‘Tehran is burning:’ Israeli defence minister declares after strike on oil depot, Iran MoD building

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared on X that ‘Tehran is burning’ after the Israeli military launched fresh strikes on the Iranian capital Sunday morning (June 15). In his post, Katz attached a video showing an oil depot to the northwest of Tehran engulfed in fire after reportedly being hit by an Israeli strike.

Katz on Saturday had warned that ‘Tehran will burn’ if Iranian retaliatory strikes continued.

Following the attack, the Iranian media reported that the blaze was under control, citing the oil ministry.

Iranian Ministry of Defence hit by IDF

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) also confirmed strikes on the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tehran, which were earlier reported by Iranian media.

In a statement, the IDF said its air force had carried out an “extensive series of intelligence-based strikes” on a number of targets in Tehran.

“The targets included the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters, the headquarters of the SPND nuclear project, and additional targets, which advanced the Iranian regime’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon and where the Iranian regime hid its nuclear archive,” said the IDF statement.

Meanwhile, Iranian Tasnim agency reported that another strike in the area hit defense ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research.

Fresh escalation

The fresh attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit “every target of the ayatollah regime”, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned further strikes would draw “a more severe and powerful response”.

As calls for de-escalation grew, a new round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran scheduled for Sunday was cancelled, with Iran saying it could not negotiate while under attack from Israel.

Israel’s operation, which began early Friday, has targeted Iran’s air defences and hit key nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people, including top army commanders and atomic scientists, according to Tehran.