Israeli forces bombed two of Iran’s biggest steel factories, a power plant and civilian nuclear installations on Friday, sparking fears of fresh escalation in the Middle East conflict.
The strikes hit the Khuzestan Steel plant in southwest Iran and the sprawling Mobarakeh Steel complex near Isfahan in the centre of the country.
Iranian state media reported that rescue teams raced to the scenes after explosions ripped through an electrical substation and an alloy production line at Mobarakeh, while a warehouse took a direct hit at Khuzestan.
At the same time, separate attacks damaged the Khondab heavy water facility and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant, though officials said there was no radiation leak.
Tehran reacted swiftly and angrily. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media that the assaults contradicted a 10-day diplomatic window President Trump had just announced, which was due to run until 6 April.
He accused Israel of acting in coordination with the United States and declared that Iran would exact a “heavy price”.
“This time the equation will no longer be an eye for an eye,” Araghchi wrote. “Just wait.”
The latest violence fits into a pattern of tit-for-tat blows that has gripped the region since late February.
Iran has already fired missiles at Israeli targets, including a barrage that injured nine people in the port city of Haifa earlier in the day.
Israeli officials, for their part, insist the strikes on Iran target sites linked to the country’s military and nuclear programmes.
Yet the choice of steel plants stands out.
These facilities supply material for everything from cars to missiles, and any serious disruption could ripple through global markets.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders have already hinted they may strike similar industrial targets in the Gulf in response.
For now, both sides appear locked in a dangerous cycle.
Israel shows no sign of slowing its campaign, while Iran signals it will hit back harder than before.
Diplomats in the region are watching anxiously to see whether Trump’s extension for talks can still hold—or whether the bombs that fell on Friday have already closed the door.
