Cross-border attacks continue between Iran and Israel in what has escalated into an open war between the two powers. This morning, Israel bombed uranium centrifuge production centers in Iran with hypersonic missiles. The attacks carried out by "more than 50 aircraft" hit "a centrifuge production facility in Tehran" and "several weapons manufacturing sites (...), including raw material production facilities and components used to assemble ground-to-ground missiles," the Army said in a statement.
While both sides continue to bombard each other, Donald Trump has clearly sided with Israel. This Tuesday, he even warned that his country could kill the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fueling speculation about direct US involvement in the conflict. "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but he is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill him!), at least not for now," wrote Trump on his Truth Social network.
Israel, United States, and their Western allies suspect that Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran claims is solely for civilian purposes, ultimately aims to develop atomic bombs. Since the start of the attacks on Friday, Israel has targeted hundreds of military and nuclear facilities and killed numerous Iranian army leaders and scientists. However, the cross-border bombings have also claimed civilian lives on both sides: 224 in Iran, according to the latest official count from Sunday, and 24 in Israel, according to the Israeli government.
Trump says his patience with Iran is "running out"
The President of the United States has stated that his patience with Iran is "running out." When asked about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump simply replied with a laconic "good luck." The American president added that he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he could proceed with his attacks.
Trump reproaches Iran saying "it is too late to talk"
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has left open the possibility of a military attack against Iran and has stated that "nobody knows" what his final decision will be. Trump added that the Iranians had extended an olive branch to him, but he believes that "it is too late to talk."
"There is a big difference between now and a week ago," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "Nobody knows what I am going to do," Trump emphasized. He added that Iran had proposed to come for talks at the White House but did not provide further details. He described Iran as a completely defenseless country, without any type of air defense.
A Red Crescent headquarters among the buildings hit today by Israel in Tehran
Israel has launched a new wave of missiles on the Iranian capital, as confirmed by EFE, hitting several points in Tehran, including the Red Crescent headquarters, with no reports yet of victims or damage. Explosions have been reported in several areas, including residential areas in the northwest. State television Press TV has shown images of the Iranian Red Crescent building (IRCS) with smoke and a photograph showing the entrance completely damaged.
UN denounces the increase in executions in Iran, with the highest figures in a decade
Last year, Iran executed at least 975 people, the highest number since 2015, including political dissidents and individuals linked to the protests that began in September 2022 following the death in custody of young Mahsa Amini, a UN report denounced on Wednesday. Presented to the Human Rights Council, the report also noted that more than half of the executions last year were related to drug-related crimes, and at least four of them were carried out in public.
"At least 31 women were executed in 2024, compared to 22 the previous year, as well as 108 Baluchi minority prisoners and 84 Kurdish prisoners," detailed the UN's Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al Nashif, when presenting the report.
Israel claims to have destroyed Iran's "internal security headquarters"
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reported on Wednesday that Air Force planes "have destroyed the internal security headquarters of the Iranian regime," which he describes as "the main repressive arm of the Iranian dictator." In a statement distributed by his department, where he does not detail the location of that headquarters, Katz adds that Israel will continue "harming symbols of power and attacking the ayatollahs' regime everywhere".
Israel and Iran continue to exchange waves of attacks on Wednesday, the sixth day since the Israeli military launched a large-scale operation on Iranian territory that has resulted in more than 200 deaths in Iran, including members of the Iranian military and security leadership.
Israel confirms it is attacking "military targets" in Tehran
The Israeli army announced on Wednesday that it was carrying out new attacks against "military targets" in Tehran, on the sixth day of war between Israel and Iran. "The Israeli Air Force is currently attacking military targets belonging to the Iranian regime in Tehran," it announced in a statement.
Iranian opposition urges a regime change not imposed "from above"
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), one of the oldest opposition groups to the Tehran regime, urged on Wednesday a "regime change" in their country that is "led by the people of Iran and organized resistance" and not "imposed from above," as has already happened to them.
"The crisis has engulfed the clerical dictatorship. This is a visible reality for everyone, especially those who have seen what has happened in Syria," said the NCRI's elected president, Maryam Rajavi, speaking to a group of Euro MPs about a "key new chapter" for her country and the dynamics of the region.
For Rajavi, the solution for a regime change is not appeasement or negotiation, a strategy that - she said - "has led to the imposition of war" and only "buys time" for religious leaders. "A religious dictatorship is incapable of reforming, and this regime benefits from exploiting terrorism and relentlessly pursuing nuclear weapons," she warned.
An explosion in northern Tehran, a major avenue partially closed
An explosion shook northern Tehran on Wednesday afternoon, as confirmed by AFP journalists. This explosion of undetermined origin occurred at a time when several other explosions were shaking the eastern part of Tehran. The famous Vali-Asr avenue, which crosses the Iranian capital from north to south, was partially closed, according to AFP.
Israel says it has attacked more than 1,100 military targets in Iran
The spokesperson for the Israeli Army, Effie Defrin, stated on Wednesday that Israel has attacked more than 1,100 military targets in Iran so far, including nuclear components, missiles, or weapons production plants, and emphasized that the military forces will continue to systematically neutralize the elements that make up the nuclear threat.
"So far, we have attacked more than 1,100 different components throughout Iran (...) We have a clear goal of significantly impairing the nuclear program in all its components and causing substantial damage to the missile network," reiterated the spokesperson during a video briefing. Defrin confirmed that on Wednesday morning, the Israeli Air Force attacked five Iranian AH-1 attack helicopters located at Kermanshah airport, a city in western Iran.
More explosions in Tehran and five columns of black smoke
A new series of powerful explosions was heard in Tehran around 14:30 (Spanish peninsular time), while at least five columns of black smoke were visible in the eastern and southeastern districts of the Iranian capital. It was not immediately clear which buildings were the target of this attack on the sixth day of the war between Iran and Israel, triggered by an Israeli attack. A first series of detonations had been heard half an hour earlier.
WhatsApp denies sharing Iranian user data with Israel
WhatsApp has assured on Wednesday that it does not share the personal data of its Iranian users with the Israeli government, after Tehran asked the population to delete the application due to espionage fears on the sixth day of conflict between the two Middle Eastern countries.