'Enemy Made A Mistake': Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Says Israel Being 'Punished' After US Strikes

Last Updated:June 23, 2025, 11:58 IST

Ali Khamenei's message came after the US launched a massive attack on Iran's nuclear sites, marking a dramatic escalation in the conflict. He is currently believed to be in hiding.

Iran's Supreme leader Ayotollah Khamenei. (AP Photo)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the “Zionist regime" in Israel is being “punished" after the two arch-rivals traded heavy aerial fire, hours after the US launched airstrikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.

“The Zionist enemy has made a big mistake, committed a big crime; it must be punished and it is being punished; it is being punished right now," said Khamenei in a cryptic message on X.

His remarks came after the Israeli Army carried out strikes on Iranian military targets, including missile launch and storage sites, on Sunday. The US military also carried out massive airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.

Israel also struck several parts of the country on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of three people after an airstrike hit an ambulance in central. Iran also launched a fresh salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel, injuring more than 80 people.

US President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes “obliterated" Tehran’s nuclear ambitions as part of “Operation Midnight Hammer" and called on Iran to make peace or face more devastating strikes.

After the US strikes, Khamenei issued a stark warning to Washington, saying, “Americans should expect greater damage and blows than ever before."

Where Is Khamenei Now?

The Iranian Supreme Leader is currently believed to be in hiding in an underground bunker, wary of assassination since the Israeli assault began. He mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide and has suspended electronic communications, three officials familiar with his plans told the New York Times.

Khamenei has picked an array of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed. He has also named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed himself, showing the precarious situation of his three-decade rule.

The Israeli strikes are the biggest military assault on Iran since its war with Iraq in the 1980s, and have caused intense damage – eliminating top military leaders and nuclear scientists – and dealing significant damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.

Khamenei, 86, is aware that either Israel or the United States could try to assassinate him, as per the officials. He has made the unusual decision to instruct his nation’s Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader, to choose his successor swiftly from the three names he has provided.

Tehran, Iran

News world 'Enemy Made A Mistake': Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Says Israel Being 'Punished' After US Strikes