&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "To incite regime change? Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei reveals why Israel waged 12-day war against Tehran")
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday (July 16) said that Israel’s recent strikes were designed not just to target military figures but to create chaos and ultimately bring down the Islamic Republic. “The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in Iran,” he told judiciary officials in Tehran on Wednesday.
Khamenei said the attack was part of a broader strategy to trigger protests and “bring people into the streets to overthrow the system”. Video excerpts of his speech were shared on his official website. Khamenei asked diplomats and military leaders to proceed with “care and precision”, without going into details, adding that Iran would approach both diplomacy and conflict “from a position of strength”.
Israeli strikes killed top Iranian commanders and scientists
On 13 June, Israel launched what officials described as an unprecedented bombing campaign inside Iran. It targeted high-level military commanders and nuclear scientists in strikes that Iranian authorities say killed more than 1,000 people. During the 12-day conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on 15 June that the operation “certainly could” lead to regime change in Tehran. “The Iranian regime is very weak,” he said.
Iran, US and Israel all exchanged strikes before ceasefire
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In retaliation, Iran fired missiles and drones at Israeli targets, killing 28 people according to Israeli officials. Days later, on 22 June, the United States joined the conflict, launching rare strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. Tehran hit back by striking the US Al-Udaid airbase in Qatar. Khamenei called the missile attack “a big blow” to Washington and warned that “even greater strikes can be dealt to the US and others”. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since 24 June.
Nuclear talks halted after attacks
The Israeli strikes came just two days before a scheduled sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States. The negotiations, which began on 12 April, have not resumed since. While Tehran has said it remains open to diplomacy, it insists that Washington must provide firm guarantees it won’t use military force again. Iran’s parliament on Wednesday ruled out further talks unless unnamed “preconditions” are met.
