US military carries out 11th consecutive night of air attacks against Iranian targets

[00:00:00]Now, the United States military says it's completed an 11th consecutive night of air strikes against Iran. US Central Command says it targeted Iran's maritime capabilities, drone facilities, and aircraft hangers.

[00:00:15]Air defenses were activated across Tehran for only the second time in the latest round of escalation.

[00:00:23]Explosions were heard in the northwest, including in the city of Tabriz, which was targeted for a second day. Several cities on Iran's southern coast were also hit in the latest round of US attacks.

[00:00:36]Let's go live to Rasul Sarder, who joins us from the Iranian capital. So, as I mentioned there, Rasul, air defenses activated in Tehran, but did the capital actually come under attack?

[00:00:50]>> Well, according to the officials, uh Tehran was not attacked by Americans last night. Indeed, we also haven't heard any uh sounds of the explosions here in the capital. However, in the eastern part of the city, so the air defenses were activated. We have heard some of the the sounds, but they were uh for the activation of the air defense systems.

[00:01:15]Uh so, this is the second time that we see in the air defenses are being activated over Tehran. But so far, no explosions, no impact, no uh attacks on the capital of the country. However, having seen that, so last night was one of the largest um wave of attacks carried out by the United States. Indeed, indeed, it was quite widespread from the uh northwestern of the country up and down to the south of the country. Tabriz, one of the largest cities in Iran, also it's an industrial hub for the Iranian economy. For the uh third time, it was attacked. And then, we have seen again and again systemically the Americans going after the ports across the coastline of Iran. But uh for the first time we have seen also in Kangavar, the Kermanshah province, for the first time was hit. And then outskirts of Baneh in the Kurdistan province. So that also for the first time we have been uh we have seen that was also attacked by the United States. So the civilian infrastructure, military uh targets, and the commercial hubs are the focus of the American attacks.

[00:02:28]>> And Rasoul, Iranian officials are now vowing to take the conflict to the next level if the US goes on attacking Iran.

[00:02:35]What are they referring to?

[00:02:39]>> Well, indeed. So we are hearing uh such statements repeatedly uh both from the uh political figures and the military officials here. So and nowadays particularly this kind of statement have been intensified. Uh perhaps one of the reason is that the United States again and again they're talking about an attack on the uh Pickaxe Mountain.

[00:03:03]Um that the American uh officials are claiming that the United that Iran has moved most of his centrifuges to that mountain. And now Iranians are saying that particularly if the United States attacks on our nuclear sites or facilities, then the answer is going to be uh quite harsh and they're going to take their attacks to the next level. So here Iranians are talking about proportionality and the response to be in kind. So infrastructure for infrastructure. This is the policy that is adopted by uh by by by Tehran. So if the military posts of Iran are targeted, Iran is saying that they are also going to target the American military assets across the region. And then if the commercial sites are targeted, Many are targeting the commercial sites in the region. So, the civilian infrastructure and also some of the companies as well now. So, only that doesn't have that is not contained with the military sites. So, some of the companies also Iranians are frequently talking about it that they are targeting. But, one of the thing here is Bab el Mandeb. So, Iranians have never confirmed that they have asked Houthis Ansar Allah Houthis to close Bab el Mandeb. However, off the record when we talked to some of the officials, they said that that could be one of the last options if we see that the survival of the state is at stake, then the coordination between Tehran and Houthis could go bigger and Bab el Mandeb also could be closed. So, what we are seeing here is that Iranians are promising to extend the scope of the attacks across the region.

[00:04:45]>> All right, we'll leave it there. Thanks so much Rasool Sarder from Tehran.