The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, as well as one of the closest advisers to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Shamkhani, were killed in a nighttime Israeli strike on Tehran. This is reported by CNN with reference to Iranian state television IRINN, reports.
Bagheri was the second highest-ranking military officer killed by Israel in the new phase of the conflict. Shamkhani, known as Tehran’s key negotiator in regional diplomacy, particularly with Saudi Arabia, was also killed. He served as Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and had a significant influence on the country’s foreign policy.
These deaths coincided with Iran’s cancellation of participation in nuclear talks with the United States scheduled for 15 June in Oman.
According to DW and AFP, at least six leading Iranian nuclear scientists were also killed in the strike. Among them:
- Abdolhamid Minouchehr
- Ahmadreza Zolfagari
- Amirhossein Fekhi
- Motalleblizade
- Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi – President of the Islamic University of Azad
- Fareydoun Abbasi – former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran
This could seriously undermine Iran’s technical ability to develop its nuclear programme and provoke Tehran to respond harshly.
In addition, in April, Shamkhani said that Iran could stop cooperating with the IAEA and expel nuclear inspectors if the country felt threatened by an external threat.
Analysts believe that such a strike on Iran’s command and scientific core may be part of Israel’s broader strategy to curb the development of nuclear weapons. Iran’s reaction is expected to be harsh, which significantly increases the risk of a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.
