions in several airports have been lifted, according to Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency.

Iran appeared to downplay the attack, as a senior commander in Iran’s army Siavosh Mihandoust has told the country’s state TV on Friday that no damage was caused. He added that the noise heard overnight in Isfahan was due to air defence systems targeting a “suspicious object”, reports Reuters.

IAEA says no damage to Iran's nuclear sites

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.

In a post on X, the agency said it continues to monitor the situation very closely and calls for extreme restraint from all sides, stressing that “nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”.

Explosions were heard in the area of Isfahan, a site associated with the country’s nuclear programme.

Earlier, Iran state television described all atomic sites in the area as “fully safe.”

Gen. Siavosh Mihandoost, a local army commander, also said that the incident caused “no damage” around Isfahan.