In response to U.S. President Trump's post demanding Iran "surrender unconditionally" and even seeing both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issuing "death threats" against Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, Khamenei has made his own response.

On June 18th, Khamenei posted on social platforms, saying "the battle has begun," and he will never compromise with Zionists. According to Reuters, multiple members of Iran's core decision-making circle around Khamenei have died in Israeli attacks, and Iran's regime-relied Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also suffered severe damage. Khamenei is also aware of the risks brought by such vulnerabilities.

Khamenei speaks firmly

"Ali will return to Khaybar with his sword Zulfiqar," Khamenei wrote in the post. Khamenei cited the story of the first Shia Imam Ali, who conquered the Jewish town of Khaybar in the 7th century, and "Zulfiqar" was the sword given to Ali by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.

In the accompanying picture of Khamenei's post, a man holding a sword walks ahead of others, preparing to enter a gate, with firelight indicating that the town inside is burning. There is no doubt that Khamenei wants to convey to the world his determination to continue fighting.

Khamenei's post Social platform "X"

On local time June 18th, Khamenei also released a statement claiming that the Zionist entity must be strongly struck, and there will never be any compromise with the Zionists.

Israel attempts to "hollow out" Khamenei's core team

However, it is also a fact that Iran's high-level core decision-making team has suffered heavy losses. Reuters quoted sources as saying that Khamenei has realized that the great risk brought by the death of his military and security advisors in Israeli air strikes. This means that there is a huge gap in Khamenei's advisory team, which is also the core decision-making layer of Iran, and this will significantly increase the risk of strategic misjudgment when he makes decisions.

According to information from various media, many members of Iran's core decision-making layer, including Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami, Commander of the Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and head of the ballistic missile program Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, and head of intelligence work Mohammad Kazemi, have died in Israeli attacks.

Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami IRNA

Reuters quoted sources as saying that these people are members of Khamenei's "core advisory group," and Khamenei relies heavily on them for information and advice when making major decisions. The source also said that this loose advisory group consists of about 15 to 20 people and they are "firmly loyal" to Khamenei and the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the past, they often held temporary meetings to discuss various issues.

Reuters also hinted that Khamenei's son Mojtaba is gradually coming to the forefront and has established close relations with his father's "advisory team," especially with the senior leadership of the Revolutionary Guards. However, Israel's attacks may disrupt Khamenei and Mojtaba's original pace.

In addition, a large number of mid-level and high-level personnel in Iran's government, army, and revolutionary guards have also been killed in Israeli airstrikes. This will inevitably cause certain impacts on the organizational structure and command system of various departments in Iran.

Reuters analyzed that since Khamenei's team holds the highest decision-making power in Iran and often intervenes in all aspects of Iranian politics, military, culture, economy, etc., Israel's military strikes to "empty" Khamenei's team will undoubtedly cause great turmoil in Iran. Especially in the Revolutionary Guard: Israel attacked a large number of mid-level and high-level officers of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Revolutionary Guard is the cornerstone of maintaining domestic stability and formulating and implementing regional security strategies in today's Iran.

Has Iran been defeated?

Iran's senior officials have suffered unprecedented heavy losses, and Iran's domestic casualties are also very serious. According to the Al Arabiya channel of Sky News on June 18, citing Iranian sources, Israeli attacks have caused 585 deaths and 1,326 injuries in Iran.

However, it is still premature to say that Iran has lost its "organization." Trita Parsi, deputy director of the U.S.-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Leadership, said that Israel underestimated Iran's reorganization capability, and we have already seen "Iranian missiles successfully penetrate all levels of Israel's air defense system."

On June 17, the Fars News Agency of Iran also quoted local sources as saying that Iran has prepared plans to manage sensitive departments in case of the assassination of its leaders.

Currently, the conflict between Iran and Israel has entered its sixth day. Israel claimed to have again bombed many key targets in Tehran, the capital of Iran, as well as Iran's ballistic missile bases. Iran stated that it had launched "Fateh-1" hypersonic missiles at Israel and had repeatedly broken through Israel's air defense systems multiple times.

At present, the world's attention is focused on whether the United States will join Israel in "entering the field" to fight Iran: According to reports by CNN, the United States is mobilizing forces to the Middle East, and Trump is gradually losing patience with diplomatic means and becoming increasingly inclined to order the U.S. military to directly attack Iran.

Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities have also suffered severe destruction from Iranian missiles. Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Regarding the increasingly fierce Middle Eastern situation, China issued a message yesterday (June 17). The Chinese government is organizing the safe evacuation of Chinese citizens in Iran and Israel.

According to the introduction by spokesperson Guo Jiaqun, so far, under the organization and coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Iranian consulates, and with active assistance and support from neighboring countries, 791 Chinese citizens have been transferred to safe areas from Iran, and more than 1,000 others are still on their way to evacuation.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

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