Khamenei is alive, Iran interested in de-escalation: Foreign minister

Dubai: Iran’s foreign minister said the country’s supreme leader was alive, along with all high-ranking officials, after Israel and the United States launched strikes across the country on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was alive “as far as I know”, in an interview from Tehran with the US outlet, adding that “all high ranking officials are alive”.

Some of the first strikes on Iran appeared to hit areas around the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Smoke could be seen rising from the capital as part of strikes that Iranian media said occurred nationwide. It wasn't immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices when the attack occurred.

Araghchi said he had been in contact with Gulf states and “explained for them that we have no intention to attack them but we are actually attacking the American bases in the act of self defence”.

He added that while there was no communication with Washington now, “if Americans wants to talk to us. They know how they can contact me. We are certainly interested for de-escalation”.

Meanwhile, fresh loud explosions were heard over central Doha on Saturday, according to AFP journalists, as Iran targeted United States military bases across the Gulf.

Iranian missiles were seen by an AFP journalist being intercepted overhead from Doha's corniche by missile defence systems during the salvo.

Qatar hosts the Al Udeid military base, the largest US military facility in the region.

Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to US

The United Arab Emirates closed its airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan.

An apartment building in northern Israel was damaged and shrapnel fell in multiple sites, according to media and police. But Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said there had been no significant hits in Israel and rescue services said there were no injuries reported from missile barrages across the country.

-- With AP & AFP inputs