Several explosions shook central Iran this Fridayin what North American media presented as a attack by the Israeli Army in retaliation for the drones and missiles fired massively by Tehran against Israel last Saturday.
Iranian news agency Fars reported three explosions near the Shekari military base, Isfahan airport and the city of Qahjavarestan, in the center of the country. Air defense shot down several drones, but did not detect a missile attack so far, a spokesman for Iran’s space agency said. This fact was not mentioned by President Ebrahim Raisi in the speech he gave during a tour of a northeastern province. No damage or injuries were reported either..
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated in a post on the X social network that Iran’s nuclear facilities were not affected during the attack. These infrastructures are located in strategic locations within the country, including Isfahan, Natanz and Fordo, in addition to the port city of Bushehr. “No nuclear complex should be the target of military conflicts,” the organization stressed.
He Washington Post quoted an Israeli source who stated, on condition of anonymity, that the attack was in response to Iranian aggression a week ago and sought to show that Israel has the capacity to reach the interior of the country. cnn He assured, citing senior officials in his country, that Tel Aviv had notified Washington in advance about carrying out the retaliation.
Iran had attacked Israeli soil with drones and missiles on Saturday in response to Israel’s April 1 bombings against its consulate in Damascuswhich killed seven Iranians (in addition to six Syrians), including several senior officials of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, such as the leader of its Quds Force branch for Syria and Lebanon, Brigadier General Mohamed Reza Zahedi.
Iranians calm
Iranians reacted relatively calmly to the announcement of explosions after Muslim Friday prayers. They did not appear willing to change their plans for the weekly rest day, the news agency reported. AFP. “We’ll go to the park. Everything is as before, it’s a normal Friday morning,” said Bahar, 24, a cheerleader at an educational center in Tehran. The woman said she learned about the explosions from a call from a friend who lived abroad.
For Ali, a 48-year-old worker, “if Israel wants to attack Iran, our duty is to defend it bravely, because Israel has no right to interfere in our country.”. Mohsen, a taxi driver from Tehran, did not hide his fear that the current tension could degenerate into an open conflict between the two countries. “War is destructive. Not only for us, but for the whole world,” remarked this 60-year-old man.
Behruz, a 71-year-old retired firefighter, also expressed his opposition to the war. “We cannot be satisfied with the death of people, whether they are Iranian, Israeli or from Gaza,” he said, referring to the war between Israel and Hamas that has been going on for more than six months in the Gaza Strip.
International impact
Regarding the international level, the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres condemned “any act of retaliation” in the Middle East, in a message to the containment that came hours after the Israeli shots. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired a meeting of his G7 counterparts on the island of Capri, called for a “total de-escalation” in the region. Also present there, the North American Secretary of State, Anthony Blinkendeclined to comment on the explosions in Iran, and He limited himself to saying that the United States “did not participate in any offensive operations”.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow, after talking with Tehran, told Israel that Iran does not want an escalation of the conflict.. “There were telephone contacts between the leaders of Russia and Iran, between our representatives and the Israelis. We made it very clear in these conversations and conveyed to the Israelis that Iran does not want an escalation,” said the head of Russian diplomacy in an interview.
Oman, which has long played a mediating role between Iran and Western powers, for its part condemned the Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic, and “Israel’s repeated military aggression in the region,” according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson. Exteriors.
The Chinese authorities also expressed themselves on the matter. “China opposes any action that encourages an increase in tension and will continue with its constructive role in the region to achieve a reduction in violence,” said the spokesperson for the Asian giant’s Foreign Ministry., Lin Jian, at a press conference. China is one of Iran’s largest trading partners: it is one of the main buyers of oil despite the international sanctions that weigh on the country.
Possible de-escalation
The attack against Iran suggests that the two countries could seek a de-escalation, although relations between the two are explosive, experts say. “We appear to be at a point where both sides are seeking to break out of the current cycle of escalation, with Israel carrying out a very limited attack to demonstrate that it responded to the Iranian attacks, and Tehran quickly downplaying the incident so as not to be forced to respond. “he commented to AFP Julien Barnes-Daceyof the European Council for International Relations, a think tank.
Hasni Abidi, of the Center for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World, based in Geneva, stressed that the two Iranian and Israeli attacks were “almost symmetrical”, which could lead them to think that they can leave it at that. “The Israeli strike hit an air base that had been used as a platform to launch missiles and drones against Israel last week. The Israelis were careful not to hit important nuclear positions in the same province, in Isfahan,” he added.
The situation may appease Tehran, which has “no interest in this tension continuing, since its absolute priority” is to continue with its nuclear program, essential for the survival of the regime, he indicated. this specialist in the Middle East. Although there are signs that point to a de-escalation, both experts prefer to remain cautious and mention that there is some uncertainty around Israel’s objectives.
On the contrary, for Agnes Levalloisof the Institute for Research and Studies on the Mediterranean and Middle East, Israel is in a logic of escalation and not de-escalation,” he stated. “Attacking Iran is a way to obtain much greater international support” he analyzedreferring to the fact that some Arab countries believe that Tehran and its nuclear program are themselves a factor in regional destabilization.
The expert also highlighted the unpredictable nature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government decided to respond to the Iranian attack despite warnings from Washington. “There are things that seem obvious and reasonable, but on the ground we have an actor making decisions that appear to go against Israel’s own interests,” she said.
