The semiofficial Fars news agency and Nour News said the strike targeted a residential area, though the intended objective remained unclear. Neither Israel nor the United States immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed escalating threats from Washington over Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Separate airstrikes also hit Iran’s capital, Tehran, before dawn, with explosions reported across the city and the sound of fighter jets heard intermittently for hours. Iranian authorities did not immediately provide details on the targets or casualties from those strikes.

Iranian media said Sharif University of Technology in Tehran was among the sites hit, with damage reported to campus buildings and a nearby natural gas distribution facility. The university has previously faced international sanctions over alleged links to Iran’s ballistic missile program, though it was unclear what specific facilities were targeted.

In the city of Qom, south of the capital, an airstrike on a residential area killed at least five people, according to the state-run IRAN newspaper. Authorities did not specify the intended target of that strike.

Iran’s science minister said more than 30 universities across the country have been hit since the conflict began in late February, underscoring the widening scope of the bombardment. Iran has not released updated nationwide casualty figures in recent days.

The latest strikes come amid sustained attacks on military and infrastructure sites, with Iranian security forces reportedly using alternative locations as bases after repeated strikes on established facilities.

The conflict has also forced the closure of schools nationwide, with classes moved online, and disrupted key infrastructure, including energy distribution networks.

Taiwan has repeatedly flagged delays in U.S. arms shipments, as it faces mounting military pressure from China, which claims the island as its territory. The United States remains Taiwan’s primary security partner and arms supplier despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

The United States approved an $8 billion sale in 2019 involving Lockheed Martin, aimed at expanding Taiwan’s fleet to more than 200 F-16 aircraft. The programme has encountered setbacks, including software-related issues that slowed delivery timelines.

Deputy Defence Minister Hsu Szu-chien, accompanied by Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Tien Chung-yi, visited the F-16V assembly line in South Carolina earlier this week to inspect the first completed aircraft, the ministry said.

Lockheed Martin has assigned several hundred personnel to the programme, and production is proceeding at full capacity on a two-shift schedule, with no reported bottlenecks in parts supply or manpower, according to Taiwan’s statement.

The F-16V fighter jets represent a new configuration tailored for Taiwan, requiring ongoing test flights to refine avionics and systems performance. The defence ministry said these tests must be conducted carefully before full delivery proceeds.

Taiwan has already upgraded 141 older F-16A/B aircraft to the F-16V standard and has ordered 66 new jets equipped with enhanced radar, weapons systems and avionics designed to counter advanced aircraft such as J-20 fighter jet deployed by China.

Lockheed Martin said it was working closely with the U.S. government to accelerate deliveries and remained committed to supporting Taiwan’s defence requirements.