Fresh US and Israeli strikes on Iran have once again rattled already fragile negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme, with reports suggesting sites linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader were among the targets.
Here is a closer look at where the attacks took place, who Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is, and why Washington and Tel Aviv have openly threatened Iran’s top leadership.
Where did the latest attacks take place?
Iranian media said the US-Israeli strikes hit multiple locations across the country, including in the capital, Tehran.
According to Tasnim News Agency, seven missiles struck an area near the presidential palace in Shemiran, in northern Tehran. The report also said the strikes landed close to the compound associated with Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Associated Press reported that attacks also hit near offices linked to Khamenei in the capital.
The reported targeting of areas tied to the Supreme Leader has intensified speculation that the strikes were not limited to military infrastructure but were aimed at signalling pressure on Iran’s leadership.
Where is Ayatollah Khamenei?
His exact whereabouts remain unclear. Reuters cited a source as saying Khamenei was no longer in Tehran and had been moved to a secure location.
Iranian authorities have not officially disclosed his location.
Who is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
Ali Khamenei, 86, has served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989. He succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, who returned from exile to lead the 1979 revolution that overthrew the US-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
As Supreme Leader, Khamenei holds ultimate authority over Iran’s executive, legislature and judiciary. He also commands the armed forces and sets broad strategic direction on domestic and foreign policy.
Two pillars of his power are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij, which together form the backbone of the country’s security establishment.
Over more than three decades in office, Khamenei has overseen a tense relationship with the West, marked by sanctions, diplomatic standoffs and periodic domestic unrest. He has repeatedly described the United States as Iran’s “number one enemy”, with Israel close behind.
On the nuclear issue, Khamenei has long maintained that Iran’s programme is for civilian purposes only and that Tehran does not seek to build an atomic bomb. US intelligence assessments and the UN nuclear watchdog have said they have not found evidence that Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, though Israel and some officials in the Trump administration have argued otherwise.
What have the US and Israel said about Khamenei?
Senior officials in both countries have made unusually direct remarks about Iran’s top leader.
Following a 12-day exchange of US-Israeli attacks and Iranian retaliation in June, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Khamenei “cannot continue to exist”.
“A dictator like Khamenei, who stands at the head of a state like Iran and has the horrible goal of destroying Israel, cannot continue to exist,” Katz said at the time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also suggested Israel had not ruled out attempting to assassinate Khamenei, saying such a move could “end” the long-running conflict.
In the United States, President Donald Trump has issued his own warnings. In an interview with ABC earlier this month, Trump said Khamenei should be “very worried” as US military assets were deployed in the region.
He has also said regime change in Iran would be “the best thing that could happen” and claimed that there were people who could take over leadership, without elaborating. Previously, Trump said Khamenei would be an “easy target” if the US chose to act, adding: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding… He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
What was the goal of the latest attack?
In remarks after the strikes, Trump vowed to “annihilate” Iran’s navy and missile sites and urged Iranians to rise up against their government.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” he said. “This will probably be your only chance for generations.”
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