Air defense fire, explosions reported over Karaj and Tehran's Chitgar neighborhood

Explosions and anti-aircraft fire were reported Sunday around Tehran’s Pasteur Square where Supreme Leader's Ali Khamenei's compound is located.

Blasts were also heard near the Espinas Palace Hotel in the north of the city, according to eyewitnesses and local sources.

A viewer told Iran International TV that air defense systems were active in Pasteur, a heavily guarded area housing government institutions.

The semi-official Daneshjoo news agency, linked to the Basij, denied any attack on Baharestan district and said a fire broke out at a warehouse instead.

Iran’s nuclear program poses a military threat to Israel, regional countries, and France, and urged renewed negotiations to avert escalation, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said.

“The Iranian nuclear program has a military purpose. It is an existential threat to Israel, to the countries of the region, and to us as well,” Barrot said in an interview with RTL radio.

“The only way to get rid of [this threat] is through negotiation,” he added, warning that “no one has an interest in a regional conflagration.”

Barrot called on all parties to act with restraint.

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Sociologist Mostafa Mehraeen warned Ali Khamenei in an open letter that Iran is on the verge of collapse and urged a swift return to negotiations with the United States.

“Do not make people’s lives and the state of the country even darker than they already are,” Mehraeen wrote.

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East Azarbaijan’s crisis management office confirmed Sunday that air defenses were activated over Tabriz and Sahand, responding to what officials called “Israeli aggression.”

No explosions have been reported, but defense systems were engaged throughout the morning, Noor News reported.

The office said the death toll in Tabriz has risen to 34.

Further Iranian missile attacks on Israel are expected in the coming days, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Sunday, as Israeli airstrikes on Tehran continued around the clock.

“Challenging days are ahead. There will be more launches and impacts in the coming days,” Defrin told reporters at a press conference.

He said Israeli jets were still targeting Iranian positions, especially in and around the capital.

“Even at this hour, we are striking dozens of targets in Tehran,” Defrin said. “We are deepening the damage to [Tehran’s] nuclear program and military capabilities, to disrupt and reduce the risk to the home front.”

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