Fresh explosions were reported in Tehran on Thursday as Iran announced it had carried out strikes against Kurdish groups based in Iraq, warning separatist factions against exploiting the deepening regional crisis.
The conflict began on Saturday following coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel, which reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader. Since then, tensions have escalated across the Middle East, raising fears of broader instability, global economic pressure, energy supply disruptions and travel challenges.
Iran’s retaliatory actions have targeted several Gulf countries hosting American military installations, while Israel has intensified its military operations in neighbouring Lebanon and deployed troops near the border.
On Thursday, Iranian authorities confirmed that their forces struck Kurdish groups operating in Iraq, describing them as organisations “opposed to the revolution.” Reports also indicated that the United States was considering supplying Kurdish guerrilla fighters with weapons to infiltrate Iranian territory.
A representative of an exiled Iranian Kurdish group said the strikes killed one of its members.
Reacting to the development, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that Tehran would not tolerate separatist activity.
“Separatist groups should not think that a breeze has blown and try to take action,” Larijani said. “We will not tolerate them in any way.”
The conflict is increasingly drawing more actors into the crisis and raising concerns about its potential impact on the global economy. The head of the International Monetary Fund warned that the crisis could once again test global economic resilience.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil supply moves. Market intelligence firm Kpler reported that tanker traffic through the strait had dropped by about 90 per cent.
Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem after Iran reportedly launched missiles toward Israel, although there were no immediate reports of casualties.
In Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency reported multiple strikes, including two in southern Beirut, an area considered a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Elsewhere, Qatar said it had begun evacuating residents living near the US Embassy in Doha after authorities earlier announced that attempted attacks on Hamad International Airport had been successfully thwarted.
