Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has described being pulled from the rubble of a leadership compound after a US-Israeli airstrike killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.
Key facts
- Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi described the moment of the attack in an interview with Iranian journalist Javad Mogouyi.
- A US-Israeli airstrike killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.
- Araghchi said he was pulled from the rubble of a leadership compound following the strike.
- He said Israel and the US had accurate intelligence on the location of Khamenei and other officials.
- Araghchi has survived since by constantly moving around Tehran by car.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has given an account of the US-Israeli airstrike that killed the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war, according to the Guardian.
Araghchi said he was pulled from the rubble of a leadership compound in the aftermath of the strike. Speaking in an interview with the Iranian journalist Javad Mogouyi, he described how he has survived since the attack by constantly moving around the capital, Tehran, by car.
In the interview, Araghchi confirmed that Israel and the US had accurate intelligence on the location of Khamenei and other officials, the Guardian reported. That intelligence, he said, enabled the two countries to target Iran’s senior leadership.
The account offers a rare first-hand description from a senior Iranian official of the events on the opening day of the conflict, during which the country’s most powerful figure was killed.
Araghchi’s remarks, delivered to an Iranian journalist, underscore the extent to which the strike reached the heart of Iran’s leadership compound and left surviving officials on the move in the days that followed.
Why it matters
The killing of Iran's supreme leader represents a dramatic escalation in the conflict and a direct blow to the country's top leadership. A senior official's account of accurate US-Israeli intelligence highlights the vulnerability of Iran's command structure and raises questions about how the country's government will function and respond.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Abbas Araghchi?
Abbas Araghchi is Iran's foreign minister. He said he was pulled from the rubble of a leadership compound after the US-Israeli airstrike.
How did Ali Khamenei die?
According to Araghchi's account reported by the Guardian, Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on a leadership compound on the first day of the war.
How has Araghchi survived since the attack?
Araghchi said he has survived by constantly moving around the capital, Tehran, by car.