In what marks a grave escalation in the long-standing shadow conflict between Iran and Israel, the Islamic Republic has vowed swift and severe retaliation following a targeted Israeli strike that killed some of Iran&rsquo;s most senior military figures and top nuclear scientists. The pre-dawn assault, described by Tehran as an act of &ldquo;naked aggression,&rdquo; has jolted the region, reigniting fears of open warfare.
Among those confirmed killed are Major General Hossein Salami, the influential commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC); Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, who led the elite Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters; former nuclear chief Fereydoun Abbasi; and leading physicist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. The loss represents a staggering blow to Iran&rsquo;s strategic and nuclear infrastructure &mdash; both symbolically and operationally.
In a strongly worded statement, Iran&rsquo;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei directly blamed the &ldquo;Zionist regime&rdquo; for the attack, condemning it as a deliberate attempt to provoke wider conflict by striking not only military targets but also civilian areas. &ldquo;This regime must await severe punishment,&rdquo; he warned, vowing that the response of the Iranian Armed Forces would be &ldquo;decisive and irrevocable.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The powerful hand of the Islamic Republic will not let this crime pass unpunished,&rdquo; he added, invoking divine justice and martyrdom as rallying cries for national mobilisation.
The Iranian foreign ministry, in a formal communication released later, declared that the strikes constituted a clear violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter, accusing Israel of undermining Iran&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The statement asserted Iran&rsquo;s inherent right under Article 51 of the Charter to respond in a manner it deems &ldquo;appropriate.&rdquo;
In a pointed indictment of the United States, Tehran accused Washington of complicity, branding it the &ldquo;primary supporter&rdquo; of what it called Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;reckless adventurism.&rdquo; The foreign ministry warned that the U.S. too would be held accountable for the &ldquo;dangerous consequences&rdquo; that may follow.
While American officials have publicly distanced themselves from the operation, claiming they were not involved in the execution of the strikes, Iranian officials and regional analysts have cast doubt on these denials, arguing that Washington&rsquo;s deep entanglement with Israeli defence strategy makes its claims implausible.
This assault marks one of the most significant Israeli operations on Iranian soil to date, crossing multiple red lines and likely triggering a recalibration of deterrence equations across the region. The coming days will test the limits of restraint in Tehran, as Iranian decision-makers weigh domestic expectations, military feasibility, and international ramifications in crafting their response.
Whether this spirals into a wider conflagration or remains confined within the realm of calculated retaliation remains to be seen &mdash; but few doubt that a response is imminent.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

Tehran threatens severe response after IRGC chiefs, nuclear scientists killed in Israeli attack

Iran vows retaliation after Israeli targeted strike

Tehran threatens severe response after IRGC chiefs, nuclear scientists killed in Israeli attack

June 13, 2025 | 17:16 IST