Israel Strikes Iran After Tehran-Washington Nuclear Talks Are Canceled, PBS Reports 224 Killed

Israel and Iran exchanged more missile attacks on population centers on Sunday as the path to diplomacy narrowed after officials called off talks set for Sunday between Tehran and Washington on Iran’s nuclear program.

“• Iran and Israel exchange strikes: There have been more explosions tonight in Tehran and Tel Aviv as the conflict between the Middle East foes escalates following Israel’s unprecedented attack early Friday on Iranian nuclear and military targets”

CNN

The New York Times reported that Israel said its goal in unleashing powerful strikes starting on Friday was to disable Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and it described Tehran’s skies as aglow with flames from burning fuel reservoirs overnight after Israeli fighter jets bombarded Iran’s vital oil and gas industries.

CNN

In a separate account, PBS reported that the Iranian Health Ministry said late Sunday that 224 people have been killed since Israel's attack began Friday, while spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on social media that 1,277 other people were hospitalized.

PBS also said Israel claimed to operate almost freely in the skies over Iran during a third day of airstrikes Sunday and killed more high-ranking security figures, while some Iranian missiles slipped through Israel's air defenses.

The New York Times added that a semi-official Iranian news agency, ISNA, released photos it said showed the aftermath of an Israeli strike Sunday that hit a residential neighborhood in central Tehran, with people fleeing and two men lying on the pavement bleeding.

PBS reported that both sides threatened to launch more attacks, and it quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying that if Israel's strikes on Iran stop, then "our responses will also stop."

PBS also said Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, criticized the United States for supporting Israel and stated that "the responses will be more decisive and severe" if Israel keeps attacking, state TV reported.

PBS

On the Israeli side, PBS said the Israeli military noted "several hit sites" Sunday night, including in Haifa in the north, and the Magen David Adom emergency service said it treated nine injured people.

PBS further reported that Israel's main international airport and airspace was closed for a third day, while state television reported that metro stations and mosques would be made available as bomb shelters beginning Sunday night.

CNN described the escalation as continuing with more explosions in Tehran and Tel Aviv, and it said Iran vowed a “crushing response” while Netanyahu said “more is on the way.”

PBS reported that a U.S. official told The Associated Press that President Donald Trump in recent days vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underscoring how far Israel was prepared to go amid fears of all-out war.

“Advertisement Supported by The path to diplomacy appeared to narrow after officials called off talks that had been set for Sunday between Tehran and Washington on Iran’s nuclear program”

The New York Times

PBS also said Trump told the Associated Press that the latest U.S.-Iran talks on their nuclear program were canceled, and it reported that Trump said the U.S. "had nothing to do with the attack" and that Iran can avoid further destruction only by agreeing to a new nuclear deal.

CNN added that Trump warned Iran to agree to a nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” and it said a senior Iranian official told CNN that Tehran will target the regional bases of any country that tries to defend Israel.

PBS reported that Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran's heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets.

The New York Times described Israel’s strikes as brushing aside international calls to halt what it said had quickly become the fiercest clash in decades between the two sworn enemies, while it reported that civilians in both countries were seeking shelter where they could.