Japan has made no decision on escorting ships in Middle East, PM says

Explosions, fighter jet activity and heavy security deployments were reported in several Iranian cities on Sunday night and early Monday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

In Karaj, near Tehran, the Aghigh complex was hit around 2:50 am and nearby streets were later sealed off by Revolutionary Guards forces. Fighter jets had operated several times over the city around 2:45 am, rattling windows in nearby buildings as five loud explosions were heard in the Golshahr and Mehrshahr areas.

In the capital Tehran, witnesses reported a large presence of security forces around Chaharbagh mosque in the Jannatabad area, where checkpoints were set up near the Hemmat highway on-ramp.

In the southern port city of Bandar Siraf, the sound of fighter jets was heard on Sunday night and, about a minute later, the city’s maritime base was struck. Witnesses said the first blast was very intense and a second strike followed about five minutes later.

Six loud explosions were reported around 3:20 am in Jam in the southern Bushehr province, with white smoke covering parts of the sky. Witnesses also reported the presence of IRGC forces and ammunition at the Podol-Lamzan outpost in the southern port city of Bandar Lengeh.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the latest air raids on Tehran damaged one of its clinics and an aid relief post, posting footage online that appears to show broken glass and damaged equipment scattered across the floor in a facility.

The report came after Israel announced a new wave of attacks on Tehran early hours of Monday local time.

Several hospitals and other health facilities across Iran have been damaged since US-Israeli strikes began on February 28.

President Donald Trump said he believes there has been no uprising in Iran because people fear violent repression by the authorities.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump described Iran’s leadership as “thugs” and said protesters had been warned they would be “shot and killed” if they took to the streets.

“So I can fully understand why they’re not doing it,” he said.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament that Tokyo has no plan to dispatch naval vessels to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Takaichi said.

Her comments come as President Donald Trump presses US allies to help protect the vital waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies pass.

Australia also ruled out deploying warships to the Persian Gulf.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been urging US President Donald Trump to "keep hitting Iran hard," The New York Times reported on Sunday citing unnamed White House officials.

According to the report, Trump speaks to Arab leaders regularly.

The advise from the Crown Prince echoes that of the late Saudi King Abdullah, the authors noted, who had pressed Washington to “cut off the head of the snake.”