The United States has significantly expanded the scale of airstrikes on Iran, for the first time since the end of the previous conflict striking the capital Tehran and several new provinces. According to reports from the scene, the bombardment continued through the night and into the morning in two waves; experts view this as a shift toward the systematic destruction of Iran’s military and missile infrastructure. In response, Tehran said it would continue attacks on American targets and interests in the region.
In Tehran, the targets included the Parchin facility, which is linked to Iran’s nuclear program, as well as the Pakdasht area, where intelligence reports say related developments are located. In addition, strikes were carried out on a range in Semnan, which is believed to be used for testing and storing missiles. The US Central Command confirmed that strikes on airports were aimed at areas used to launch drones.
The bombardment also affected other provinces: in Hamadan, at least three sites were hit, while Lorestan was struck for the third consecutive time. In the city of Ahvaz (Khuzestan), new strikes landed in areas along the border with Iraq, which are considered Iran’s “first line of defense.” According to sources, these territories are used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to deploy air-defense systems and to intercept threats from the south and southwest.
The attacks also spread to the coastal cities of Rask, Chabahar, and Konarak—the last of which the United States considers an important base for launching drones and naval cruise missiles. Islands in the Strait of Hormuz also remain under intense fire, although the IRGC says it maintains control of the strait. At the same time, the US continues a naval blockade: Central Command said it intercepted a vessel heading toward an oil terminal on the island of Kharg using a Hellfire missile launched from a helicopter.
Military analyst Colonel Nidal Abu Zeid notes that operations are expanding both vertically (with duration growing from 4 to 8 hours) and horizontally—the geography now covers a line from the coastline to Tehran. He says this is the formation of a “second line of fire” from within the country, creating land corridors. The type of targets also differs: in Ahvaz, strikes are directed at IRGC bases, while in Tehran, Semnan, and Parchin they target missile and drone programs.
According to the expert’s assessment, repeated strikes on the “Talekhan 2” site are explained by new intelligence requiring its destruction. Ongoing bombardment of border areas (Sistan-Balochistan, Kermanshah, Ahvaz) is aimed at weakening the IRGC and the regular army. In the analyst’s view, this may pave the way for the use of opposition forces—such as the Sunni group “Jaysh al-Adl” in the southeast and Kurdish units in the west—in later phases of the conflict.
Comments on the news
- What is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and what role does it play in Iran’s political and military structure? — The IRGC (or “Sepah”) is an elite Iranian military-political formation created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect its ideals. Unlike the regular army, the IRGC reports directly to the Supreme Leader and is responsible for suppressing internal unrest, as well as external operations (for example, supporting allied groups in the region). In addition to its military role, the IRGC has enormous economic influence, controlling key sectors (oil, construction, telecommunications). Many of its former commanders hold top political positions, which makes the IRGC effectively a “state within a state.”
- Where is Kharg Island located and why is it considered a strategic asset for Iran’s economy? — Kharg Island is located in the Persian Gulf, about 30 km from Iran’s coast. It is the country’s main oil terminal, through which about 90% of Iran’s oil exports pass. The island houses the largest oil storage facilities, berths for supertankers, and loading terminals. For that reason, the island is critically important to Iran’s economy and, at the same time, a vulnerable target in the event of attacks, as disrupting it can paralyze Iran’s oil exports.
- Why is the Parchin site regularly mentioned in the context of Iran’s nuclear program, and what is known about it? — Parchin is a military facility in the southeast of Tehran which, according to the IAEA and Western intelligence, could have been used by Iran for tests related to the development of a nuclear explosive device—specifically, tests of explosives used in nuclear warheads. Iran has repeatedly refused IAEA inspectors access to the site, citing secrecy. Although Iran says work there was of a civilian or defense nature, the recurring mention of Parchin in IAEA reports makes it a symbol of suspicions regarding the military component of Iran’s nuclear program.
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