Iran threatens to ‘rain fire’ on American ground troops

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the US and Israel of believing ‘knowledge can be bombed away’.

‘It’s reflected in the murders of Iran’s scientists and attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, and now universities,’ he said on X.

He added that their actions would only inspire more pursuit of knowledge.

Iran’s Fars news agency reports electricity has been restored to most areas of the capital and Karaj province.

‘Operational teams from the electricity industry are still working to restore power to the few remaining areas as quickly as possible,’ it added.

Shrapnel hit a part of ⁠the electricity grid ⁠in Alborz province, which caused power to be cut in some parts of the country, the Energy Ministry said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called a meeting of officials from four countries in the region ‘very productive’ in a statement released after talks concluded today.

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan met in Islamabad, Pakistan, where they discussed regional issues and ‘possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region,’ Dar wrote.

The Israeli military said Sunday it is currently carrying out strikes on targets belonging to the Iranian regime across the capital Tehran.

In a brief statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its forces are ‘currently striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran,’ without providing immediate details on the specific locations or the scale of the operation.

There were no immediate comments from Iranian authorities regarding these strikes.

Power outages hit parts of Tehran and nearby areas after infrastructure was damaged, Iran’s state media reported, citing the energy ministry.

‘Shrapnel hit a part of the electricity grid in Alborz province, causing power to be cut in several areas of Tehran and the city of Karaj,’ the ministry said, according to state media.

The report said electricity was cut in parts of the capital and in Alborz province following the damage.

Authorities were working to restore power, the report added.

The US military is preparing for weeks of ground operations against Iran, potentially including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz, a news report says.

The plans, which fall short of a full invasion, could involve raids by special operations and conventional infantry troops, the Washington Post reported, exposing US personnel to Iranian drones and missiles, ground fire, and improvised explosives.

Pakistan said it is prepared to host and facilitate talks between the US and Iran ‘in coming days,’ after a four-nation meeting in the Pakistani capital with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt focused on de-escalation and ending the war in the Middle East.

‘Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict,’ Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement at the conclusion of the second round of consultations among the four countries in Islamabad on Sunday.

Dar also said he briefed the visiting ministers on the prospects of potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad, adding that the Saudi, Turkish, and Egyptian foreign ministers expressed ‘full support’ for the initiative.

He said both Iran and the United States ‘have all extended their full support and confidence in our efforts,’ to facilitate the talks.

The American embassy in Doha is warning citizens to be prepared for any attacks and says it’s reducing its consular services.

‘The US embassy in Doha is conducting reduced operations with its remaining emergency personnel.

‘We recommend that all Americans in Qatar remain vigilant and be prepared to duck and cover in a secure location if the Qatari authorities issue an alert,’ it said in a statement.

Earlier today, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it will target American and Israeli-affiliated universities in the Middle East in retaliation for recent attacks on Iranian higher education centers.

Today, the president of the American University of Beirut said in a letter that, because of the IRGC threat, the university will be operating fully remotely tomorrow and Tuesday ‘out of an abundance of caution.’

In an update on its website, the Lebanese American University in Beirut also said that it will switch to ‘fully online operations’ tomorrow and Tuesday ‘as a precaution given the broad threats to educational institutions in the region.’