Israeli forces blew up the gates of Iran’s notorious Evin Prison and struck government buildings across Tehran on Monday in the most direct assault on Iran’s capital since the war began.

Projectiles hit the jail, which houses Iran’s political prisoners, causing damage to parts of the facility and raising the possibility that dissidents may have been able to escape.

The prison’s gates were destroyed in the strike, though Iranian officials said the situation was “currently under control.”

The strike targeted one of the Islamic Republic’s most symbolically important detention facilities, where prominent activists, foreigners, journalists and dissidents have been held for decades.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian author, was held there for four years on bogus espionage charges.

The Israeli military “is carrying out strikes of unprecedented force against regime targets and agencies of government repression in the heart of Tehran”, Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X as the Iran-Israel war raged for an eleventh day.

These included Evin prison – “which holds political prisoners and regime opponents” – as well as the command centres of the domestic Basij militia and the powerful Revolutionary Guards, he added.

The US Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website Monday urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to “shelter in place until further notice,” reports The Associated Press.

Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, is home to Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command. Iran has threatened American forces at Al Udeid in the past, but not after Sunday’s strike, though state television has mentioned American bases in its broadcasts.

Qatar maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.

After the US strikes in Iran, security officers at all US embassies and consulates had been instructed to conduct reviews of their post’s security posture and report back to the State Department by late Sunday. It wasn’t immediately clear if that was connected to the alert.

The U.S. military base in Erbil, Iraq, remains like so many American bases across the region, on high alert.

Not far from the border with Iran, it is one of the closest installations to the Islamic Republic and would likely be a target should Iran decide to retaliate against the U.S.

Elsewhere across the Middle East, airlines are canceling some routes into the Gulf and in Qatar, and we’re told that staff at the U.S. base there have been told to shelter in place this morning out of an abundance of caution.

08:30 (IST) 22 Jun 2025

US Israel Iran News LIVE Updates: World leaders react to US strikes on Iran

World leaders reacted to US strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities. While some countries praised the move, others condemned it, calling for de-escalation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had urged Trump to join the attack on Iran, congratulated the US president, saying that his bold decision to attack Iran will change history.

“Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history… History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world’s most dangerous regime the world’s most dangerous weapons.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres:

“I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world. I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law. At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.”

Venezuela Foreign Minister Yvan Gil:

“Venezuela Condemns US Military Aggression Against Iran and Demands an Immediate Cessation of Hostilities. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela firmly and categorically condemns the bombing carried out by the United States military, at the request of the State of Israel, against nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan complexes.”

Mexico Foreign Ministry:

“The ministry urgently calls for diplomatic dialogue for peace between the parties involved in the Middle East conflict. In keeping with our constitutional principles of foreign policy and our country’s pacifist conviction, we reiterate our call to de-escalate tensions in the region. The restoration of peaceful coexistence among the states of the region is the highest priority.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel:

“We strongly condemn the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which constitutes a dangerous escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The aggression seriously violates the UN Charter and international law and plunges humanity into a crisis with irreversible consequences.”

China:

A flash commentary from China’s government-run media asked whether the US is “repeating its Iraq mistake in Iran.”

The U.S. Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website Monday urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to “shelter in place until further notice,” although Qatar later said the situation was “stable.”

The embassy did not elaborate, nor did it respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press on the message, which comes as tensions are high in the Middle East after the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari later put out a statement saying that advisories from foreign embassies “do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats.”

“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the State remains stable,” he added.

Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, is home to Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command. Iran has threatened American forces at Al Udeid in the past, but not after Sunday’s strike, though state television has mentioned American bases in its broadcasts.

Qatar maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.

After the U.S. strikes in Iran, security officers at all U.S. embassies and consulates had been instructed to conduct reviews of their post’s security posture and report back to the State Department by late Sunday. It wasn’t immediately clear if that was connected to the alert.