Iran says President Pezeshkian was wounded in Nasrallah-style Israeli strike on Tehran meeting

Dubai: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was injured in an Israeli missile strike that targeted a high-level meeting of the Supreme National Security Council in western Tehran on June 16, Fars News Agency — which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—confirmed on Sunday.

According to the report, Israel attempted to assassinate Pezeshkian, Iran’s judiciary chief, and the speaker of the parliament by striking the building where the closed-door security meeting was underway on June 15 when the two countries were engaged in a deadly war.

Six missiles were reportedly used to seal off exits and disrupt airflow within the complex, modeled after Israel’s 2024 assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The strike hit a building near Shahrak-e Gharb, injuring Pezeshkian in the leg. Other officials sustained minor injuries while escaping through a pre-installed emergency hatch after power to the lower levels was cut. All three officials were located in the basement levels at the time of impact.

Iranian intelligence is now investigating whether a mole leaked sensitive information about the meeting’s time and location, given the accuracy of the strike.

The airstrike forms part of a broader 12-day war between Israel and Iran, during which Israeli forces killed several senior Iranian figures, including IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, Armed Forces Chief Mohammad Bagheri, and IRGC Air Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Last week, Pezeshkian confirmed to US political commentator Tucker Carlson that Israel had attempted to assassinate him:
“They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” he said.
“I was in a meeting… they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he added, without revealing the exact timing.

There are also reports that Israel had planned to assassinate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, but never found the opportunity.

On June 22, the United States joined the assault, launching bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan.

Former US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to prevent an Israeli-American strike on Khamenei, later taking credit for stopping what could have escalated into a full-scale regional war.