Iran And Israel Trade Launch Air Missiles As Conflict Continues

Photo Credit: Moshe Mizrahi/Reuters

Just after midnight on June 13, Israel launched ballistic missiles into the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military structure, killing several top Iranian military officials, nine senior scientists, and experts involved in Iran’s nuclear program, as per CTV News. According to CTV News, Iran’s UN ambassador announced that 78 people were killed and more than 320 were wounded in the Israeli attack, codenamed Operation Rising Lion. Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and the former national security chief were among those killed.

Mohammad Bagheri served as the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces since 2016 and was one of the casualties of the Israeli attack. According to a 2019 US Treasury document, Bagheri operated “the most senior military body in Iran,” which could call on more than 500,000 active personnel. The document sanctioned him and nine other top officials “who have for decades oppressed the Iranian people, exported terrorism, and advanced destabilizing policies around the world.”

Additionally, as the head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami was one of the most powerful men in Iran, overseeing its most potent military arm and reporting directly to its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Finally, Ali Shamkhani served as Iran’s top national security official for a decade, beginning in 2013. He represented Iran at talks which sealed a landmark agreement to restore diplomatic ties with Iran’s historical adversary Saudi Arabia. 

According to CTV News, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a recorded message on June 13: “We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed.” Following this, on June 14, Iran launched a series of retaliatory missiles into Israel, destroying homes in Tel Aviv and Haifa. According to Al Jazeera, at least eight civilians were killed.

According to NBC News, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) condemned Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, characterizing them as “deeply concerning.” Additionally, IAEA Director General Refeal Grossi said in a statement on June 13 that “nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment.” 

As per Al Jazeera, on June 13, IAEA Director Rossi reported no elevated radiation levels after the Israeli attack on the Natanz nuclear facility, but still warned of public safety risks in the case of further escalations. 

According to The Guardian, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the attacks on Iran were done to stop an alleged secret Iranian nuclear weapons program, saying that Iran had the ability to build nine nuclear bombs. 

On the other hand, on Mar. 25, Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, said to the Senate intelligence community that American intelligence had assessed that Iran was not actively pushing for a nuclear weapon. 

However, according to The Guardian, a declassified IAEA report released in late May warned that Iran had been stockpiling uranium enrichments way beyond the limitations agreed upon in the 2015 nuclear agreement. The report stated that Iran is now “the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material,” which brings up “serious concerns.” 

As of May 17, Iran had amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent, which was an increase of almost 50 per cent since the IAEA’s last report in February. The IAEA report concluded that it could not verify that Iran’s civil nuclear program could be classified as exclusively civilian. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made squashing Iran’s nuclear program his top priority, warned in a June 14 video address that Israel will “strike every target” of Iran’s regime. “We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollah’s regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days.” 

Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to intensify its attacks if Israel continues with hostilities. According to Al Jazeera, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned of a “more severe and powerful response” if Israel continued to strike.

On June 15, Israel launched an expanded strike on Iran, targeting its energy industry and Defense Ministry headquarters. Alongside this, Iran unleashed another wave of missiles into Israel, which have been blamed for the deaths of 4 people. 

In an interview with Reuters, US President Donald Trump revealed that the US had known about Israel’s upcoming plans to attack Iran on June 13. Trump had given Iran 60 days to negotiate a deal with Israel and abdicate its uranium enrichments, but Iran had balked at the proposition. 

"I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out," Trump said. “They can still work out a deal, however, it’s not too late.”

Leaders across the globe have called on Iran and Israel to stop the attacks and prevent the beginning of an all-out war.

As per Al Jazeera, Chinese Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi spoke to his Iranian and Israeli counterparts and made it clear that China supported Iran. Wang told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Beijing “supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, defending its legitimate rights and interests, and ensuring the safety of its people,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

Wang also told Araghchi that Israel’s actions “seriously violate […] the basic norms governing international relations”, adding attacks on nuclear facilities “have set a dangerous precedent with potentially catastrophic consequences”.

France President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that he spoke to Iranian President Pezeshkian and “urged the utmost restraint to avoid escalation. Iran’s nuclear program is a serious concern and must be resolved through negotiation.

“I therefore invited President Pezeshkian to return swiftly to the negotiating table to reach an agreement — the only viable path to de-escalation,” Macron added.