US and Israeli air strikes hit multiple locations in Tehran and Qom early on April 7 as an evening deadline from Washington for Iran to agree to a deal to end the war approached, with both sides signaling no intention of backing down.
Iranian media reported multiple explosions across Tehran and the sound of air defense fire, with some accounts describing fighter jets flying at low altitude over the capital.
Among the sites hit in Tehran was a historic synagogue in downtown Tehran, according to Iranian media.
Homayoun Sameyah, the Jewish community’s representative in Iran’s parliament, told state media that the building was “ancient” and “sacred,” and that Torah scrolls remained buried under the rubble.
Meanwhile, Iran struck Tel Aviv, with Israeli television reporting around 10 impact sites across the city causing damage to buildings and vehicles. No injuries were recorded.
The Israeli military accused Iran of using cluster munitions — weapons that disperse into smaller submunitions, or bomblets, mid-air and are nearly impossible to intercept with conventional air defenses. The southern port city of Eilat was also targeted with cluster munitions, according to media reports.
US President Donald Trump announced the deadline of 8 p.m. US Eastern Time, warning that “the entire country” of Iran “could be taken out in one night — and that night might be tomorrow night.”
Trump explicitly threatened Iran’s power plants and bridges if no deal was reached.
Trump’s warning at the April 6 White House press conference centers on Iran’s control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for global oil shipments.
Iran’s response fell short of what Washington demanded.
Tehran submitted a 10-point peace proposal through Pakistani mediators, but the plan rejected a temporary cease-fire and instead called for a permanent end to hostilities. It also included conditions unlikely to be acceptable to the US or Israel. The New York Times reported the proposal was unlikely to resolve the core issues before the deadline.
Iran’s defiance was on open display.
Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted on X that Iran had “clearly and openly won the war” and would only accept an outcome that established “a new security order in the region.”
He added: “It is Trump who has around 20 hours to surrender to Iran or his allies will be sent back to the Stone Age. We will not back down!”
The threat to Iranian infrastructure is drawing warnings from inside the country.
Mahdi Masaeli, secretary of Iran’s electricity industry syndicate, said on April 7 that attacks on power plants, transmission lines, or substations could trigger “widespread blackouts.”
While Iran’s grid — with a capacity of around 100,000 megawatts against current consumption of less than half that — has some capacity to reroute power, Masaeli warned that serious damage would be a “turning point” in the conflict.
“The problems would not double,” he said. “They would grow exponentially.”
Previous strikes have already disrupted key industrial sectors.
Attacks on the Mobarakeh Steel complex have affected steel output, while strikes on the Bandar Emam petrochemical facility have hit production of PVC and cable materials, with black market activity emerging as a result, Masaeli said.
With reporting by DPA
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