Iran and Israel exchanged attacks on Monday for the first time since a fragile ceasefire halted five weeks of conflict, raising fears that the region could be sliding back toward a wider war.
Gatekeepers News reports that Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel overnight, prompting retaliatory strikes by Israel on military targets inside the Islamic Republic. The exchange came despite calls for restraint from United States President Donald Trump.
Tehran’s missile attacks followed Israeli strikes on positions linked to the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Iran had repeatedly warned that any attack on the Lebanese capital would provoke a response.
The renewed hostilities rattled global markets, with oil prices surging amid concerns that a broader conflict could disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.
The escalation also threatened ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict, with Pakistan playing a mediating role between the two sides.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the latest developments could affect efforts to secure a lasting peace.
“It is perfectly natural that the diplomatic process initiated to put an end to this imposed war would be affected,” Baqaei said.
However, he added that diplomatic contacts remained active, stating: “Diplomatic consultations are naturally continuing in all circumstances.”
Shortly after the briefing, a powerful explosion reportedly shook the foreign ministry area in Tehran, followed by repeated blasts believed to be linked to air defence activity. Iranian media later reported that a “hostile drone” had been intercepted over the capital.
No casualties had been reported in either country as of Monday.
The Israeli military said it had struck and dismantled Iranian defence systems deployed in several locations across the country. Residents in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank also reported hearing multiple explosions as Israeli forces intercepted additional missiles launched from Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces targeted Israel’s Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases, as well as a petrochemical facility, describing the attacks as retaliation for a previous strike on a similar facility in southwestern Iran.
The Guards warned that Israel had “initiated a dangerous game, the scope of which will encompass all energy-related targets in the region”.
Baqaei also accused the United States of being complicit in Israel’s actions.
“No-one believes” Israel would undertake such operations “without prior coordination and cooperation with the United States,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels announced a missile attack on Israel and declared a ban on Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea, further raising tensions across the region.
Trump urged both sides to exercise restraint but also made clear his influence over US policy toward the conflict.
“I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots,” Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a separate interview with Fox News, Trump urged Tehran to return to negotiations.
“What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough, get back to the table and make a deal,” he said.
Diplomatic efforts continued over the weekend, including a visit to Tehran by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who said he delivered a “special letter” to Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
International leaders also appealed for calm. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on both parties to “sit down to a negotiation table and agree”, warning that “the region does not need an escalation.”
China echoed similar concerns, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying that “resuming hostilities is not in any party’s interest”.
Iran has maintained that any permanent settlement must also address the conflict in Lebanon, where Israel continues military operations against Hezbollah.
The renewed violence has further complicated prospects for a lasting ceasefire and heightened concerns about energy supplies, with crude oil prices rising by more than five per cent following the attacks.
For many ordinary Iranians, the prolonged conflict has taken a heavy toll.
“I really have gone numb,” fitness trainer Elaheh, 32, told AFP from the southwestern city of Ahvaz.
“Daily life? It’s a joke. Everything is horrible. We only try to survive,” she said, citing rising living costs and growing uncertainty.
