‘Now is time to solve Iranian nuclear issue once and for all,’ Israeli minister says
Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Wednesday that the time had come to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue “once and for all.”
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Armed Revolutionary Guard forces have taken control of Iran’s state broadcaster compound in Tehran following an Israeli airstrike on Monday that disrupted operations and heightened fears among employees, sources told Iran International on Wednesday.
Access to the state-run broadcaster’s complex, located in northern Tehran’s Jam-e-Jam area, is now tightly restricted, with only cleared personnel allowed to enter.
Witnesses report heightened security checks and a significant armed presence. The compound has effectively turned into a restricted zone, one staff member said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sources told Iran International that some senior editorial staff and reporters left the building hours before the strike after receiving warning signals. Others, citing safety concerns, have refused to return.
“There is deep anxiety among middle managers and staff — not only about their security but also their livelihoods,” said one source.
The strike on Monday — part of a wider escalation between Israel and Iran — caused technical disruptions inside the broadcaster as dust and smoke engulfed the studio of the live broadcast, with videos showing fire coming from the glass building.
The extent of physical damage remains unclear, but sources say programming has been affected and internal operations significantly curtailed.
Iranian officials have condemned the attack as a violation of international law. “Even during wartime, media facilities are protected under international humanitarian rules,” one senior official told local press, referring to Article 79 of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, which classifies journalists as civilians so long as they do not engage in hostilities.
IRIB President Peyman Jebelli confirmed that the IRINN studio (IRIB’s 24-hour news network) had been “destroyed,” but vowed that programming would gradually resume.
“Despite the damage, our core broadcasts — including the 20:30 news bulletin — will return,” Jebelli said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday. He himself was reportedly present at the time of the attack but was unharmed.
The targeted structure, known as the Glass Building, is an iconic symbol of Iranian modernist architecture, designed by famed architect Abdol-Aziz Farmanfarmaian in the 1960s. It housed newsrooms and executive offices.
The fourth floor, believed to have suffered the most damage, was home to the news editorial board and the political bureau.
While official casualty figures have not been confirmed, local media reported the deaths of three people, including senior news editor Nima Rajabpour and administrative staff member Masoumeh Azimi.
TV anchor Sahar Emami was engulfed in smoke and debris as she was speaking live on air, with loud booms rocking the studio.
Amid the strike, she told viewers: “The sound you just heard is the sound of the aggressor attacking our homeland, the sound of the aggressor seeking to stifle rightfulness and truth."
The cameras continued to roll before she was forced to abandon the studio.
Two Iranian centrifuge production sites were hit in recent strikes, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Wednesday.
According to a statement shared on X, the IAEA reported that the TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Center were both struck.
“At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured,” the agency said. At the Tehran site, “one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested.”
In response, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, sought to downplay the impact, saying: “The condition of nuclear facilities is good... the morale of our colleagues at the nuclear sites is excellent, and they are firmly continuing their work.”
Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday issued a warning to Israel, vowing a “calculated and harsh retaliation” in response to strikes on Iranian territory.
In a joint statement, members of Iran’s parliament condemned what they described as “aggression and warmongering” by Israel, saying it “will not go unanswered.”
“This unjustified aggression will not go unanswered. A calculated and harsh retaliation awaits the Zionist regime,” the statement said.
The lawmakers also cautioned foreign parliaments against remaining silent, warning that inaction would be interpreted as complicity in Israeli actions.
A senior Iranian trucking official said Mossad agents infiltrated the country’s freight transport network over the past three years by posing as drivers and renting trucks from unsuspecting owners.
“Some Mossad spies joined the freight fleet with forged identities and took advantage of the drivers’ lack of awareness,” said Jalal Mousavi, deputy head of Iran’s National Truckers Association, according to state media.
“Our drivers are loyal. Their cooperation was not intentional.”
He added that the agents gained access by renting trucks or taking jobs as drivers, saying that “traitors” had trained for the operation long in advance.
“This was not something that happened overnight—it’s been ongoing for at least three years,” he said.
The United States has deployed more than 30 aerial refueling tankers to the Middle East in recent days as part of contingency planning in the event of direct American involvement in the escalating conflict, CNN reported citing two US officials.
The tankers would enable Israeli fighter jets to extend their operations over Iranian airspace by providing in-flight refueling, the officials said.
They could also support US strategic bombers, including B-2 and B-52 aircraft, if President Donald Trump authorizes military action.
