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Ali Khamenei makes big move amid dead rumors; Iran Supremo's first response to US strikes
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive, the country's finance minister confirmed
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive, the country's finance minister confirmed after a report stating his death surfaced on Saturday. As the US and Israel struck Khamenei's compound in Tehran, Israel’s Channel 12 television reported, citing sources, that there are ‘growing signs’ that the supremo may have been killed, The Times of Israel reported. However, the report was dismissed.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Ali Khamenei is still alive, ‘as far as I know’. Araghchi confirmed that two commanders had died, but senior officials in the regime had survived the first strikes, including the head of the judiciary and the parliament speaker.
“All high-ranking officials are alive,” he said. “So everybody is now in its position, and we are handling this situation, and everything is fine.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes big move
Meanwhile, Iran's Al-Alam TV reported that Khamenei will ‘speak within minutes’. The report was published at around 8:20 PM IST.
Araghchi said he had been in contact with Gulf states and "explained to 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 want to talk to us, they know how they can contact me. We are certainly interested in de-escalation".
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The dead rumours about Ali Khamenei came after satellite images showed extensive damage to the Iran Supremo's compound and residence in Tehran. The US and Israel carried out military strikes, targeting Iran's top leaders.
Tehran called the attacks unprovoked and illegal, and responded by launching missiles at Israel and at several Gulf Arab allies of the United States that host American bases.
Iran's Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour were killed in Israeli attacks, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Trump warns Iran
In a video message published on social media, Trump cited Washington's decades-old dispute with Iran, including the seizure of the 1979 US embassy in Tehran, when students held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, as well as a range of other attacks the US has blamed on Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution brought the clerics to power.
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Trump, who had deployed vast US military firepower in the region, saying he hoped to force Iranian concessions in nuclear talks, said the "massive" operation was intended to ensure Tehran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and was aimed at "eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime".
He urged Iranians to stay sheltered because "bombs will be dropping everywhere". But he added: "When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint US-Israeli attack "will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands" and "remove the yoke of tyranny". Defence Minister Israel Katz called it a pre-emptive strike to remove threats to Israel.
(With inputs from Reuters)
