TEHRAN (Realist English). The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has condemned what it called a “brutal act of aggression” after its commander-in-chief, Major General Hossein Salami, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran early Friday. In an official statement, the IRGC warned that the Israeli regime would face severe consequences for the assassination, calling it a direct attack on Iran’s sovereignty.
Extending condolences to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the people of Iran, and the families of the victims, the IRGC described Salami as one of the most distinguished commanders in the force’s history — a man who served with “scientific, cultural, and military devotion” in defense of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the Iranian nation.
“The revolutionary people of Iran can rest assured that public security will be maintained despite this crime,” the statement said. It also confirmed that Iran has preparations in place to respond and that the details of forthcoming countermeasures would soon be made public.
Targets across Iran hit
According to Iranian officials, the Israeli strike — one of the largest direct attacks in recent years — hit residential and military targets in multiple cities, including Tehran, Tabriz, Khorramabad, Kermanshah, Boroujerd, and the nuclear facility area near Natanz. Civil aviation was immediately affected, with flights suspended at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and other regional hubs.
The strike comes at a highly sensitive time: just one day after the IAEA Board of Governors passed a new resolution critical of Iran’s nuclear activities, and two days before a scheduled sixth round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Muscat, Oman.
Since April 12, the two sides have been engaged in back-channel talks, mediated by Oman, aimed at reaching a partial agreement on Iran’s civilian nuclear program and the phased removal of sanctions.
Leadership reaction
In a separate statement, Ayatollah Khamenei declared that Israel had “prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself” through its latest act, calling the strike a revelation of the regime’s “vile and bloodstained nature.”
The killing of Salami — one of the most senior figures in Iran’s military hierarchy — marks a turning point in the escalating shadow war between Tehran and Tel Aviv. The IRGC’s pledge of retribution, combined with the collapse of diplomatic norms, raises the risk of a broader regional conflict at a moment when diplomacy appeared to be gaining fragile traction.
