Mag 5.1 earthquake strikes Iran near capital Tehran… as Israel blitzes country to destroy nuke program
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Mag 5.1 earthquake strikes Iran near capital Tehran… as Israel blitzes country to destroy nuke program
The quake struck some 22 miles away from Iran’s Semnan region at 9:19pm local time and was also felt in Tehran’s Qom region. It comes as Israel continues to pound Iran’s nuclear facilities and other military targets. The goal, as the Israelis say, is to thwart the Iranian regime’s efforts to produce nuclear weapons as well as more ballistic missiles. The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is encased in steel more than 300 feet beneath solid rock – and has so far escaped serious damage. Israel’s arsenal lacks huge bunker buster bombs needed to destroy the underground enrichment facility – some 125 miles from capital Tehran. America currently has the fearsome GBU-57 bombs capable of blitzing Fordow. And it may drop a couple of them on Iran to destroy Fordow if Trump decides to join the Israeli campaign of bombing Iran.
QUAKE SHOCK Mag 5.1 earthquake strikes Iran near capital Tehran… as Israel blitzes country to destroy nuke program
A STRONG earthquake of 5.1 magnitude has struck northern Iran amid a war with Israel.
The quake struck some 22 miles away from Iran’s Semnan region at 9:19pm local time and was also felt in Tehran’s Qom region.
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5 A strong magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit 22 miles away from Semnan, Iran Credit: Alamy
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5 Iran State Radio and Television (IRIB) building was smoking after a direct Israeli strike Credit: REXNEWS
It is understood to be a shallow quake.
Semnan is home to the Semnan Missile Complex operated by Iran’s military as well as the Semnan Space Centre.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to pound Iran’s nuclear facilities and other military targets.
The goal, as the Israelis say, is to thwart the Iranian regime’s efforts to produce nuclear weapons as well as more ballistic missiles.
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It also includes long-range weapons that can strike targets far beyond Israel.
So far, Israel has struck dozens of military targets as well as several nuclear facilities across Iran.
This includes a water reactor at the Arak nuclear plant in Iran.
Pictures of the aftermath showed what appears to be a giant crater on the top of the reactor within the facility.
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The nuclear site had been “inactive” as it was yet to be completed, but the IDF said it had to be taken out because it was designed to cultivate plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.
Alongside Arak, Israel has confirmed strikes on the reactors at Natanz and Isfahan.
An IDF spokesperson also said that fighter jets had also struck the Bushehr nuclear power plant – which is the only working one in the country.
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But in a U-turn, the IDF then retracted the claim, with a spokesperson saying: “It was a mistake,” and that he could not confirm or deny that the facility had been targeted.
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At the heart of its nuclear program is the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is encased in steel more than 300 feet beneath solid rock – and has so far escaped serious damage.
Israel’s arsenal lacks huge bunker buster bombs needed to destroy the underground enrichment facility – some 125 miles from capital Tehran.
Only America currently has the fearsome GBU-57 bombs capable of blitzing Fordow.
It’s a Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb that can penetrate deep inside the ground before blowing up.
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The 20-foot-long monster bomb can explode to obliterate enemy targets that are often hidden beneath mountains and massive layers of rocks.
Its 30,000lb weight means that its sheer kinetic force enables it to reach deeply buried targets – almost 200ft beneath the surface.
At the heart of Tehran’s nuclear program is the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is encased in steel more than 300 feet beneath solid rock – and has so far escaped serious damage.
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Israel’s arsenal lacks huge bunker buster bombs needed to destroy the underground enrichment facility – some 125 miles from capital Tehran.
Only America currently has the fearsome GBU-57 bombs capable of blitzing Fordow.
And it may drop a couple of them on Iran to destroy Fordow if Trump decides to join the Israeli campaign of bombing Iran.
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Irish embassy in Iran closed & personnel moved over ‘deteriorating situation’ fears as Harris ‘increasingly concerned’
The Tanaiste said he has become “increasingly concerned’ in recent days as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes a week into their war. The embassy’s operations will continue in Dublin, adding the Department of Foreign Affairs will assume the embassy’s ‘consular functions’ There are more than 30 Irish people living in Iran, but not all of them are expected to leave the country in the immediate future. Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether the US military will be directly involved in the war given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran”s nuclear programme. The US president has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility.
The Tanaiste said he has become “increasingly concerned” in recent days as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes a week into their war.
