Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has vowed retaliation for the airstrikes.
Following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared that Iran would retaliate, confirming the deaths of high-ranking commanders in the attack.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported targeting numerous locations across Iran, including military sites and the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the operation aimed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
In a Friday morning statement, Khamenei warned Israel to “expect severe punishment,” accusing the IDF of targeting residential areas and acknowledging the deaths of “several commanders and scientists.”
The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff labeled the attack a “blatant aggression” and promised a “crushing” response.
Iranian media reported that the deceased include Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Deputy Chief of Army Staff Gholam Ali Rashid, and nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi.
The attack occurred just before the scheduled sixth round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran in Oman on Sunday. President Donald Trump recently accused Tehran of “slow-walking” the negotiations after previous rounds failed to yield progress. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that Washington was not involved in the Israeli strikes.
Iran maintains that it is not seeking nuclear weapons and asserts its right to conduct nuclear research for peaceful, civilian purposes.