A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck central Iran on Friday as Israeli airstrikes continued targeting Tehran.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake’s epicentre was near Semnan, about 210km east of the capital, at a shallow depth of 35 meters.
The incident occurred amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, marked by missile and drone exchanges. Just hours earlier, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi warned the UN Security Council: “Armed attack on nuclear facilities… could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked.”
While Iran confirmed air defenses were active in Bushehr, it offered no further detail. Israel, aiming to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, has denied striking the Bushehr plant. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was open to limits on uranium enrichment, but not to a complete halt, “especially now under Israel’s strikes.”