Iran Vows Retaliation After Reported Israeli Assassination Attempt on President Pezeshkian
A senior Iranian official has warned that Israel will “pay a price” for the attempted assassination of President Masoud Pezeshkian, vowing that the incident will not go unanswered. Speaking to Qatar’s Al Jazeera, the official confirmed that a broad investigation has been launched to uncover the full extent of the plot behind the June 16 attack during Operation Rising Lion.
According to the Iranian news agency Fars, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), President Pezeshkian sustained minor leg injuries when six explosives targeted a government building in western Tehran. The attack coincided with a high-level meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reportedly taking place on the lower floors of the structure.
The bombs were directed at the building’s main access points, and the resulting blast caused a temporary blackout on the council’s floor. However, all officials present—including Pezeshkian, the parliament speaker, and the judiciary head—were able to evacuate through an emergency exit.
The Iranian official claimed that the strike mirrored the tactics used in previous high-profile eliminations, notably likening it to the alleged targeting of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. He also asserted that the attempt on Pezeshkian’s life is part of a broader Israeli strategy to destabilize and ultimately topple the Islamic Republic.
The official said Iranian intelligence services are now probing whether internal collaborators played a role in the operation.
This latest escalation follows weeks of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, particularly in the wake of mutual strikes and intensifying rhetoric. As the investigation unfolds, Tehran’s leadership appears intent on framing the attack not merely as an isolated strike—but as a direct assault on the regime’s continuity.
