Israel, Iran Raise Specter Of Disaster With Tit-For-Tat Attacks Near Nuclear Sites
Israel and Iran appeared to intensify risks of a major disaster, with each side striking close to nuclear facilities of the other combatant, raising the rhetoric level in Tel Aviv and Tehran and worrying the UN atomic watchdog.
An Iranian missile on March 21 hit the Israeli town of Dimona, which is home to a nuclear facility, in what Tehran said was in retaliation for strikes on its Natanz uranium enrichment facility earlier in the day.
Israel has never publicly acknowledged that it has a nuclear weapon and the Dimona complex is officially described as a research facility. The site, just outside the main town, is widely believed to possess Israel’s nuclear arsenal, the only such holding in the Middle East.
After the earlier strike on Iran’s Natanz site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reiterated its call for “military restraint to prevent a nuclear accident.”
The IAEA then repeated the call for “maximum military restraint” following Iran’s missile launch against Dimona.
"The IAEA is aware of reports of an incident in the city of Dimona, Israel, involving a missile impact and has not received any indication of damage to the nuclear research center Negev," the agency said on X.
"Information from regional states indicates that no abnormal radiation levels have been detected," it added.
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Trump Gives Iran 48 Hours To 'Fully Open' Strait Of Hormuz Or Face Attacks On Power Plants
US President Donald Trump gave Iran 48 hours to "fully open" the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a 33-kilometer-wide waterway through which about one-third of the world's seaborne oil passes.
In a social media post at 7:44 PM Eastern time on March 21, Trump wrote:
"If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP"
Following Trump's post, the Unified Combatant Command of Iran's military was quoted by state media as saying that if Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, all energy infrastructure belonging to the United States in the region will be targeted.
Iran has nearly closed the strait located off its coast following the US-Israeli air strikes that began on February 28. Tehran has also fired off missiles at energy sites throughout the Gulf region, targeting allies of the United States.
Trump has demanded that countries that utilize the strait for transport of their energy resources take part in a mission to secure the waterway with military escorts and other means.
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British Nuclear-Powered Submarine Arrives In Arabian Sea: Report
The British newspaper The Daily Mail reported that a British nuclear-powered submarine equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles has taken position in the Arabian Sea.
The report said the deployment of the HMS Anson gives Britain the capability to launch long-range strikes if regional conflict escalates.
The Daily Mail said the submarine traveled some 8,800 kilometers from Australia to await orders. The report could not immediately be verified.
Britain Says Cyprus Base Not Included In Deal With US Forces
Britain said its Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus would not be involved in its new agreement with the United States to use UK bases.
The announcement came on March 21 after a phone call between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
A day earlier, London gave authorization for US forces to use RAF Fairford in England and Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean, to carry out defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran on March 21 fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, although neither reached the site some 4,000 kilometers from Iranian territory.
On March 2, an Iranian-type Shahed drone caused slight damage at the Akrotiri base, while two others were intercepted. No further incidents related to the war have been reported on the island.
Britain retained sovereignty over two bases when it granted Cyprus, its former colony, independence in 1960.
"RAF Akrotiri would not be involved in the UK's continuation of its agreement with the US to use UK bases in collective self-defense of the region," a spokesperson for Starmer's office said in a British readout of the call with Christodoulides.
With reporting by Reuters
Saudi Arabia Orders Iran's Military Attache, Others To Leave Country
Saudi Arabia has told Iran's military attache and four others of the embassy staff in Riyadh they must leave the kingdom within 24 hours after being declared persona non grata, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on March 21.
The ministry cited "repeated Iranian attacks" on Saudi territory as the reason for the move.
Saudi Arabia has come under attack by hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28. Most have been intercepted, although falling debris has caused damage and some injuries.
The ministry said that further attacks by Tehran would have "significant consequences" for current and future relations.
Shi’ite-led Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia have long been rivals in the region competing for influence among neighboring countries. Saudi Arabia is also closely aligned with the United States.
The two countries reestablished diplomatic relations in 2023 as part of an effort to calm tensions following years of friction.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Dozens Injured In Iranian Missile Strike On Israel's Dimona, Emergency Service Says
An Iranian ballistic missile hit a building in the southern Israeli city of Dimona, home to the country's nuclear program, as local emergency service said it was treating dozens of people injured in the attack.
According to the emergency response service Magen David Adom, a 10-year-old boy was among the injured, suffering moderate injuries from shrapnel. In its latest report, the service said the number of injured had risen to over 40 people.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB claimed the attack on Dimona targeted nuclear facilities located in the city. It also described the attack as a response to Israel's earlier attack on Natanz, the site of an Iranian nuclear facility.
It was at least the second time the Natanz facility has been targeted during the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28. Following the attack, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi called for "military restraint to prevent a nuclear accident."
Read more here.
8,000 Iranian Targets Struck By US Forces, Military Says
The United States has struck more than 8,000 targets in Iran since the beginning of the joint US-Israeli military campaign three weeks ago, US Central Command (CENTCOM) says.
Targets hit by US forces included 130 Iranian vessels, CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper said in a video released on March 21 on X. He described the result as "the largest elimination of a navy over a three-week period since World War II."
Cooper added that the military also remained focused on "dismantling Iran's decades-old threat to the free flow of commerce ithroughout the Strait of Hormuz," adding that the US military has dropped multimple bombs on an underground facility off the coast of Iran earlier this week.
According to Cooper, Tehran's forces used the site "to discreetly store anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile missile launchers, and other equipment that presented a dangerous risk to international shipping."
Iranian Missile With Cluster Warhead Hits Central Israel
The mayor of the city of Rishon LeZion, located in central Israel, announced on March 21 that an Iranian missile with a cluster warhead hit the city and destroyed several places, including a kindergarten.
The mayor said that if the attack had occurred on a school day, it could have had more severe consequences.
According to Reuters, among the missiles that Iran has fired at Israel, some have cluster warheads, which are more difficult for Israeli missile defense shields to intercept and destroy.
More Than 20 Countries Condemn Iran Over Strait Of Hormuz Tensions
More than 20 countries announced that they are prepared to support efforts to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, amid rising tensions in the region.
"We declare our readiness to participate in appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of countries that are making preliminary plans," the joint statement said.
The countries also condemned recent actions affecting maritime security and regional stability.
"We strongly condemn recent attacks on civilian commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, as well as attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities."
The statement was supported by a group of countries including United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Japan, and Australia, as well as Gulf states such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, along with several other European partners.
It was not immediately clear what "appropriate measures" the group referred to. Many of those countries have rejected demands by US President Donald Trump to send their navies for escort missions in the strait.
While some European countries said they were discussing ways to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, several rejected President Trump’s calls to send warships.
It comes amid ongoing regional tensions involving Iran and concerns over the security of key global shipping routes.
Iran's Missile Cap Died With Khamenei, Putting Europe Within Reach
Iran for years maintained that it had capped its ballistic missile range at 2,000 kilometers.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's then-supreme leader, said in 2021 that he had imposed the limit despite protests from military figures, framing it as a deliberate choice.
That choice, according to Iranian military officials, was a signal to Europe that it was not in Iran's crosshairs.
On March 21, within weeks of Khamenei's assassination in the US-Israeli war with Iran, Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint US-British base in the Indian Ocean some 4,000 kilometers from Iranian territory.
The cap, it appears, is gone.
To read the full analysis by RFE/RL's Kian Sharifi, click here.
