Iranian authorities have labeled the Israeli airstrikes on its state television network as a ‘war crime’ after an airstrike disrupted a live broadcast, leading to the studio lights shutting off and the news presenter seeking cover.
The conflict between the two nations intensified on Friday, June 13, when Israel initiated a significant offensive against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the military actions as ‘a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival’.
This escalation follows accusations against Iran for allegedly trying to develop a nuclear warhead, as they have mined substantial quantities of uranium, enriching it to 60 percent. Such enrichment levels are seen as unnecessary for non-military purposes.
To clarify, natural uranium consists of about 0.7 percent of the isotope uranium-235, which is insufficient on its own as reactor fuel. It must be enriched to 3.5 percent by separating the isotope uranium-238.
Despite this, Iran has been enriching and accumulating uranium at 60 percent extensively, which represents 90 percent of the effort required to reach weapon-grade uranium, typically defined at 90 percent.
Global powers agree that it would be highly hazardous for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon and have attempted to negotiate a deal with Iran, which former President Donald Trump has actively endorsed.
Now, focusing on the recent incident, a live broadcast on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) was abruptly interrupted in the afternoon of June 16.
During the broadcast, the news anchor had to evacuate the studio as an airstrike targeted the building in Tehran, following Israeli forces’ warnings for residents to leave the capital.
Here is the footage of the incident:
According to the BBC, newsreader Sahar Emami, speaking in Farsi, commented: “What you noticed is the sound of a clear aggression by the Zionist regime on IRIB [Iran Republic of Iran Broadcasting].”
Reports from the devastated capital indicate that one staff member, Masoumeh Azimi, was killed in the strike. The Israeli military announced it had aimed at a ‘communications centre of the Iranian regime’.
Esmail Baqai, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, has condemned the attack as a ‘wicked act’, labeling it a ‘war crime’.
Since the initial strikes on Friday, both Israel and Iran have continued to launch airstrikes against each other, with former President Trump distancing the United States from these actions.
On Truth Social, he commented: “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”