U.S. official confirms strikes against Iran underway: Reuters

A U.S. official has confirmed that American forces attacked Iran, the Reuters news agency reported on Saturday.

Earlier, Israel launched a daylight attack Saturday on Iran’s capital, with a cloud of smoke rising from the city’s downtown, the Associated Press reported.

It wasn’t immediately clear what the target was. But the attack comes as the United States has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the attack as being done “to remove threats.” He did not immediately elaborate.

In Tehran, witnesses heard the blast. Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without offering a cause.

Sirens sounded across Israel at the same time. The Israeli military said that it had issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”

The U.S. military declined to immediately comment on the attack.

President Donald Trump warned earlier in February that “really bad things” would happen unless Tehran agreed to a deal over the future of its nuclear program. The attack, which comes after a significant build up of military assets in the oil-rich Middle East region.

The U.S. and Iran had held a third round of talks in Switzerland on Thursday to try to resolve a standoff.

Ahead of the discussions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s reluctance to talk about its ballistic missile development program, alongside its nuclear program, was a “big, big problem.” Iran had said it was willing to compromise when it came to its nuclear program, but had repeatedly said Tehran’s missile program had never been part of the talks’ agenda.

There were earlier signs that Washington was losing its patience with Iran after the White House said, after previous talks, that Iran was not addressing its core demands.

Earlier in February, Iran reportedly said in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran would respond “decisively” if subjected to military aggression.

Energy market participants have been closely monitoring the escalating geopolitical tensions, with oil prices climbing to six-month highs after Trump’s amid concerns of a possible supply shock.

Iran, a founding member of OPEC, is a major oil producer and sits at the heart of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes.

Last June, the U.S. launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, causing what intelligence suggested was severe damage to Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran responded by launching a retaliatory strike on an American air base in Qatar, reportedly causing minor damage but inflicting no casualties.

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