Iranian Foreign Minister Details US‑Israel Strike that Killed Top Cleric

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian journalist Javād Mogūjī that a joint U.S.–Israeli airstrike on February 28 targeted a complex housing senior Iranian officials. The attack, which began shortly after 09:00, involved three successive explosions that demolished the left side of the building and killed the secretary of deputy chief Ali Asghar Hidžaji. The strike also killed the country's supreme religious leader, Ali Khamenei, according to Araghchi.

Araghchi said the United States and Israel possessed precise intelligence on the location of Khamenei and other senior officials, enabling the strike. He described the aftermath as “everything was destroyed” and noted that the surviving officials were forced to move constantly by car to avoid further attacks. The minister added that the incident underscores a security gap the region must address.

The strike raises tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel and may affect ongoing diplomatic negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.