Why Strike On Isfahan, Iran's Nuclear Hub, May Step Up West Asia Conflict

New Delhi:

The world has its fingers crossed as Iran's state media has reported explosions in the Isfahan province, days after Iran's drone attack on Israel sparked fears of a major escalation in West Asia.

While Israel authorities have not confirmed a strike and Iran state-media, too, has downplayed claims of an attack on a military site, US media has quoted officials saying that Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes.

What Happened In Isfahan

Iran's Fars news agency reported early on Friday that "three explosions" were heard near Shekari army airbase in the northwest of Isfahan province, news agency AFP reported. Hossein Dalirian, spokesperson for the Iran's space agency, said several drones had been shot down and there had been "no missile attack for now". An unnamed US official has told CNN that the target was not nuclear. Iran's Tasnim news agency, which has links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that nuclear facilities in Isfahan are "completely secure". Tasnim also denied that Iran had been attacked from abroad.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed there is "no damage" to Iran's nuclear sites. "DG @rafaelmgrossi continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely," a statement said.

A New York Times report quoted Iranian officials as saying that the strike had hit a military air base near Isfahan.

The attack also coincided with the 85th birthday of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini. 

How Iran Responded

Iran's state media reported that air defence systems over several cities in the country were activated early on Friday. Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz were suspended and UAE-based flydubai airline cancelled flights to the country. Two Tehran airports, however, resumed service later.

According to news agency AFP, flight tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan. Iranian television carried a live feed of normal traffic conditions at a roundabout in Isfahan.

Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian TV reported complete security and peace at the Isfahan nuclear site. It also said a senior army official in Isfahan had confirmed that the explosion heard in the province was due to the firing of anti-aircraft weapons targeting "suspicious objects". Dalirian said three drones were shot down. 

Why Isfahan Is Important

Isfahan houses nuclear experimental reactors and uranium conversion facilities. It is also home to Iran's underground Natanz enrichment site, which has been repeatedly targeted by suspected Israeli sabotage attacks, Associated Press reported. Isfahan also houses Iran's fleet of US-made F-14 Tomcats that were bought before the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

Ghahjaworstan, where an explosion was heard, is located near Isfahan airport and is "the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force", news agency FARS reported.

The strike in Isfahan is particularly significant against the backdrop of Iran's warning to Israel.

Days after the missile strike on Israel, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that it would attack Israel's nuclear sites and may pursue a nuclear weapon if the country strikes at Iran's nuclear facilities. "The nuclear facilities of the Zionist enemy have been identified and all the necessary information from all targets is at our disposal," Brigadier General Ahmad Haghtalab was quoted as saying by Tasnim.

"Our fingers are on the trigger of firing strong missiles to destroy the designated targets in response to a potential attack by them," said the commander of the IRGC division that is tasked with protecting Iranian nuclear facilities.

"If the fake Zionist regime wants to use the threat of attacking the nuclear centres of our country as a tool, reconsidering the doctrine and policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and deviating from previously stated considerations would be likely and imaginable," he had said, in what was Iran's most direct warning yet.

What Now?

Israel has not commented officially on the attack yet. Israeli military told news agency AFP: "We don't have a comment at this time." Israel's national security minister Itamar Ben-Givir's one-word post on X read, "weak".

The White House and Pentagon, too, are yet to make a statement. US media reports quoting officials have said Washington did receive an advance notice of the reported strike, but did not endorse it or play any part in its execution.

According to The Times of Israel, no official remark from Israel and the limited nature of the strike may provide Iran a position of strategic deniability - much needed for a de-escalation in the region. But if Israel comes on record to own up its role in the strike, all eyes will be on how Iran responds.

The world is watching with bated breath how the situation is unfolding in the sensitive region, where Israel is already waging a war in Gaza in retaliation to the October 7 attack by Hamas.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that spiralling tensions over the war in Gaza and Iran's attack on Israel could devolve into a "full-scale regional conflict."

"The Middle East is on a precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation -- in words and deeds," he has told the UN Security Council. "One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable --- a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved," he has said, calling for restraint.