Israel strikes Iran space research center and air defense factory
Israel said on Saturday it struck Iran’s main space research center and a factory used to produce air defense systems in attacks across Tehran.
The Israeli military said the space center contained laboratories used for research and for developing military satellites for surveillance, intelligence gathering and fire direction across the Middle East.
It also said it hit several sites linked to Iran’s air defense production, including a key factory used to manufacture air defense systems.
The IDF said the strikes were part of a broader effort to deepen damage to Iran’s core military infrastructure.
Kharg Island, a narrow coral outcrop in the northern Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the most strategically important locations in the confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel, given its role in Iran’s oil exports and the security of the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite being only about five miles long, the island serves as the main hub for Iran’s crude oil exports and hosts military assets around the Strait of Hormuz.
Recent US strikes targeting military infrastructure on the island – while deliberately sparing its oil facilities – have underscored Kharg’s importance at the intersection of energy markets, maritime security and regional military strategy.
Iran’s armed forces would increasingly deploy upgraded weapons, including more powerful ballistic missiles as the war with the US and Israel continues, said the deputy defense minister on Saturday.
“The further we go, the more upgraded weapons will be used in various domains, especially ballistic missiles and other types of missiles with greater destructive power, higher maneuverability, and more precise targeting,” Reza Talaei-Nik said.
He made the comments at a ceremony for top Supreme Leader adviser Ali Shamkhani, who was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes.
A member of Iran’s women’s national football team staff who sought asylum in Australia along with several of her players is trying to persuade the others not to follow suit but instead return to Iran, informed sources told Iran International.
Sources said Zahra Meshkinkar, a member of the team’s technical staff, has been relaying messages from Iran's football authorities to players in an effort to convince them to abandon asylum plans and return home.
The effort comes after several members of the Iranian delegation sought protection abroad during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
The team’s equipment manager, known as “Flor,” and player Mohaddeseh Zolfi were among the latest members of the delegation to apply for asylum, following five other players who had already taken similar steps.
The remaining members of the squad later traveled to Malaysia, where they are currently staying while officials consider possible routes for their return to Iran amid the US-Israeli airstrikes.
Semi-official news agency ISNA on Saturday posted an image of players Mona Hamoudi and Zahra Sarbali as well as the coaching staffer Zahra Meshkin-Kar apparently minutes before traveling to Malaysia to join their team members.
"These three, after withdrawing their asylum request in Australia, will join the rest of the national team players tonight," the report said.
Sources previously told Iran International that players have been kept under tight supervision at their hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Journalists and outside visitors have been barred from entering, and several players have had their mobile phones confiscated. Others were allowed to keep their phones only under the supervision of security personnel linked to the Iranian Football Federation.
Pressure on the players began before the team left Iran and continued during the tournament and afterward. Mohammad Rahman Salari, a member of the football federation’s board, has played a central role in enforcing restrictions and repeatedly collecting and inspecting the phones of players and staff.
Fatemeh Bodaghi, traveling with the delegation as the team’s manager, has also been described by sources as monitoring players’ social media activity and reporting developments to officials in Tehran. Zeinab Hosseinzadeh, the team’s physiotherapist, has also been cited as among those exerting pressure on players.
The crisis surrounding the team began earlier in the tournament when the players refused to sing the Iranian national anthem before their opening match against South Korea. The silent protest occurred shortly after the escalation of conflict involving Iran and the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
State media quickly labeled the act as “wartime treason,” and officials warned the players they could face serious consequences if they refused to return to Iran.
The Iranian judiciary also issued a statement urging the athletes to return to the country “for the sake of their families,” a warning widely interpreted as indirect pressure on the players through their relatives.
Farideh Shojaei, the vice president for women’s affairs at the Iranian Football Federation, is also accompanying the delegation. She previously said officials were exploring possible routes for the team’s return to Iran amid ongoing US-Israeli airstrikes, including the possibility of traveling overland through Turkey after attempts to fly through the United Arab Emirates failed.
The developments have drawn international attention and concern from human rights groups, which warned that the players could face punishment if forced to return to Iran after their protest during the tournament.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) warned on Saturday that it could strike US interests in the United Arab Emirates, calling them legitimate targets.
“We tell the leaders of the United Arab Emirates that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its legitimate right, in defense of its national sovereignty and territory, to strike and target the points from which enemy American missiles are launched — in shipping ports, docks, and hideouts of US forces sheltered within some UAE cities,” said the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesman.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari also called on people of the UAE to evacuate ports, docks and areas where US forces might be present to avoid getting harmed.
Iran’s exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said on Saturday that preparations have been underway in recent months to prevent a breakdown in governance after the fall of the Islamic Republic, including a plan to run the country and selecting people to serve in a transition structure.
“The transition system will be ready under my leadership to take control of governing the country as soon as the Islamic Republic falls, and in the shortest time restore order, security, freedom, and the conditions for Iran’s growth and prosperity,” Pahlavi said in a video statement.
He said many Iranians with needed expertise inside and outside the country have declared readiness to help rebuild Iran and serve the nation.
The process has been carried out through a committee responsible for reviewing and selecting members of the transition structure, led by economist Saeed Ghasseminejad, he said.
