Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated in an interview with the American NBC News channel that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is alive "as far as I know." This statement was made amidst rumors that several high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic had died in a large-scale attack launched by the United States and Israel on Saturday. The minister reported that two commanders were killed in the bombings, but high-ranking government officials survived. In the interview, Araghchi criticized the United States and Israel for carrying out the attack despite ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran on a nuclear deal. Yousef Pezeshkian, son of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, stated on Saturday that assassination attempts on his father have been unsuccessful and he is doing well. The United States and Israel launched an attack on targets in Tehran and other cities in Iran on Saturday morning. In response, Iran has launched missiles toward Israeli territory and U.S. military bases throughout the region, with no reports of casualties thus far.
