Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi slammed Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and steel plants Friday (local time), vowing Tehran will demand a “heavy price” for Tel Aviv’s “crimes”, even as West Asia ceasefire talks continue.
In an X post, he detailed attacks on two steel factories, a power plant, and civilian nuclear facilities.
Araghchi also slammed US President Donald Trump, saying the strikes contradict Trump’s extended deadline in Tehran talks to end the war.
“Israel has hit 2 of Iran’s largest steel factories, a power plant and civilian nuclear sites, among other infrastructure. Israel claims it acted in coordination with the U.S. Attack contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy. Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes,” Araghchi said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
In a series of posts on X, the IDF confirmed that it carried out airstrikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water plant and a uranium extraction facility in Yazd as part of Operation “Rising Lion.”
The IDF said the strikes hit key Iranian infrastructure producing nuclear weapons materials, including weapons-grade plutonium and uranium enrichment precursors.
“The Air Force struck the heavy water plant in Arak… Despite explicit international commitments, foremost among them the nuclear deal, the Iranian terrorist regime has systematically refrained from converting the reactor in a manner that would prevent the production of weapons-grade plutonium… Therefore, the IDF has now struck the facility once again,” the IDF stated in a post.
Separately, the IDF said the strike on the uranium extraction facility in Yazd was aimed at disrupting Iran’s nuclear weapons program by targeting central infrastructure for the production of precursor materials.
“Enriched uranium constitutes a central and critical component in nuclear weapons development… The strike on the site detracts from the Iranian terror regime’s ability to obtain the raw material required for these processes,” the IDF stated in a separate post.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Press TV claimed US-Israel joint strikes hit major steel firms in Isfahan and Khuzestan.
Isfahan Deputy Gov. Akbar Salehi said Mobarakeh Steel’s power plant was targeted with workers present, killing one and injuring two.
In Khuzestan, the Khuzestan Steel Company suffered damage from an aerial strike, leaving 16 individuals with minor injuries, according to Deputy Governor General of Khuzestan, Valiollah Hayati, as reported by Press TV.
Trump announced Thursday a 10-day extension, until April 6, 2026, on pausing strikes against Iran’s energy sites, tied to ongoing talks.
In a Truth Social post, he said it followed an Iranian “request” and claimed negotiations with Tehran are “going very well.”
“As per the Iranian Government’s request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media and others, they are going very well,” the post read.
A month ago, on February 28 US and Israel launched ‘pre-emptive strikes on Iran, and the war has since escalated drastically, engulfing all of West Asia and leading to the closure of the trade chokepoint, ‘the Strait of Hormuz’, leading to a surge in global oil prices and a crisis.