1 Simon Harris said the decision has not been made lightly Credit: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Harris said the embassy’s operations will continue in Dublin, adding the Department of Foreign Affairs will assume the embassy’s “consular functions and remain in contact with the small number of Irish citizens remaining in Iran”.
He explained: “I have become increasingly concerned about the operational environment for our Embassy in Tehran, and the ability of our diplomatic staff to perform their functions safely.
“In light of the deteriorating situation, following consultation with my officials and in close consultation and coordination with EU partners, I have decided to temporarily relocate our personnel from Tehran.
“This is not a decision that I have taken lightly. Arrangements have been made for the Embassy to continue its operations from Dublin.
“Staff at my Department’s headquarters have assumed the Embassy’s consular functions and remain in contact with the small number of Irish citizens remaining in Iran.
“These arrangements will continue until it is possible for our personnel to return to Iran.”
Harris added: “My Department’s travel advice remains that Irish citizens should not undertake travel to Iran.
“My hope is that a diplomatic solution can be found to resolve this conflict, without further escalation or further loss of life in Iran or in Israel.”
The Government has been engaged in major efforts to assist Irish citizens living in Iran and Israel who may want to leave both countries in recent days.
There are more than 30 Irish people living in Iran, but not all of them are expected to leave the country in the immediate future.
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Meanwhile Israel and Iran have continued to trade strikes a week into their war as Donald Trump considered US military involvement while new diplomatic efforts got under way.
The US president has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America’s “bunker-buster” bombs.
US WAR DECISION
Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether the US military will be directly involved in the war given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to be heading to Geneva for meetings with the European Union’s top diplomat and counterparts from the UK, France and Germany.
Israel said it conducted air strikes into Friday morning in Iran with more than 60 aircraft hitting what it said were industrial sites to manufacture missiles.
It also said it hit the headquarters of Iran’s Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research, known by its acronym SPND.
Trump warns Iran could launch nuclear war in ‘weeks’ as it’s pummelled with Israeli bombs and city is struck by 5.1 earthquake: Live updates
Trump said Iran had a ‘maximum’ of a fortnight to avoid possible US air strikes. He said he was ‘ready and willing’ to step in once the countdown is over. It comes after a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit northern Iran today. Earlier Israel was rocked by a huge Iranian missile strike, injuring at least 17 people as both sides continued to trade blows for an eighth consecutive day.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said: ‘It is a tremendous amount of material, and I think within a matter of weeks or certainly within a matter of months, they will be able to have a nuclear weapon, and we can’t let that happen.’
Trump also reiterated that Iran had a ‘maximum’ of a fortnight to avoid possible US air strikes but said he was ‘ready and willing’ to step in once the countdown is over.
‘I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,’ Trump said as he was departing for his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club.
‘We’ll see what happens, time to see whether or not people come to their senses,’ he added.
It comes after a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit northern Iran today as Israel pounded the country with repeated waves of air strikes.
The quake struck at a depth of six miles, some 23 miles southwest of the city of Semnan, the USGS said, the US Geological Survey said.
State television said the earthquake measured 5.5 and ‘shook the area around the city of Sorkheh in Semnan province’.
It said the tremor was also felt in the capital Tehran, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Sorkheh. Official news agency IRNA reported no casualties and only ‘minimal damage’.
Earlier Israel was rocked by a huge Iranian missile strike, injuring at least 17 people as both sides continued to trade blows for an eighth consecutive day.
Buildings in the Israeli port city of Haifa showed signs of heavy damage with windows blown out from Iranian ballistic missiles. Huge plumes of smoke were seen rising from the city as strikes were also reported in Tel Aviv and Negev.
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Iran’s nuke reactor destroyed as shock satellite pic shows gaping hole in plutonium plant after precision Israeli blitz
Footage shows the moment the Israeli Air Force struck the Arak water reactor. The site had been “inactive” as it was yet to be completed. But the IDF said it had to be taken out because it was designed to cultivate plutonium for use in nuclear weapons. Israel has confirmed strikes on the nuclear reactors at Arak and Isfahan. But it later retracted the claim, saying it could not confirm or deny that the facility had been targeted. Iran has warned that an Israeli attack on Bushehr could lead to a “Chornobyl-style catastrophe” The UK is yet to declare whether it would stand with the US if it committed to attacking Iran’s nuclear sites. The US is the only nation capable of bombing the nuclear plant, which is 125 miles south of the city of Soroka, Iran’s largest city. The attack is expected to take place in the next few days, if the US decides to go ahead with the plan. The strike would be the first time the US has attacked an Iranian nuclear facility.
