The Middle East moved closer to a wider regional conflict on Sunday after fresh Israeli strikes reportedly hit targets in Tehran and other parts of Iran, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a retaliatory missile barrage against a petrochemical facility in the Israeli port city of Haifa.
The latest exchange marked one of the most serious escalations since the United States and Iran entered ceasefire negotiations, raising fears that months of diplomatic efforts could unravel amid intensifying military operations across the region.
Reports from Iran indicated that powerful explosions were heard in Tehran as Israeli aircraft launched a new wave of attacks against what Israeli officials described as military and strategic targets.
Additional explosions were reported in other Iranian cities, including areas linked to military and industrial infrastructure.
Iranian authorities have not yet released a comprehensive assessment of damage or casualties, but the attacks triggered air defence activity and heightened security measures across several provinces.
Shortly after the strikes, the IRGC announced that it had launched a retaliatory missile attack targeting a petrochemical facility in Israel’s northern city of Haifa.
According to the Revolutionary Guard, the attack was carried out in response to “American-Israeli” strike on an Iranian petrochemical installation.
Tehran accused Washington and Tel Aviv of coordinating attacks on Iranian economic and energy infrastructure and vowed that any further aggression would be met with a stronger response.
The exchange represents the latest chapter in a rapidly escalating confrontation that has increasingly focused on energy facilities, strategic infrastructure and maritime security.
The renewed violence comes despite ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at preserving a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected reports that negotiations with Iran had stalled, insisting that contacts between both sides were continuing.
“The conversations between us have been going on continuously,” Trump said, dismissing suggestions that diplomacy had collapsed.
However, Iranian officials have increasingly questioned Washington’s commitment to the ceasefire.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf recently accused the United States of violating the truce through continued military strikes, economic pressure and what Tehran describes as a blockade of Iranian ports.
At the same time, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has launched an intensive diplomatic campaign, holding consultations with foreign ministers from France, Turkiye, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The discussions focused on preventing a broader regional war and addressing the growing crisis following attacks involving Iran, Israel and Gulf states.
Meanwhile, the conflict in Lebanon continues to complicate efforts to secure a wider settlement.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared that there can be “no peace in the region” unless Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanese territory. The group demanded an immediate halt to Israeli military operations and called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from areas captured during recent offensives.
The statement followed Israel’s expanded military campaign in southern Lebanon, including operations around the strategic Beaufort Castle and areas north of the Litani River.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the offensive as necessary to weaken Hezbollah and secure Israel’s northern frontier. Iran and Hezbollah, however, argue that the operations constitute an occupation of Lebanese territory and a major obstacle to regional peace.