Guards protecting Iran's political elite exposed as vulnerable points
In a dramatic turn of events during the war between Iran and Israel, a high-ranking meeting held on June 16 was targeted in a sophisticated attack. The meeting, which took place 30 meters beneath a mountain west of Tehran, was attended by top Iranian government officials, military commanders, and President Massoud Pezeshkian.
The Israeli Air Force dropped six bombs above the bunker, targeting the entry and exit doors. The attack, facilitated by hacking the phones of the bodyguards waiting outside, was enabled due to the careless use of mobile phones by Iranian security guards over several years. This unfortunate practice played a central role in enabling Israel to track and kill nuclear engineers, physicists, and military commanders.
The room was destroyed, filled with debris, smoke, and dust, and the electricity was cut off. Despite the chaos, President Pezeshkian found a narrow opening in the debris and cleared it with his bare hands, allowing everyone to exit one by one. Unfortunately, President Pezeshkian was lightly injured in the leg by shrapnel, and the interior minister was taken to the hospital for respiratory distress.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, ordered enhanced security measures due to the threat to top figures. This included the deployment of large contingents of bodyguards and warnings against using cell phones and messaging apps. Guards are now only allowed to carry walkie-talkies, with team leaders who are not traveling with officials being the only ones allowed to carry cell phones.
Israel has been tracking high-ranking Iranian nuclear scientists since the end of 2022 and eliminated 13 of them as part of "Operation Red Wedding." General Mohamad Javad Assadi, the commander-in-chief of Ansar al-Mehdi, appointed in August 2024, warned several top commanders and a high-ranking nuclear physicist, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, of potential assassination by Israel before they were killed during the war.
Iran continues to focus on tracking agents it suspects are still present in the country and within the government. The protection of top officials, military commanders, and nuclear scientists falls under an elite brigade of the Revolutionary Guard called Ansar al-Mehdi. However, the incident at the National Security Council meeting serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability that persists, even with enhanced security measures in place.
There is no information available about a person who injured themselves by cleaning up a hill in Tehran where the National Assembly of the Iranian Security Council took place on June 16 of any year. The incident at the bunker, however, will undoubtedly leave lasting impacts on Iran's security landscape.
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