Iranian “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed a “bitter and painful” end for Israel in his first remarks after an unprecedented siege of Tehran in the early morning hours of Friday, eliminating several high-ranking members of the Iranian military.
The Israeli government confirmed airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, senior Iranian military leaders, and other military targets early on Friday, explaining in statements that Jerusalem had intelligence suggesting that Iran was nearing the construction of a nuclear weapon and presented too great a threat to the continued existence of Israel to allow the country not to act. Reports indicated that Israel hit 100 targets with its warplanes. Prior to the attack, reports revealed that the Israeli Mossad infiltrated the Iranian military and destroyed much of Iran’s defensive infrastructure.
Among those the Iranian regime has confirmed dead are the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami; armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri; IRGC Air Force commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh; and multiple nuclear scientists. The IRGC is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, in addition to being a formal arm of the Iranian military.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the attack as “a preemptive, precise, combined offensive based on high-quality intelligence to strike Iran’s nuclear program, and in response to the Iranian regime’s ongoing aggression against Israel.”
“The Iranian regime has proclaimed that its objective is to destroy the State of Israel,” the IDF said in a statement. “Senior officials in the Iranian regime have publicly declared their intent to destroy Israel, and are operating to achieve this together with their proxies in the Middle East. Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
Iran has since reportedly attempted to strike Israeli territory but has failed to cause any known damage at press time.
Khamenei issued a statement to Iranians on Friday morning vowing the demise of the Israel state, confirming the IDF’s assertions that Iran has openly stated its hope to eliminate the Israeli state.
A woman walks with a sign depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as people gather for a protest against Israel’s wave of strikes on Iran in central Tehran on June 13, 2025. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
“The Zionist regime carried out with its evil and bloody hand a crime in our dear country and revealed its wicked nature further by hitting residential areas,” the statement declared, according to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
“The regime should await a harsh response,” Khamenei promised. “Their successors and colleagues will immediately pick up their work.”
“With this crime, the Zionist regime sealed for itself a bitter and painful destiny and will definitely see that [destiny] brought upon it,” he concluded.
The Iranian armed forces’ General Staff – significantly affected by the Israeli airstrikes – similarly issued a brief statement threatening Israel, reading almost in its entirety: “Iran’s response to the Israeli regime’s strikes on Iranian territory will be crushing.”
Prior to Khamenei issuing a statement, Iran formally protested the strikes at the United Nations, calling the attacks a “declaration of war” and calling for U.N. action to defend Iran. The United Nations played a significant role this week in increasing concerns about Iran’s threat to Israel and the region generally, however, as its nuclear watchdog organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), passed a resolution on Thursday condemning Iran’s illicit uranium enrichment and nuclear development. In response, the Iranian regime announced the construction of yet another uranium enriching facility.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is subordinate to Khamenei, issued a separate statement focused less on threatening Israel and more on suppressing the formidable opposition that the Iranian regime faces at home. Pezeshkian ordered Iranians to show “unity” and vocally back its oppressors in the regime to prevent an Israeli victory.
“This savage act, which violates all international commitments, confirms the criminal nature of the illegitimate Zionist regime, which has built its existence on occupation, aggression, and the killing of children,” the president said, according to a summary by IRNA.
“He further said that today, more than ever, the Iranian nation needs unity, trust, empathy, and solidarity,” IRNA continued, “and expressed confidence that with such a valuable spirit and divine support, a strong, wise, and firm response will be delivered to the crimes of the Israeli regime.”
Pezeshkian also claimed that women and children were “martyred” in the targeted strikes against Iranian leaders, an allegation that Tehran has not shown any evidence to corroborate. It has also not named the alleged women and children affected by the airstrikes.
Iran had scheduled talks with the United States on resolving the nuclear issue, mediated by the government of Oman, for Sunday. On Friday, President Donald Trump indicated that he was still interested in pursuing diplomacy.
“Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to ‘make a deal,’” he wrote on his social media outlet Truth Social. “They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”
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