Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, provided a detailed account of his escape from a targeted US-Israeli airstrike on the supreme leader’s compound in Tehran, which reportedly resulted in the death of Ali Khamenei on the first day of the conflict. In an interview conducted before renewed hostilities on July 7, Araghchi described how the attack, informed by precise intelligence gathered by Israel and the United States, struck senior Iranian officials gathered for meetings at key government locations, including the ministry of intelligence and the defence council.
Araghchi recounted being near Ali Asghar Hijazi, Khamenei’s deputy chief of staff, when the compound was rocked by three successive explosions. Hijazi’s office was directly hit, and parts of the building were destroyed, killing the secretary to Hijazi. Both men survived by navigating through the debris, eventually escaping the collapsed structure amid chaos and flooding inside the building.
Following the attack, Araghchi said he was taken to the foreign ministry after his official vehicle was disabled. He noted that for three days, Iranian leadership struggled to account for the casualties amidst the shock of the assault. The minister emphasized that despite the US-Israeli efforts to decapitate Iran’s leadership, their plans to incapacitate the government had ultimately failed.
Araghchi also confirmed that Iran had engaged in nuclear negotiations with the United States earlier in the year, offering a deal during the final Geneva talks. However, he said that shortly after those discussions, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi informed him that Washington’s stance had hardened, leading to the subsequent airstrikes. Araghchi acknowledged doubts about the likelihood of successful diplomacy but underscored the importance of pursuing negotiations, even at low odds, to demonstrate Iran’s willingness to find a diplomatic solution.
He revealed that Iranian authorities had contingency plans, including the so-called Code 110, designed to respond to attacks on the supreme leader by closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi suggested that the US perceived Iran as weakened due to setbacks to its regional proxies in Syria and Lebanon, as well as internal unrest triggered by economic protests, which he admitted had been unexpectedly rapid and widespread.
Araghchi cited warnings from regional governments advising the Trump administration against initiating conflict with Iran, highlighting the complexities of Iranian society’s deep-rooted cultural and religious cohesion. He said Iran had communicated clearly that any strikes against its nuclear or oil facilities would provoke direct retaliation against Israeli targets and US bases in the region.
He also indicated that Tehran was seeking to exploit perceived divergences between US and Israeli objectives, though he declined to elaborate on specific efforts. On choosing between diplomacy and conflict, Araghchi stated that Iran would only engage in warfare if the consequences of avoiding battle were deemed greater than the costs of fighting.