'Alive, ready to sacrifice for my people': Admiral Shamkhani says days after being declared dead by Western media

June 20, 2025 by News Desk

After being prematurely declared dead by Israeli officials following a targeted missile strike on his residence, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a top political advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has emerged alive—injured but defiant.

Shamkhani, who served as the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council for nearly a decade, was critically wounded in the early hours of June 13 when an Israeli strike reportedly targeted high-level figures in Tehran.

Reports from Israeli media, carried by major Western news outlets, claimed he had been killed. They claimed that he was killed in a pre-dawn missile strike on June 13 that targeted a residential area in Tehran.

His name appeared prominently among the so-called “high-value targets” reportedly eliminated in what Israeli commentators described as a successful decapitation operation against Iran’s strategic leadership.

The strike hit Shahrak-e Mahallati, a residential neighborhood where Shamkhani’s home was located.

According to Iranian media, 20 civilians were killed in the same building, including family members and neighbors, prompting accusations from Tehran of deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure.

In his first public message since the attack, Shamkhani addressed the Iranian people, stating, “I am alive and ready for sacrifice. The bright day of victory is near. The name of Iran will shine throughout history as it always has, and the smiles will return to the faces of the proud Iranian people.”

The message has been widely circulated by Iranian media and hailed by officials as a testament to the resilience of the Islamic Republic’s leadership in the face of what Tehran calls “state terrorism” by Israel.

Shamkhani’s survival is seen as both a symbolic and strategic victory for Iran, with his message reinforcing the country’s narrative of endurance and defiance amid growing tensions in the region.