The US and Israel have launched a joint attack on Iran, with US President Donald Trump describing the operation as "major combat operations" and calling for Iranian government forces to lay down their arms.
According to reports from Iranian media, explosions were heard across the country, including in the capital Tehran, as well as in cities such as Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah.
Iran has responded with strikes targeting Israel and other sites in the Middle East, including a US naval base in Bahrain, as reported by the BBC.
Timeline of Events
Explosions were first reported in Tehran at around 09:30 local time (06:00 GMT), with pictures showing smoke over the city's Jomhouri Square and Hassan Abad Square.
Videos circulating on social media show people near blast sites running in panic, with the sound of screams and crying heard in the background.
Casualties and Damage
A local official told state media that at least 53 people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a girl's primary school in Iran's southern county Minab, although this has not been verified by the BBC.
Iran's airspace has been closed since the attacks, according to the Tasnim News Agency.
International Response
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called the joint strikes "wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate", while US President Donald Trump has stated that the objective is to "defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the Iranian people to "throw off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peaceful Iran".
Global Reactions
United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called for "restraint and implore all parties to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the negotiating table".
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas has described the latest developments as "perilous", while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned Iran's retaliatory strikes and urged them to refrain from "indiscriminate" attacks.
