Iran says its Fordow nuclear facility has been struck again

Iran's underground enrichment site at Fordow was hit again Monday while Iran fired a salvo of missiles and drones at Israel and warned the United States that its military now has a "free hand" to attack American targets in the wake of the Trump administration's massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around the Fordow facility to obstruct access to the site.

The Fordow facility was one of those hit in the initial attack over the weekend, and the subsequent Monday strike was first reported by Iranian state television. There was no immediate word on damage.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday that "given the explosive payload utilized," the UN nuclear watchdog expected "very significant damage" occurred in the initial strikes there.

With the strikes on Sunday on Iranian nuclear sites, the United States inserted itself into Israel's war, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed "a very big red line" with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.

In Iran, witnesses reported Israeli airstrikes hit areas around Iran's capital, Tehran, around midday.

One strike hit the gate of Iran's notorious Evin prison in Tehran, Iranian state television reported. The report shared what appeared to be black-and-white-surveillance footage of the strike.

Israel's Defence Ministry confirmed it hit targets including prison and the security headquarters of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.

The prison is known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.

Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners and those with Western ties, run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions.

The Israeli military warned Iranians it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran over "the coming days" in a post on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world as an internet shutdown has crippled the country.

Israel said its defence systems were operating to intercept the latest Iranian threat, which apparently targeted the north and central areas of the country, and told people to head to shelters.

Iran described the attack as a new wave of its Operation True Promise 3, saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television.