Israel is carrying out a new wave of strikes in Tehran, its military said on Friday, while Iran reported that its Bushehr nuclear power plant has been attacked for the third time since the war began — a fresh escalation that puts nuclear facilities back at the centre of the conflict.
- The Israeli military says it is “currently conducting strikes” in Tehran; residents report heavy explosions and activated air defences.
- Iran’s atomic energy body says the Bushehr nuclear plant was hit for the third time during the war, with no casualties or damage so far — but warns of a possible “serious nuclear accident.”
- The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed a yellowcake production facility in Yazd was also attacked, with no rise in radiation detected.
- Iranian media report 13 people killed in a missile attack in Kermanshah, while steel plants in Isfahan and Ahvaz were hit.
- Diplomacy continues in the background: the US envoy says meetings with Iran could happen “this week.”
The Israel Defense Forces announced the Tehran strikes in a brief statement on its Telegram channel, saying only that it was “striking Iranian terror regime targets.” Two residents in east and north-east Tehran told BBC Persian they had heard “heavy strikes,” and Iranian outlets reported explosions and activated air defences in parts of the capital.
The most sensitive claim of the day came from Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, which said in a statement published by Iranian outlets that the site of the Bushehr nuclear power plant had been attacked that day — the third such incident during the current war. The organisation said its initial assessment found no casualties, no material damage and no technical disruption, and stressed the plant remains operational.
But it issued a stark warning: the plant “contains significant amounts of radioactive materials,” and any damage “could lead to a serious nuclear accident that would have irreparable consequences for the region.” The statement alleged the strike was carried out by the United States and Israel. The Bushehr plant — Iran’s only operational nuclear power station, built with Russian assistance — was previously reported hit on 17 and 24 March.
Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had informed it that the Shahid Rezayee Nejad Yellow Cake Production Facility in Yazd was attacked on Friday. The IAEA reported no increase in off-site radiation levels and said it would look into the report. Director General Rafael Grossi repeated his call for “military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident.”
The fighting extended well beyond nuclear sites. Iranian media reported that a missile attack on a residential area of Kermanshah in western Iran killed 13 people, including two children and four women — one of them pregnant — with dozens more injured in a second attack, according to the semi-official Mehr and Tasnim news agencies.
Iranian outlets also reported attacks on two major steel plants: one person was killed and two injured at the Mobarakeh Steel plant in Isfahan, while 16 people were injured at the Khuzestan Steel Company in Ahvaz, according to local security officials.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said a missile headed toward the capital, Riyadh, had been intercepted, adding that six ballistic missiles had been launched toward the city — two intercepted, four falling in the Gulf and uninhabited areas. The exchanges come amid a wider regional confrontation that has already seen Houthi missiles strike Aden’s presidential palace and a Saudi-led coalition intercept Houthi drones over its eastern province.
In Israel, the IDF said it had identified missiles launched from Iran on Friday night and was working to intercept them, instructing residents to stay in protected spaces. Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said a 52-year-old man had died in Tel Aviv, and that the missile had carried a cluster-bomb warhead, according to the Times of Israel.
Even as the strikes continued, diplomacy flickered. President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US is hopeful of meetings with Iran “this week” and expects an answer on a 15-point deal already on the table. Trump told reporters that Iran wants “to make a deal,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expects the war to end in “weeks, not months.” Regional officials told the BBC any talks are still at a very early stage, with Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt mediating indirectly.
Sources: BBC live coverage; IAEA statement; Iranian media (Mehr, Tasnim); IDF statements; Saudi defence ministry.
