Iran FM vows to 'exact heavy price' after strikes on key facilities

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that Tehran would exact a “heavy price” for what he described as Israeli attacks on key industrial and nuclear infrastructure, as hostilities between the two sides intensified.

In a social media post, Araghchi said Israel had struck two of Iran’s largest steel factories, a power plant and civilian nuclear facilities, adding that Israel claimed the operation was carried out in coordination with the United States.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards echoed the warning, urging workers at industrial sites with American ties or links to Israel to “leave their workplaces immediately,” signaling the possibility of further retaliatory strikes.

US-Israeli strikes earlier in the day hit two Iranian nuclear facilities — the Khondab heavy water complex and a uranium processing plant in Ardakan — along with two major steel plants. Israeli forces confirmed the attacks, while Iranian authorities said there had been no radioactive release.

Israel’s military said Iran responded by firing missiles, with one person killed in Tel Aviv and at least four others wounded. Air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem, while explosions were reported near Jericho in the occupied West Bank.

A witness shared video footage with AFP appearing to show a missile barrage over Jerusalem, as Israeli authorities deployed search and rescue teams to multiple impact sites in central areas.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump struck a mixed tone, alternating between warnings of severe consequences and suggestions of a potential deal. He reiterated that Iran wanted to “make a deal” while extending a deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face possible destruction of its energy infrastructure by April 6.

The Revolutionary Guards later repeated their warning of regional retaliation, saying industrial facilities across the region could be targeted and urging civilians to evacuate such sites. Similar advisories had earlier been issued for areas near US military bases and locations hosting American personnel.

Iranian strikes have also shaken the Gulf’s long-held reputation for stability, with reported attacks on Dubai’s airport, Bahrain’s capital and energy infrastructure across the region during the course of the conflict.

Iran’s Vice President Esmael Saghab Esfahani warned that Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port and the UAE’s Fujairah oil complex could be targeted in the event of a ground invasion. The Guards added that the Strait of Hormuz remained “closed” to vessels linked to adversaries, claiming three ships had already been turned back.

‘Iran to hold talks this week’

Separately, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said he believed Iran could hold talks with Washington “this week,” as the US-Israeli war against Tehran entered its second month.

The conflict began on February 28 with coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes across Iran, which reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered global shock.

Despite diplomatic signals, there has been little sign of de-escalation. On Friday, strikes again targeted nuclear facilities, while an AFP journalist in Tehran reported around 10 powerful explosions and thick black smoke early Saturday.

A brief Israeli military statement said its forces were “currently striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran,” without providing further details.

The near-closure of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz has unsettled global markets, pushing oil prices to levels not seen since the early stages of the war in Ukraine.

Witkoff, speaking at a business forum in Miami, said Washington remained hopeful of imminent talks and was awaiting Tehran’s response to a proposed 15-point peace plan. “It could solve it all,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who cut short his participation in G7 talks in Paris, said Washington expected its military campaign to yield results within weeks.

“When we are done with them here in the next couple of weeks, they will be weaker than they’ve been in recent history,” he told reporters.

Trump also renewed criticism of NATO allies for declining to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the United States might reconsider its commitments. “Why would we be there for them if they’re not there for us?” he said.

Rubio added that he had secured G7 backing to oppose any Iranian attempt to impose tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas exports.

“Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable and dangerous to the world,” he said, stressing the need for a coordinated international response.

G7 foreign ministers called for the “absolute necessity” of restoring safe and toll-free navigation in the waterway and urged an immediate halt to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Rubio said Iran had sent informal messages to Washington but had yet to formally respond to the peace proposal.

‘Fingers on trigger’

Tehran has also called for an end to US and Israeli attacks on allied regional groups, including Hezbollah, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Lebanon has been drawn deeper into the conflict after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, prompting renewed Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs targeting the group’s infrastructure.

The United Nations refugee agency warned that Lebanon faces a worsening humanitarian crisis, with more than one million people displaced.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported an Israeli strike on Beirut’s Tahouitet al-Ghadir area, where another raid earlier on Friday killed two people.

Footage showed smoke rising over the district, a Hezbollah stronghold largely emptied following evacuation warnings and sustained bombardment.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi movement warned it could enter the conflict if US-Israeli attacks on Iran continue or if additional countries become involved.

“We affirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention,” the group said.