Iran president confirms intelligence minister Khatib killed in strike

Iranian gas flows to Iraq were halted on Wednesday after an attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field, a senior Iraqi official told Reuters.

Iran diverted gas for domestic use following the strike, the official said.

Tehran supplies between a third and 40% of Iraq’s gas and power needs.

The Iranian regime appears to remain intact but “largely degraded” following US military operations, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday.

She said Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was “obliterated” in June strikes, but the full extent of the damage remains unclear.

Gabbard added the United States has seen no effort so far by Iran to rebuild its enrichment capability.

She warned Iran and its proxies still retain the ability to attack US and allied interests in the Middle East.

She said that if the regime survives, it is likely to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its missile and drone forces.

Russia on Wednesday condemned a US-Israeli strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, saying it occurred just metres from an energy unit.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the United States and Israel to stop attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency the strike caused no damage or injuries.

Russia built the Bushehr plant and helps operate it.

The International Atomic Energy Agency does not know the status of a new Iranian enrichment facility in Isfahan, its chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.

“It is underground, but we haven’t visited it yet,” Grossi said in Washington.

Grossi said the facility is part of an underground nuclear complex and that the agency has not yet been able to inspect it.

He is in Washington for a conference and talks with officials from the Trump administration.

Qatar condemned Israel’s targeting of facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars gas field, calling it a “dangerous and irresponsible step” amid the ongoing military escalation, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said attacks on energy infrastructure pose a threat to global energy security, the region’s population and the environment.

The comments came after strikes hit parts of Iran’s South Pars gas facilities.