Iranians celebrate Persian fire festival in defiance of crackdown warnings

Iran, Russia and China are the main external threats to Sweden, the country’s security service said on Wednesday, citing rising espionage, sabotage and influence activity.

The agency said Iran has increased its activity in Sweden, including using criminal networks to carry out violent acts against Israeli interests and perceived opponents.

“Iran, Russia and China are the foremost actors behind security-threatening activity directed at Sweden,” the security service said.

It said Russia remains the most extensive threat, with intelligence efforts aimed at undermining Nato unity, weakening Western support for Ukraine and acquiring technology, while becoming more risk-tolerant in its operations.

China poses a long-term threat through intelligence gathering, economic influence and cyberattacks, including targeting Swedish companies and diaspora communities, the agency said.

The service warned that foreign powers are using a wider range of methods, including proxies and cyber tools, and that the risk of sabotage and other incidents in Sweden remains.

Russia, China and Iran are the biggest threats to Sweden, the Swedish Security Service (SAPO) said on Wednesday in its annual report.

The Saudi Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday it intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward Al-Kharj, with debris falling near Prince Sultan Air Base.

The ministry said the incident caused no damage or casualties.

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was the target of overnight strikes in Tehran, Iran International has learned. No information was immediately available about his fate.

Explosions were reported across several parts of southern, western and central Iran early on Wednesday, according to eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.

Bandar Abbas, the southern Iranian port city on the Persian Gulf, saw a series of blasts near naval and port facilities. Around 8:00 a.m., explosions were heard from the direction of the navy area and Shahid Bahonar port. More blasts followed at about 8:15 a.m. in the Jahanbar area, and at 8:40 a.m. near the oil terminal and control tower at Shahid Rajaee port.

Ahvaz, the main city of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, was shaken by a strong explosion around 9:30 a.m. in the Zeytoun Karmandi neighborhood, rattling windows in nearby homes.

An explosion was heard around 5:00 a.m. in Songhor, a town in Iran’s western Kermanshah province near the Iraq border.

Near Kazerun, a city in Iran’s southern Fars province, an explosion was heard at about 6:55 a.m.

In Malard, west of Tehran, multiple explosions were reported between 6:50 a.m. and 7:10 a.m. In nearby Fardis, in Alborz province west of the capital, several blasts were heard around 7:11 a.m., including in the Naz district.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss regional developments, Turkey’s foreign ministry said, after previously announcing a regional tour aimed at helping end the Iran war.

Iran’s position against developing nuclear weapons is unlikely to change significantly, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday, according to remarks relayed by Iranian media from an interview with Al Jazeera.

Araghchi said Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, had not yet publicly expressed his view on the issue.

Late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's "nuclear fatwa" has served as a shield for Tehran's denial of nuclear weapon ambitions for two decades.

The Iranian foreign minister said fatwas depend on the Islamic jurist who issues them and added that he was not yet in a position to judge the new Supreme Leader’s jurisprudential or political views.

Authorities in Dubai said on Wednesday that all air interception operations were successful and no injuries were reported.

They urged the public to rely on official sources for updates.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video of his meeting with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in which he pulled a list from his pocket and said it showed Iranian officials targeted by Israel.

Netanyahu appeared to present the list as a record of Iranian officials marked for elimination, saying two had already been removed while others remained.

“I’m alive, but I have this card,” Netanyahu said. “It’s a punch card. Today, I erased two names on the punch card, and you see how many more to go on this batch?”

The video also referred to online rumors that Netanyahu had been killed and that videos presented as proof he was alive were AI-generated. Netanyahu mocked those claims by joking about having five fingers on each hand.

Israel’s military said on Wednesday that it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory and that air defense systems were working to intercept them.