Explosions reported at South Pars petrochemical complex in Asaluyeh, Iran

[0:00] All right. We'll begin with breaking news. There are reports of an attack on Iran's South [0:06] Pass petrochemical facility. This, as Iran says, negotiations are incompatible with threats [0:12] as the U.S. and Iran step up their attacks on Iran. Let's now go straight to Tauhid Asadi, [0:20] who's live for us in Iran's capital. So what do we know about this attack on the South Pass facility? [0:25] Obviously, this is going to be a major development. And this is just the initial [0:32] report that came in from Fars News Agency, affiliated with or with close relations with [0:38] IRGC. They came out with this very breaking news to say that the enemy attacked the South Pass [0:45] petrochemical complex in the city of Asadi. And also they're saying that a few minutes ago, [0:51] several explosions were heard from South Pass petrochemical complex in that city. [0:57] And also they're saying that additional information details are going to be published [1:02] very soon. That is the only thing so far we have. But contextually speaking, we know that we're [1:08] talking about one of the very, very important energy facilities of the country. And also that [1:14] comes within the context of the threats by the U.S. president regarding a deadline in which there is [1:20] a potentiality for further escalation for the infrastructure, including oil and energy [1:26] infrastructure. [1:27] And that's obviously part and parcel of the sustained airstrikes that we have been [1:35] witnessing. Another major blow that Iran faced very recently was actually the announcement [1:42] that we heard from IRGC, the Revolutionary Guards, about the killing of the head of intelligence [1:50] organization of IRGC, Majid Khademi, in the series of airstrikes that took place [1:57] last night in the eastern, western and southern areas of the Iranian capital. And added to that, [2:03] we also know that we are dealing with this continued airstrikes across the country in [2:08] different cities such as Karaj, Shiraz and Isfahan. And I would say there is a long list [2:16] such as Bandar-e-Lenge, Qom, Baharistan, Shahrar. In some of these cases, we have fatalities and [2:24] these airstrikes are going on while Iran is talking about the killing of the head of intelligence. [2:27] We are talking about retaliatory strikes, in very particular talking about this energy [2:32] complex that is said to be targeted. Previously, we heard from the spokesperson of the Khatam [2:38] Olympia military headquarters to talk about retaliatory strikes. They said that if the [2:46] attacks on the civilian units of the country continue this time, there is going to be a [2:51] widespread retaliation down the road. And they are talking about more devastating attacks [2:57] to the civilian units of the country as well. So we will talk about their retaliation, [3:00] targeting the USSS across the region or other infrastructures supporting the USSS or US [3:06] military bases across the region, as well as the Israeli territories. [3:11] Okay. Thank you very much, Tawheed Asadi. That's the latest breaking news coming out of Iran. And [3:16] here in the studio, Al Jazeera's Osama bin Javid joins us live. So this South Latvia facility that's [3:24] been hit, this isn't the first time, but [3:27] you know, this perhaps is just a section of it, but the gas field is shared with Qatar as well, [3:32] isn't it? Well, it is one of the world's largest gas facilities. It's shared with Qatar and Iran, [3:38] South Pars on the Iranian side and the North field here in Qatar. And as you mentioned, [3:43] this is the second time that we're hearing of attacks near South Pars. It's not yet clear [3:48] what's the detail of how big this attack is, what it has targeted and how will it affect any [3:55] supplies. It is not just one of the largest producers of gas in the world. You have to [3:59] remember that Iran is the world's fourth largest consumer of energy. South Pars is essentially the [4:06] lifeline for electricity and industrial production and everything else in Iran as well. So it is of [4:12] huge importance, not just to Iran, but to the entire region as well. And we've been hearing [4:17] the Iranians as soon as anything that has been mentioned about their energy facilities, their [4:23] oil infrastructure, they've said, [4:25] that they will retaliate and they will retaliate in huge fashion. You remember that when their [4:30] energy facilities, oil facilities, Harg Island were hit, in retaliation, they hit multiple [4:36] refineries across the region in the UAE, in Kuwait, in Bahrain, and even the Ras Lufan gas [4:44] field here in Qatar as well. So we'll have to wait and see on what this is. But it appears that this [4:49] is a serious and significant development in the escalation ladder, because if the idea was, [4:55] to bring tensions down, to open the state of Hormuz, to bring Iran to the table, this kind of [5:01] attack needs to be avoided rather than repeated. And also because if you said this triangle of the [5:06] U.S., but you also have Qatar with the partnership of that South Pars field. So we'll wait and see [5:11] what the extent of the damage is. All of this just before Trump's deadline, which is less than 24 [5:17] hours away from now. At the same time, you've been speaking to Pakistani officials. What have [5:23] they been telling you? Because so far, [5:25] Pakistan has almost become the default mediator in this war. [5:28] Absolutely. So in the last few weeks, it is just Pakistan, which is essentially taking the messages [5:33] from the Americans to the Iranians and vice versa. As you heard from the Iranian foreign ministry [5:38] spokesman, the American plan of 15 points that was rejected, they're still trying to push their line [5:45] forward, that they need reparations. They don't want to talk about their ballistic missiles [5:48] program. They're okay to talk about nuclear enrichment as well as giving them up or diluting [5:54] some of the enriched uranium. [5:55] That they have in the country. But all of that, as you heard from the Iranians, cannot happen under [6:01] the threat of violence as they're continuing to field attacks on their leadership, on their towns, [6:07] on their cities, on their institutions. They cannot, in good faith, enter any negotiations. [6:11] And that's where the Pakistanis are, that they're taking those messages to them. They're finding it [6:16] hard to get the message across because the top tier leadership has been wiped out. And what [6:21] they're trying to build is some sort of not those 15 points, [6:25] these eight points, something in the middle where they find a common ground, [6:29] whether it's temporarily opening the Strait of Hormuz, whether it's a ceasefire for 48 hours. [6:34] There's multiple options on the table that are being taken back and forth. But the point is that [6:39] because of the sea of distrust that exists between the Iranians, the last time they spoke to the [6:44] Americans twice, the Americans and the Israelis hit them. And that is why for them to stake [6:49] anything that the Americans are saying seriously is still not on the table. [6:52] A big task ahead for Pakistan as mediator. [6:55] Well, thanks very much Osama bin Javid.