Israel says 100 targets hit in central Iran, a third of missile launchers dismantled

Iranian air defenses shot down eight Israeli drones over Dehloran county in western Ilam province, including a US-made MQ-9 Reaper, following Israeli strikes on several Iranian cities, Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.

The report said one of the drones was a US-made MQ-9 manufactured by General Atomics, brought down in the Ain al-Soleh area of Dehloran County in Ilam province.

Police in Iran’s Ardabil province, in the country’s northwest, arrested five individuals on Monday on charges of “disturbing public opinion,” the provincial police commander said, according to state media.

The arrests come amid a broader crackdown on expressions of dissent following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. Over the weekend, police in Hormozgan province said they had identified 14 individuals accused of spreading disinformation and expressing support for Israel online.

Authorities said those suspects were being pursued for “spreading rumors and disturbing public opinion,” and warned that supporting Israel on social media could carry a prison sentence of two to five years.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that while Israel does not intend to harm civilians, residents of Tehran will need to evacuate areas near government and military sites that could be targeted.

“I would like to clarify the obvious: there is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran as the murderous dictator does against the residents of Israel,” Katz wrote on X. “But they will need to leave areas where there may be a need to strike regime targets and security infrastructure.”

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warned on Monday of rising electronic interference in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, disrupting ships’ automated positional reporting.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said Monday that the ongoing military escalation between Israel and Iran is disrupting essential diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“This military escalation delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon,” Grossi said, during an exceptional meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna.

Grossi confirmed that four buildings at Iran’s Isfahan site were damaged in Friday’s Israeli strikes, including a uranium conversion facility, a fuel manufacturing plant, a central chemical laboratory, and a UF4 to EU metal processing facility. However, he noted that no damage had been observed at the Fordow fuel enrichment plant or the Khondab heavy water reactor, which is still under construction.

The IAEA chief said the agency remains present in Iran and that inspections would resume “as soon as safety conditions allow,” in line with Tehran’s obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). “I am in touch with the inspectors on the ground; their safety remains our top priority,” he added.

Grossi also acknowledged ongoing cooperation and information sharing between the Iranian authorities and the IAEA.