Israel has mounted airstrikes on Iran, US confirms, as Tehran plays down attack

US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out airstrikes against Iran, as explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz, while the Iranian government sought to play down the scale of the attack.

As an Iranian official indicated that it had no “immediate” plan for retaliation, calls mounted internationally – including from the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen – for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their confrontation.

Initial reports suggested that at least three explosions occurred in the air above the central Iranian city of Isfahan, which holds facilities for the country’s nuclear programme, weapons factories and a major airbase.

Travellers at the city’s airport and elsewhere reported hearing several loud booms, as the air defence batteries opened fire on what were described by officials as “suspicious objects”.

Since those Iranian strikes, largely unsuccessful, Israel has been weighing its response amid strong pressure from the US and other western supporters to avoid a further dangerous escalation in the tit-for-tat attacks.

A reporter for the Tasnim news agency, closely affiliated to the IRGC, broadcast a video at dawn, showing the time on his watch, saying he was outside a nuclear site in Isfahan province which was “completely safe”.