In a dramatic late-night press conference — his first since Operation Epic Fury began two weeks ago — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dropped a bombshell: Israeli strikes have killed top Iranian nuclear scientists, dealing what he called “severe blows” to the minds behind Tehran’s nuclear weapons program.
And he wasn’t done. Netanyahu issued a thinly veiled death threat against Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he “wouldn’t take out life insurance policies” on the new ayatollah.
It was a defiant, aggressive performance from the Israeli leader — one that underscored just how far the US-Israeli campaign has gone in dismantling Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure in just 13 days of war.
Israeli Strikes Target Iran’s Nuclear Brain Trust
Netanyahu confirmed what many analysts had suspected: Israel has been systematically targeting not just Iran’s nuclear facilities, but the scientists who built them.
“In the current operation, we also opened the path for a broad strike against Iran’s massive missile stockpiles and missile-production facilities, as well as its nuclear project — including severe blows to senior Iranian scientists who led the development of nuclear bombs meant to destroy us,” Netanyahu said at the press conference.
According to reports from CBS News and other outlets, Israeli attacks killed at least one senior scientist directly involved in nuclear weapons development and “hit several others.” The identities of the scientists have not been publicly disclosed, but the targeting echoes Israel’s long history of covert assassinations of Iranian nuclear figures — most notably the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020.
This time, however, there’s nothing covert about it. Netanyahu announced it on live television.
Parchin’s Taleghan Facility Destroyed — Satellite Images Confirm
The Israeli Defense Forces also confirmed striking the Taleghan compound at Iran’s Parchin military complex, a facility long suspected of housing Iran’s most sensitive nuclear weapons research.
Satellite imagery from Vantor, released via AFP and Getty Images, shows the before-and-after destruction of the Taleghan 2 facility. The images are striking: what was once an intact research compound is now a field of rubble and blast craters.
“The Taleghan compound was utilized by the regime to advance critical capabilities for developing nuclear weapons,” the IDF stated. The military added that the facility had been used “to develop advanced explosives and to conduct sensitive experiments” as part of what it called Iran’s “covert nuclear weapon development program” dating back to the 2000s.
Iran has always denied pursuing nuclear weapons, but the IAEA has been unable to verify Iran’s current enrichment levels or stockpile since the war began. According to the IAEA, Iran’s nuclear status as of March 2026 remains unknown — a deeply concerning situation for nonproliferation experts worldwide.
The Daily Mail reported that the strike may have involved 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs, the kind of earth-penetrating munitions specifically designed to reach deeply buried facilities. The Parchin strike follows earlier hits on Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility and three Iranian missile sites, confirmed by BBC Verify through satellite analysis.
Netanyahu Threatens Iran’s New Supreme Leader
Perhaps the most provocative moment of the press conference came when Netanyahu addressed Iran’s new Supreme Leader directly.
Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of the late Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial US-Israeli strikes on February 28 — was reportedly selected as the new supreme leader by Iran’s Assembly of Experts. In his own first public address, delivered via Iranian state media from an undisclosed location, Mojtaba vowed to “avenge the blood of Iranians” and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Netanyahu’s response was chilling: he said he “wouldn’t take out life insurance policies” on either Iran’s new ayatollah or the leader of Hezbollah. The implication was unmistakable — Israel is prepared to kill them, too.
“We eliminated the old tyrant,” Netanyahu said, referring to the elder Khamenei. “Iran is no longer the same Iran.”
He went on to claim the joint US-Israeli campaign was “crushing” Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, saying Israel aims to prevent Tehran from moving its nuclear and ballistic missile projects underground — a race against time as Iran attempts to protect what remains of its weapons infrastructure.
Meanwhile: USS Gerald Ford Fire And KC-135 Crash Add To Chaotic Day 13
Netanyahu’s press conference capped a chaotic Day 13 of the conflict, marked by multiple incidents involving US military assets.
A KC-135 aerial refueling tanker crashed in western Iraq during an Operation Epic Fury sortie. CENTCOM confirmed the incident occurred in “friendly airspace” and was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” A rescue operation is underway for the six crew members believed to be aboard. A second tanker involved in the incident made an emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport after squawking 7700.
According to The Guardian, the KC-135 is the fourth US aircraft lost since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28 — a sobering reminder of the operational tempo and risks involved in sustained combat operations.
Separately, two US sailors were injured after a non-combat fire broke out aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, America’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. The Ford, which has been deployed since June 2025, is a centerpiece of the US naval operation. The Navy confirmed the injuries were non-life-threatening and the fire was quickly contained.
The Oil Crisis Deepens: $100 A Barrel And Climbing
While Netanyahu was declaring victory on the nuclear front, the economic fallout from the war continued to spiral.
Crude oil surged past $100 a barrel on Thursday as Iran’s campaign to choke global energy markets intensified. Iran’s new supreme leader vowed that “no oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz” — a waterway that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply.
Iran has been backing up its threats with action:
- The IRGC navy fired on and stopped two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
- Two oil tankers erupted in flames in Iraqi waters near Basra after a suspected attack
- The New York Times reported Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz
- Iran launched projectiles targeting civilian and oil infrastructure in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait
In response, the International Energy Agency agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of crude oil reserves. The US also ordered releases from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. But analysts warn these measures are bandaids — if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed for months, oil could hit $200 a barrel, as Iran itself has warned.
The Pentagon revealed that the first six days of the war alone cost the US $11.3 billion — and that estimate excludes many costs tied to the military buildup.
What Happens Next?
Thirteen days into Operation Epic Fury, the strategic picture is becoming clearer — and more dangerous.
On one hand, the US and Israel have dealt devastating blows to Iran’s military infrastructure. Over 6,000 targets have been struck. Iran’s nuclear program has been set back significantly, with key facilities destroyed and top scientists eliminated. The IRGC and Basij forces have taken heavy losses.
On the other hand, Iran is far from defeated. Its ability to disrupt global energy markets through the Strait of Hormuz remains potent. Its proxy Hezbollah has claimed 27 attacks on IDF positions in northern Israel. Its new supreme leader appears defiant, not conciliatory.
And the human cost continues to mount. More than 1,000 Iranian civilians have been killed, including schoolchildren. Seven US service members have died. The economic shockwaves are being felt from gas stations in Kansas to stock exchanges in Tokyo.
Netanyahu ended his press conference by telling Iranians that a “new path of freedom” was approaching and that their country’s future “ultimately depends on them” — language that strongly echoes the regime change rhetoric that defined the war’s opening days.
Whether that freedom arrives — or whether this war spirals further — remains the defining question of 2026.