Explosions heard, air defenses activated across Iran amid Israeli strikes

The war may have begun as a clash between Israel and the Islamic Republic, but for many Iranians now caught in the crossfire, it has become an intimate reality, marked by both grief and rare solidarity.

Iranians across social media are offering shelter, food, and medical help. Families far from the strikes are hosting refugees, doctors are providing free virtual consultations, and volunteers are caring for the elderly, infirm, and even abandoned pets.

Israeli airstrikes have hit Tehran and other cities with little or no notice, drawing criticism from many Iranians and some international observers.

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US President Donald Trump presided over a national security meeting on Iran at the White House, Reuters reported citing a US official on Friday.

The report also said US envoy Steve Witkoff is in regular contact with Iranians, with Qatar as intermediator.

The US Treasury on Friday levied its first sanctions on Iran since Israel launched a military campaign last week, targeting entities, one person and a ship allegedly involved in procuring defense equipment.

Spanning continents, the sanctioned entities are based in Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Turkey.

According to the Treasury, the designated vessel is owned by a Hong Kong-based company and carried defense machinery for two previously sanctioned Iranian firms.

“The Treasury will continue to degrade Iran’s ability to produce and proliferate these deadly weapons, which threaten regional stability and global security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal have raised concerns about the possibility of President Donald Trump ordering a military strike on Iran without first consulting Congress.

“Donald Trump is not a king. He's a president. He has an obligation to consult with Congress,” Warner said in a video posted on his X account.

Jayapal added in a post on X, “The idea that the US would potentially deploy a bunker buster bomb in Iran without Congressional approval ... flies in the face of our Constitution.”

Arab League foreign ministers will convene an extraordinary meeting in Istanbul on Friday to discuss the Iran-Israel conflict, Reuters reported citing an unnamed regional diplomatic source.