Shortly before sunrise in Iran on Friday, Israel launched the first strikes of its operation against the regime’s nuclear program.

Israeli emergency services have said at least two people were killed in the strikes and dozens of people are injured.

Iranian officials have repeatedly denied seeking a nuclear weapon. The United States and Iran have held five rounds of negotiations toward achieving an agreement that would limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, with a sixth round of talks scheduled for Sunday.

In remarks before the UN Security Council, Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani claimed that 78 people had been killed in Israeli attacks across Iran -- using the term "martyred" -- and that another 320 had been injured.

Iran says there was damage to its Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites from an earlier attack as the Israeli PM vows that "more is on the way".

Israel sent 200 fighter jets to conduct its operation in Iran and has dropped more than 330 different types of munitions so far, Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said.

“Trump has now praised Israel’s strike, affirmed US material support, and Israeli media is reporting his public opposition was a disinformation campaign to mislead Iran,” said Saagar Enjeti, rightwing co-host of the podcast Breaking Points. “So in other words Trump, not Israel, has made a mockery of all of us [who] wanted to avoid this war.”

Asia shares have opened lower while oil prices surged after Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday amid tensions over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program