"The Iranian propaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappear," he said in a statement. "Evacuation of nearby residents has begun."

Israel's military urged residents in a portion of the capital's northern District 3 to evacuate "immediately" on Monday, saying it intended to carry out air strikes there.

"In the coming hours, the (Israeli military) will operate in the area, as it has in recent days throughout Tehran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime," the military said in a post on X in Persian.

The area marked for evacuation is an upmarket part of the Iranian capital home to at least four hospitals and medical centres, a major police building and state broadcaster IRIB.

It also houses several embassies, including those of Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, as well as UN offices and the Agence France-Presse bureau.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli army said that it had achieved "total air superiority in the skies over Tehran".

reg-mj-adp/ds/smw

X