Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi took to X, describing the attack on the Islamic Republic as an "aid" by US President Donald Trump and backed what he called a “humanitarian intervention” by Trump.
“The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived. This is a humanitarian intervention; and its target is the Islamic Republic, its repressive apparatus, and its machinery of slaughter—not the country and great nation of Iran,” Pahlavi wrote, while declaring that “Iran is collapsing.”
Pahlavi's comments on X come after Israel launched a “preventive airstrike” on Iran, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday. “The State of Israel has launched a preemptive strike against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Katz said.
According to Israeli media and claims on social media, multiple explosions have been heard including in Tehran.
Images showed smoke rising as explosions were heard in five cities in Iran, including Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah, as well as in the capital city, mentioned a report by BBC.
Israel and Iran also closed their airspace after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launched “preventive” airstrikes on Tehran.
Airspace shut
Following the strikes, Israel’s ministry of transport said the country closed its airspace on Saturday after security developments and asked citizens to stay away from airports. It added that it will alert passengers 24 hours before flights can resume.
The Iranian government also shut down its airspace following the attacks, AP reported.
Tensions between the US and Iran remain high, with the two engaged in talks to avert American strikes on the Islamic Republic. Even with the US saying the door to further diplomacy remains open, President Donald Trump has amassed huge military forces in the Middle East, sending a second aircraft carrier to Israeli waters, reported Bloomberg.
Did Iran launch retaliatory strikes?
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that Iran has fired missiles towards Israel in response to the attack. In a statement, the IDF said: "Sirens were sounded in several areas across the country following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel"
The Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats, the IDF added.
