TEHRAN, Iran — An Israeli airstrike hit the headquarters of Iran’s state broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), during a live news bulletin on Monday, June 16, 2025, in what Iranian officials have described as a “war crime” and a major escalation in the conflict between the two regional adversaries.
The strike, which targeted IRIB’s main offices in Tehran’s District Three, abruptly interrupted live programming, filling the studio with dust and debris.
Anchor Sahar Emami was seen fleeing the set mid-broadcast as the transmission cut to pre-recorded content.
And with a bang and shouts of “Allahu Akhbar”…..just like that. Islamofascist Iranian state TV was bombed off the air. One step closer to the people being freed from decades of Islamist tyranny. pic.twitter.com/PW2RbhTIFJ
— Vivian Bercovici (@VivianBercovici) June 16, 2025
Moments later, Emami returned from another studio, visibly shaken, and reported that “bodies of reporters” had been found at the original site.
She also aired footage of smoke and flames engulfing the building.
The IRIB later confirmed that four bombs had struck the facility.
No official casualty figures were immediately released, but local reports indicate fatalities among media personnel.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, claimed responsibility for the strike and justified it as a direct attack on Iran’s information apparatus.
“IRIB is the Iranian regime’s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority,” he said.
“We will strike the Iranian dictator everywhere.”
Katz added that the strike followed the “widespread evacuation of the area’s residents,” framing the operation as a deliberate and targeted military action rather than a broad assault on civilian infrastructure.
The attack comes amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, including previous missile exchanges and proxy confrontations across the Middle East.
Monday’s airstrike marks one of the most symbolic strikes on Iranian territory to date, targeting not only a military asset but a central arm of the state’s media structure.
In response, Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemned the bombing as a “wicked act of war crime” and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable.
He accused Israel of being the world’s “leading killer of journalists and media people,” and warned that the attack underscored the rising dangers faced by media professionals in active conflict zones.
