Kamal Ghorui
Videos circulating on social media appear to show the aftermath of a reported US or Israeli strike on a facility believed to house an Iranian missile base in Baharestan city, located in the Islamic Republic’s Isfahan province.The footages show massive plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, along with visible fireballs.It was not immediately clear whether these were fresh strikes or if the complex had been targeted during Tuesday evening’s attacks.On Tuesday, the United States and Israel struck steel complexes in central and southwestern Iran, causing damage to production units, according to Iranian media. “Initial assessments indicate massive attacks, with significant damage and destruction to production units” at the complex of Mobarakeh Steel Company—one of Iran’s largest—in the central province of Isfahan, the Fars news agency reported, citing a company statement. The statement added that the attacks also hit one of the company’s subsidiaries, Sefid Dasht Steel, located in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari. The facility “sustained damage and losses.” The Isfahan unit had also been targeted on Friday, along with Khuzestan Steel factories in southwestern Iran.Steel is a strategically vital material, essential for both industrial and military production, including the development of missiles, drones, and ships.Iran has been at war with the United States and Israel since February 28, when strikes killed the country’s then–Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, triggering a conflict that has since spread across the Middle East. He has been succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.However, Mojtaba’s whereabouts remain unknown, and he is believed to be recovering from war-related injuries.(With AFP inputs)
