Israel kills Iran’s newest ‘War Chief’ as Trump urges Iranians to leave Tehran

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have claimed that it has killed Iran’s most-senior military official, Ali Shadmani, during a strike on Tehran by the Israeli Air Force (IAF). 

In a social media post on June 17, 2025, Israel said Iran’s “War-Time Chief of Staff, the regime’s top military commander” had been eliminated, days after he replaced his predecessor Gholamali Rashid who was also killed. 

“Ali Shadmani, Iran’s senior-most military official and Khamenei’s closest military advisor, was killed in an IAF strike in central Tehran, following precise intelligence,” an IDF spokesperson said. 

Ali Shadmani was appointed commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters on June 13, 2025. 

On June 16, 2025, US President Donald Trump urged Iranian citizens to “immediately evacuate” Tehran. 

The US president left the G7 summit in Canada early, but he said this was “nothing to do with a ceasefire” and was “much bigger than that”. 

In a jointly agreed statement, the G7 said: “We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel. We also affirm the importance of the protection of civilians. Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror.” 

Separately, the IDF said it “completed several extensive strikes on military targets of the Iranian regime in western Iran” overnight. 

The army said it struck surface-to-surface missile storage sites, launch infrastructure, surface-to-air missile launchers and UAV storage targets.   

Three people at Iran’s state broadcaster were also killed after the building where they were located was targeted by Israeli weapons. 

On June 17, 2025, the BBC was reporting that in the morning a new wave of strikes by Iran had been launched against Israel. Loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. 

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