Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has described surviving a devastating strike on a leadership compound that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Araghchi said the site was left in ruins and that he had to be rescued from the rubble after the attack.
The account offers a stark picture of the scale of the US-Israeli air strike and its impact on Iran’s top leadership. With the compound heavily damaged, the incident appears to have struck at the center of the country’s political command structure.
Araghchi’s description highlights both the physical destruction and the shock surrounding the attack. His survival, despite being trapped under debris, adds to the gravity of an event that could have major consequences for Iran and the wider region.
The reported killing of Khamenei would mark a dramatic escalation in tensions and raise urgent questions about Iran’s leadership, stability and next steps. Attention is now likely to focus on the fallout inside Iran and on how regional and international actors respond.
