Israel says it struck IRGC ground forces base, mobile command post

Iran’s Khuzestan Steel Company said on Thursday that repairs to damaged facilities could take between six months and one year after recent strikes.

Mehran Pakbin, deputy for operations at the company, said all modules and steelmaking furnaces at the complex in Ahvaz had been damaged.

Last week that US and Israeli strikes hit two of the country’s largest steel producers, including Mobarakeh Steel Company and Khuzestan Steel.

Pakbin said restarting the units would take at least six months and up to a year, adding the company aimed to rebuild using domestic expertise.

China’s foreign ministry on Thursday urged parties to de-escalate tensions over Iran, saying military means cannot resolve the crisis.

The ministry called on all sides to stop military operations and avoid further harm to the global economy and energy security, following remarks by US President Donald Trump.

It said the root cause of tensions around the Strait of Hormuz was what it described as an illegal military operation in Iran.

China also said all parties needed to work together to keep the route safe and prevent escalation.

A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said on Thursday the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to global shipping but warned it would be closed to enemies of the Iranian people and their regional bases.

“The Strait of Hormuz remains open to the world; however, it will always be closed to the enemies of the Iranian people and their bases in the region,” Ali Akbar Velayati said.

He added that any war would end with Iran’s “prudence and strength,” and not with what he described as the “delusions and wishful thinking of aggressors.”

The Islamic Republic is the only legitimate representative of Iranians and attacks on its leadership have not weakened national resolve, the foreign ministry said.

“The government of Iran is the legitimate representative of the nation, and the assassination of leaders has not disrupted the national will,” said spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.

He said Iran had received messages through mediators, including Pakistan, but ruled out direct talks with Washington, describing US demands as “maximalist and unreasonable.”

Baghaei added that Washington had entered the conflict due to miscalculation and Israeli influence.

He said Iran would not accept a recurring cycle of war, negotiations and ceasefire, and warned that Tehran would respond forcefully.

Assessments by US and Israeli officials of Iran’s military capacity are incomplete, said an Iranian military spokesman on Thursday and warned against underestimating the country’s capabilities.

The facilities targeted were limited in scale, the spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said, adding that key military production continued elsewhere.

He also warned that those responsible for strikes on Iran would face consequences and said Tehran would carry out stronger and more extensive retaliatory actions.