Footage showed the moment the Israeli Air Force struck the Arak water reactor lying in night-vision cross hairs during the sixth night of heavy missile exchange.
10 High-resolution imagery shows the aftermath of the strike on Iran’s Arak Heavy Water Reactor Credit: x/osc London
10 This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows damage at the Iranian nuclear facility at Arak in central Iran Credit: AFP
10 A partial view of the Iranian nuclear facility at Arak in central Iran before the strikes Credit: AFP
10 IDF releaedd footage showing the strike on an inactive nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran Credit: IDF
Footage released by the IDF showed a missile was dropped from an aircraft before it struck right at the heart of the sprawling plant.
Smoke and flames erupted from the impact site, and before engulfing the whole facility in a huge cloud.
Pictures of the aftermath showed what appears to be a giant crater on the top of the reactor within the facility.
The nuclear site had been “inactive” as it was yet to be completed, but the IDF said it had to be taken out because it was designed to cultivate plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.
The military said: “The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development.”
High-yield plutonium – alongside enriched uranium – is a material that can be used to fashion nuclear weapons.
Iranian media reported that air defences were activated in the area and that projectiles landed in the vicinity.
Officials told state TV that the site was evacuated and there were no casualties or risk of radiation.
Alongside Arak, Israel has confirmed strikes on the reactors at Natanz and Isfahan.
Another plant, the infamous “Mount Doom” at Fordow, remains untouched, but could soon face the US’s mighty bunker-busting bombs if Trump says the word.
An IDF spokesperson later said that fighter jets had also struck the Bushehr nuclear power plant – which is the only working one in the country.
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But in a U-turn, the IDF then retracted the claim, with a spokesperson saying: “It was a mistake,” and that he could not confirm or deny that the facility had been targeted.
The head of Russia’s nuclear energy corporation warned that an Israeli attack on Bushehr could lead to a “Chornobyl-style catastrophe”.
Iran has reported Israel to the UN’s nuclear watchdog over the strikes against its nuclear sites.
The regime accused Israel of “continuing its aggression and actions contrary to international laws that prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities”.
After days of speculation, Trump approved plans to attack Iran but is holding off in case Tehran agrees to abandon its nuclear programme, reports the Wall Street Journal.
If given the go-ahead, the plans would see the US join Israel in pounding Iran’s nuke sites – which Tehran has warned would spark “all out war”.
The UK is yet to declare whether it would stand with the US if it committed, as Attorney General Lord Hermer questions the legality of Israel’s action, according to Sky, and Starmer held a Cobra meeting.
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10 Israel will need to launch a daring commando mission to destroy Iran’s heavily fortified underground nuclear base
Trump still refuses to confirm his plans in public, however: “I may do it, I may not do it,” he said on Wednesday.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minster, Kazem Gharibabadi, hit back: “If the US wants to actively intervene in support of Israel, Iran will have no other option but to use its tools to teach aggressors a lesson and defend itself.”
Iran’s Fordow nuclear development plant is likely to be the prime target of any imminent US airstrikes.
Israel doesn’t have the weapons to strike the core of the mountain fortress site, but the US has a fearsome 15-ton mega bomb, known as a Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb, which could bust it open.
Trump acknowledged the US is the only nation capable of blitzing the key nuke site, but added: “That doesn’t mean I’m going to do it – at all.”
10 Iran’s state broadcasting building is a mangled wreck after heavy Israeli bombing Credit: Getty
10 Israel and Iran have been trading missiles for a week
10 Smokes raises from a building of the Soroka hospital, Israel, after an Iranian strike
The giant plant, 125 miles south of capital Tehran is encased in steel more than 300 feet beneath solid rock and has so far escaped serious damage.
Defence Analyst Paul Beaver told The Sun: “Israel will need literally to move a mountain to hit the plant.
“It’s protected by at least 90 metres of solid rock and has so far escaped serious damage.
“Options are to repeatedly bomb it for weeks until a breakthrough is achieved or a fultline is hit or launch an extremely risky ground offensive.
“But the Israeli military never ceases to amaze – and they may even have troops on the ground waiting to attack Fordow already.”