In a startling revelation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly sustained minor leg injuries during an Israeli missile strike on Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) last month, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency.
The strike occurred on June 17, while Iran’s top political and security figures — including the heads of the three branches of government — were gathered in a secured lower-level meeting room in western Tehran.
A Surgical Strike with a Political Message
Fars reports that six projectiles struck the entrances and exits of the facility, suggesting a calculated attempt to isolate and possibly assassinate Iran’s senior leadership. The strike was reportedly similar in style to operations historically aimed at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Fortunately, the officials managed to escape using a pre-planned emergency hatch, though President Pezeshkian was reportedly injured during the evacuation. Despite the injuries, he was said to have exited safely.
Questions of Internal Leaks
One of the most alarming claims in the Fars report is the possibility of an internal intelligence leak. Given the precision of the missile strike — narrowly missing the meeting itself — Iranian authorities are reportedly investigating whether sensitive information was passed to Israeli operatives.
This raises concerns about counterintelligence vulnerabilities within Iran's own ranks during one of the most volatile military escalations in years.
A Blatant Act of State Terrorism?
Fars News condemned Western and Israeli media outlets for ignoring what it described as a “blatant act of state terrorism.” The agency noted the international double standard of condemning Iranian religious rulings against Western leaders while remaining silent on what it considers targeted assassination attempts on Iranian officials.
“There is a clear hypocrisy in the global reaction,” the report stated, “when the killing of senior Iranian leaders is treated with indifference, and symbolic statements by Iran are met with outrage.”
The June Conflict: Israel and Iran Go Head-to-Head
The missile strike came amid a 12-day armed conflict between Israel and Iran, which erupted on June 13 after Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Iranian military, nuclear, and civilian sites.
According to Iran’s Health Ministry, those strikes resulted in at least 606 deaths and 5,332 injuries.
In retaliation, Tehran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel, reportedly killing 29 people and wounding over 3,400, according to figures provided by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The fighting came to an end on June 24 under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, though regional analysts say tensions remain high, with both countries continuing to prepare for future confrontations.
A Dangerous Precedent
If confirmed, the Israeli targeting of Iran’s top leadership represents a significant escalation in the long-simmering conflict between the two nations. Previous hostilities largely focused on proxy groups, covert sabotage, and cyberattacks — but a direct strike on a sitting head of state crosses into a new and dangerous frontier.
It also deepens fears that the rules of engagement in the Middle East are eroding, with political assassination once again becoming a viable tool of statecraft.
Conclusion
President Pezeshkian’s survival and minor injuries may downplay the immediate impact of the June 17 strike, but the symbolic weight of the attack cannot be overstated. It signals a willingness by Israel to target Iran’s highest decision-making centers — and perhaps a belief that global consequences will be limited.
Whether the international community will address the broader implications remains to be seen. For now, the incident underscores how quickly the Israel-Iran conflict can shift from regional to existential.