Abbas Araghchi: Iran's Foreign Minister on Khamenei Attack & Nuclear Talks

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has given one of the most detailed accounts yet of the US-Israeli airstrike that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, describing how he was pulled from the rubble of a leadership compound and has since survived by constantly moving around Tehran by car. In a series of interviews with Iranian journalist Javad Mogouyi, Araghchi also revealed that a persistent security breach within Iran's decision-making apparatus enabled the attack, and that pre-planned contingency scenarios existed for Khamenei's death.

Araghchi confirmed that Israel and the United States had accurate intelligence on Khamenei's location and that of other senior officials, allowing them to target Iran's leadership on the first day of the war. The joint strikes began shortly after 9am, following a final round of nuclear talks in Geneva where Iran had offered a deal on its nuclear programme. Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, told Araghchi the following day that the mood in Washington had suddenly become more bellicose.

Security Breach Revealed

In the televised interview, Araghchi described the chaos immediately after the strike. Upon leaving the site, he questioned Mohammad Hejazi, an IRGC commander, about the Supreme Leader's whereabouts, only to receive the reply, “I don’t know.” Araghchi claimed the strike was carried out through a “security breach” that persists within the regime's decision-making processes and continues to influence them.

He further revealed that contingency scenarios had been drafted in advance to address the potential death of the Supreme Leader, indicating that Iran's leadership had prepared for such an eventuality. Araghchi has not yet met the country's new leader, Khamenei's son Mojtaba, but said his appointment sent “a very important message to the world that there would be no change in the regime’s policies and ideals.”

Nuclear Talks and the Path to War

Araghchi admitted that a six-member committee led the nuclear talks and that he never met Khamenei. He said he had always doubted that negotiations with the US earlier this year would work, but pursued them anyway, even if there was only a 10% chance of success, to ensure there was no room for doubt that Iran had pursued diplomacy. “No one would be able to tell us that it was our fault,” he said.

He dismissed critics' assertions that negotiations paved the way for the conflict, countering that the Islamic Republic stood firm on enrichment during the talks and that the opposing side chose the military option only after diplomacy failed. Araghchi emphasized that decisions on war and peace are made collectively within the Supreme National Security Council, not by any individual.

Ceasefire and Aftermath

Araghchi defended the acceptance of the recent ceasefire, claiming that if the decision had been made sooner, infrastructure such as Asaluyeh and figures such as Ali Larijani would have been spared subsequent damage. He added that decisions regarding the continuation or cessation of war cannot be based on “speculation and guesswork.”

His comments come amid a broader context of ongoing US strikes on Iran, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling the Senate that the Iran fight has cost $37.5 billion and asking for more. The US military has completed 11 nights of strikes, overshadowing diplomatic efforts to salvage an interim ceasefire deal. The conflict has also drawn in regional actors, with Turkey playing a role in thwarting a Kurdish offensive, as Araghchi revealed in a separate interview.

Araghchi's detailed account provides a rare insider perspective on the highest levels of Iranian decision-making during a period of unprecedented crisis. His admission of a persistent security breach raises questions about the integrity of Iran's security apparatus, while his defense of the ceasefire and nuclear talks offers insight into the regime's strategic calculus. As the conflict continues to evolve, Araghchi's role as a key diplomat and survivor of the initial attack will remain central to understanding Iran's next moves.