Dozens reported killed in Isfahan amid attacks on factories, military sites

Isfahan is just one of the many cities being bombarded across Iran. More than 200 cities, in addition to the capital, Tehran, have been targeted since the war began.

Isfahan is among the country’s most populous cities and is home to numerous industrial and military complexes. As with other cities across the country, factories and infrastructure there are being targeted in the attacks.

Dozens of people have reportedly been killed there. While Isfahan plays a critically important industrial and military role in Iran, the bigger picture is that residential areas are also being targeted, with some of them partially or fully destroyed.

So the impact extends well beyond military and industrial sites. Hospitals, schools, and even Red Crescent buildings are being targeted across the country. This is a delicate situation, as the Iranian side is also talking about retaliation.

A few days ago, the US also struck Kharg Island, which is one of the most strategically significant chokepoints when it comes to oil exports for the country. This attack marked another level of escalation, with both sides increasing their rhetoric against the other.

US military declines to comment on Iranian claim it used UAE territory for Kharg attack

As we’ve been reporting, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the US attacked Kharg and Abu Musa islands from two locations in the UAE – Ras al-Khaimah and a site he described as “very close to Dubai”.

He called the move dangerous and said Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there.

According to the AP news agency, the US Central Command declined to comment on Araghchi’s claim.

Meanwhile, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president said on social media the country has the right to defend itself but “still prioritises reason and logic, and continues exercising restraint”.

In the last two weeks, Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Gulf neighbours during the war, saying it was targeting US assets, even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian ones such as airports and oilfields.