Conflicting narratives have emerged regarding the status of Iran’s top leadership following a series of strikes targeting senior officials that commenced early Saturday. The operation, reportedly initiated by US and Israeli forces, has sparked intense international speculation about potential casualties within the Iranian regime.
Israeli media outlets have asserted that nearly all senior Iranian leaders were targeted in the strikes, with specific reports indicating that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were among the primary targets. These claims, however, have been met with contrasting accounts from Iranian sources who have sought to downplay the effectiveness of the attacks.
According to Tasnim News Agency, confirmed strikes occurred in proximity to both the presidential palace and Khamenei’s residential compound. Nevertheless, an anonymous official speaking to Reuters provided contradictory information, stating that Khamenei had been relocated from Tehran to a secure location prior to the attacks and was not present during the strikes.
Iranian state media has officially reported that President Pezeshkian emerged unharmed from the incident. The reports further confirmed the safety of other high-ranking officials including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Defence Minister Amir Hatami, and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.
Additional Israeli media claims suggested that Ali Shamkhani, a senior security advisor to Khamenei, was among those targeted. Meanwhile, an unverified report from an Iranian source close to the establishment indicated to Reuters that several senior commanders within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and political officials had been killed in the operation. Middle East Eye has noted that these casualty reports remain unverified through independent channels.