Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was lightly injured in the legs during a June 16 strike in Tehran, according to a report Sunday by Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The report said several other senior officials were also wounded during a high-level meeting in the capital.
The attack reportedly occurred in a building in western Tehran where Pezeshkian, the speaker of parliament and the judiciary chief were meeting in an underground floor. The strike involved the firing of multiple missiles and the detonation of explosives, targeting both the meeting site and its escape routes.
According to the report, the assault appeared to mimic tactics attributed to the alleged Israeli operation that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, suggesting an Israeli signature in its execution. Six missiles were reportedly fired to block escape paths and disrupt electricity and air circulation in the building. Though the explosions caused a blackout, the officials managed to flee through a pre-planned emergency exit. Some, including the president, were slightly wounded while escaping.
Last week, Pezeshkian claimed in an interview with US political commentator Tucker Carlson that Israel had attempted to assassinate him during last month's war between the two countries.
Speaking via video call with a translator, Pezeshkian said, "It was Israel" that tried to kill him, not the US. "I was in a meeting, we were discussing how to move forward. But thanks to their spies, they tried to bomb the area where we were gathered," he said.
The Iranian president added, "As a true believer, I trust that only God Almighty determines when a person lives or dies," and insisted he was "not afraid to sacrifice myself to defend the country."
During the same interview, Pezeshkian accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging negotiations with the US. "We were in the middle of negotiations with the US, and the president had invited us to talk for peace. We were told that as long as we didn't give Israel permission, they wouldn't strike us. We were very close to holding the next round [of talks]," he said.
"But in the middle of it, Israel suddenly sabotaged the negotiating table. We were sitting at the table when it happened," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed.
Pezeshkian also denied that Iran seeks to acquire nuclear weapons, asserting, "We have never pursued the development of a nuclear bomb - not in the past, not today, and not in the future." He added that, according to fatwas issued by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, "it is religiously forbidden for us." According to Pezeshkian, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has created a "false narrative" since 1984 claiming that Iran is seeking a nuclear bomb.
