The Media Line: Iran Regime Claims 40+ Girls Killed in Minab Strike; Khamenei’s Office, Residence Reportedly Targeted 

Iran Regime Claims 40+ Girls Killed in Minab Strike; Khamenei’s Office, Residence Reportedly Targeted 

By Omid Habibinia/The Media Line 

Following US and Israeli strikes on military and leadership sites in Iran, the internet has been cut off across the country, and many domestic news websites have fallen silent. However, some state media outlets and channels affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remain active on Telegram. 

According to some reports, the office and residence of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, along with other key state facilities, including the presidential office, have been struck by US and Israeli fighter jets. Social media reports suggest that some of these buildings have been “flattened.” The area also contains several high-security regime sites, including the office of the head of the judiciary, and the main offices of the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts, and the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council. 

It has been reported that Khamenei was moved from this location to another site several days ago. Some sources had also reported yesterday that, given expectations of a possible strike in the early hours of Saturday, his previous location had recently been changed. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) News Network has aired footage of airstrikes hitting residential areas, but so far, it has not confirmed unverified reports and rumors about the possible killing of some senior officials and leading IRGC commanders. 

Iranian domestic media have also reported that a girls’ school in Minab, near southeastern Iran, was hit, saying the death toll had risen to more than 40 by 3:30 p.m. Tehran time, with around 50 others injured. The governor of Minab has also said that the school’s students were killed in an Israeli airstrike. 

A source told The Media Line a few hours ago that, from the first hours of Saturday morning, an alert status was declared at IRIB, shifts were reorganized under wartime conditions, and managers were advised—given the risk of cyberwarfare and potential disruption of computer systems—to take the necessary measures to ensure backups and continuity for critical departments, including news operations. 

Reports from Tehran indicate that US and Israeli airstrikes on the Iranian capital have triggered fires at several power stations, including the Sattar Khan facility in west Tehran, leaving parts of the city without electricity. Meanwhile, reports and images have also circulated of targets being hit across different parts of Iran, including in the east and west, said to be military and weapons-related sites. A video of an explosion at an IRGC base in Kamyaran in northwestern Iran has also been shared on social media. 

A few hours after the strikes began, the government’s public relations office issued a statement saying that banks, pharmacies, medical centers, and government agencies would continue operating. As Iran’s missile attacks on several Persian Gulf states—including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar—have reportedly begun, the spokesperson for the Armed Forces General Staff warned that Iran’s response would be extensive. The IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters also stated that all US bases in the region, as well as Israel, would be targeted in retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Republic. 

As the war has begun, some images and reports suggest that a group of people in Tehran have viewed it as an opportunity to confront the government and have celebrated. Reports on Iranian Telegram news channels indicate that large explosions continue to be heard in Tehran, alongside sustained air-defense fire.