On the night of June 12, the country of Iran reported that its capital, Tehran, had been struck by an air strike. Intel concluded that Israel ordered their pilots to attack their nuclear and missile facilities. Within the crossfire, Iran’s top three military leaders, several other officials, and nuclear scientists were killed before the upcoming June 15 United Nations negotiation.

Events of the Israeli-Iranian War

Back in 2015, the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations discussed with Iran the plan to dismantle their nuclear weapon development. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Policy, offers sanction relief in exchange for safer international inspections. EU Foreign Policy Chief Joseph Borrell hoped Iran would comply before sending Lead Negotiator Enrique Mora to visit Tehran.

The policy negotiations continued into 2017. However, President Donald Trump jeopardized the deal when he withdrew the US from the conflict. Iran endured numerous attacks, including one from the US, while waiting for 2020. Iran’s military partnered with Hezbollah, the Islamic Republic terrorist organization under Lebanon Shia, around the same time Hamas abducted 251 people, taking them hostage in the Gaza Strip. Together, they conducted a rocket artillery attack against Israel on October 8, 2023.

Tensions rose on April 1, 2024, when Israel bombed a building in Syria’s capital, Damascus. Two senior members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Corps were found dead. Iran retaliated with a missile and drone attack on April 13. Many months of terrorism followed these actions, leading many Israelites to find refuge in Gaza.

In his 2nd term, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, on March 7, 2025. The US President warned Khamani that he must accept the nuclear deal within two months. Their negotiations went on from April to May. Iran applied pressure to stop the US-authorized Gaza aid from reaching the Israeli refugee camp. Hamas’ Gaza Chief Mohammad Sinwar was assassinated on May 21. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation CEO Jake Wood resigned after no sign of an Israel-Iran ceasefire on May 28.

Israel Retaliate Against Iran’s Refusals

On June 6, the Federation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) translated a military report from Israeli Defense Forces Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee. Adraee revealed that Israel conducted an airstrike on Hezbollah. The attack was carried out in Beirut, destroying their drone production and storage facilities. Israel aims to eliminate any Iranian or Iranian-partnered weapons pipeline to drain Hezbollah’s artillery power.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) followed Khamenei’s speech in Tehran on June 7. Despite the US President’s warnings, the Iranian Supreme Leader refused to engage in further negotiations with the United States. Khamenei called out Trump and his administration’s leadership as “unwise, unintelligent, and dishonorable.” He called anyone a fool attempting to negotiate with them and said that his preference was to cooperate with other countries that meet Iran’s interests. Currently, Iran and Russia have remained allied since the 1990s.

On the same day, ABC News reported a death count of 95 hostages from the Gaza Strip. Among these hostages were three Thai citizens. Body retrieval personnel identified Nattapong Pinta, an agriculture worker under Israel’s government, as one of the victims. Officials respectfully delivered his body to Thailand to reunite him with his family. It safely arrived on June 11.

Iran continued to reject compliance when meeting with the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on June 9. Director General Rafel Mariano Grossi addressed the UN watchdog reports’ inaccuracies. “Unfortunately, Iran has repeatedly either not answered or not provided technically credible answers to the Agency’s questions. […] The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution.” Grossi also mentioned Iran’s plan to occupy three selected locations containing uranium with their undeclared nuclear program.

NPR provided an update on the nineteen IAEA representatives who voted in favor of further negotiations. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso were the only countries who opposed it. The next scheduled meeting for the Iran Nuclear Policy is set for June 15. Israel refused to wait and carried out an airstrike on Tehran’s military facilities on June 14. Several Iranian senior military officials and their nuclear scientists were injured and killed. Most notably, their top three military leaders were discovered during the body search:

• Major General Hossein Salami: Salami was head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was responsible for Iran’s missile and drone development. The Major was responsible for the crash of Ukranian International Flight 752 in January 2020.
• Major General Mohammad Bagheri: Bagheri served as the chief of Iran’s armed forces since 2016. He was later sanctioned in 2019 after Iranian news outlet Tasnim submitted photos of him cooperating with soldiers in Syria. These photos were allegedly taken in 2017. Bagheri also met with President Trump about accepting Iran’s Nuclear Policy.
• Supreme Leader Aide Ali Shamkhani: Shamkhani acted under Khamenei as his public representative. He made appearances on IRINN and became a star figure in Iranian diplomacy.

Repercussions of the Tehran Airstrike

Iran did not take Israel’s intimidation lightly. In a matter of hours, the IRGC sent a counterstrike to Israel’s economic center, Tel Aviv. They targeted their missiles at their enemy’s military centers and air bases to prevent more incoming attacks. 78 people were reported dead, according to Israel’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani. The country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had taken shelter in a bunker with Defense Minister Israel Katz.

In the midst of the crossfire, world leaders echoed their response to Israel’s latest attack. President Trump provided Israel with military aid to defend against Iran’s missiles. This action risked the US becoming more involved in the Middle Eastern conflict. Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin advised Israel to use diplomacy to find common ground with Iran instead of bombs. He took extra precautions by disbanding air travel to both countries.

Chinese envoy Fu Cong said at the June 14 UN Security Council meeting, “Israel has violated Iran’s sovereignty. It needs to stop all military actions.” And Hezbollah has decided to end its involvement in the Israeli-Iranian War after experiencing the Beirut airstrike. Even when most of the world is not involved, the Tehran Airstrike caused a global oil price rise. BBC has calculated a 7-10% increase.