Iran vows retaliation after attack on South Pars gas field

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The military campaign of the United States and Israel against Iran escalated on Wednesday as Israeli forces struck Iran’s South Pars gas field, one of the world’s largest energy facilities, while Tehran vowed swift retaliation.

The Israeli military announced on Wednesday night that, for the first time, it had bombarded a number of targets in northern Iran. Meanwhile, Iran launched its 63rd attack against Israel.

Tehran and Karaj

Several residents of Tehran reported on social media that they heard the sounds of aircraft and explosions across the city after 11 pm last night. According to reports, the sounds of bombardment and explosions were most prominent in the neighborhoods and streets of Seyed Khandan, Narmak, Niloufar, Mehran, Jannat Abad, Ekbatan, Sa'adat Abad, Yousef Abad, Majidieh, Velenjak, Tehranpars, and Heravi.

The targeting of sites within Tehran continued until the early hours of Thursday.

Additionally, on Thursday morning, aerial strikes targeted several locations in Baqershahr and Shahr-e Rey in Tehran Province. Strikes were also reported this morning within the city and outskirts of Karaj, the capital of Alborz Province. At midnight on Wednesday, at least four locations in and around the city of Qods, near Tehran, were bombarded.

Gilan province

On Wednesday night, several military bases and headquarters were bombed in the cities of Rasht and Bandar Anzali in Gilan province, northern Iran.

While Iranian official media claimed that the U.S. and Israel targeted several locations within civilian residential areas, Mohammad Saleh Ziaei, the Governor of Bandar Anzali, stated that missiles struck the buildings of the General Directorate of Customs, the Ports and Maritime Organization, and the Shipping Organization. However, Esmail Mirghazanfari, the Governor of Rasht, told Iranian media that no bombardment occurred within the city of Rasht itself.

The Israeli military announced on Wednesday night that it had struck more than 200 targets in western and central Iran within 24 hours, including missile and drone bases. They also confirmed that, for the first time, they had attacked several targets in northern Iran.

Fars province

In the city of Lar, the center of Larestan County in Fars province, a court building and a vehicle near the courthouse were bombed. The head of the Iranian Red Crescent stated that the targeted vehicle was an ambulance.

According to a report from the Fars provincial justice department, 14 people were killed and 50 others were wounded in the attack; two of the deceased were judges. Human rights organizations reported that one of the victims was a Lar court investigative judge named Mohammad Khosrawani.

According to published reports, a fuel depot was also bombarded outside the city of Lar. On Wednesday afternoon, several locations in the city of Shiraz were also targeted.

Missile bases in the Strait of Hormuz

On Wednesday, the United States used "bunker buster" bombs to bombard a number of Iranian missile bases near the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that cruise missiles were stationed at those bases and that these missiles posed a security risk and a threat to international shipping in that strategic waterway. Additionally, at approximately 11 pm Tehran time, several targets were bombed on the outskirts of Minab in Hormozgan Province, southern Iran.

South Pars: The heart of Iran's energy

On the 19th day of the war, Israel targeted Iran’s largest gas production facility. At approximately 2 pm on Wednesday, the South Pars and Assaluyeh facilities in Bushehr Province, southern Iran, were bombarded.

The South Pars gas region is considered the heart of Iran’s energy sector, and Assaluyeh serves as the hub for the production and management of the region’s resources.

South Pars is one of the largest gas fields in the world and the primary site for gas production in Iran. Beyond providing significant revenue, the majority of the gas used for domestic consumption across various sectors—especially for electricity generation—is supplied by this field.

The National Iranian Gas Company stated that the attack damaged part of the refinery units at the facilities in southern Iran, but there were no casualties. The company added that gas production continues, no shortages have occurred, and the situation will return to normal shortly.

In response to the bombing of the South Pars field, the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that it would attack Israeli and American oil facilities in the region. Furthermore, a spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters urged civilians to stay away from oil facilities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Donald Trump announced that if Iran attacks Qatar's gas fields, he will destroy the South Pars field.

Additionally, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it launched its 63rd attack against Israel last night.