Pakistan, June 18 -- Iran has denied rumors that an Israeli airstrike targeted the residence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The semi-official Fars News , known to be close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), dismissed the claims as false and described them as part of a psychological operation by the U.S. and Israel following Khamenei's defiant televised speech earlier in the day, where he openly rejected the idea of surrendering to American pressure.

This marks the first time Iranian media has explicitly acknowledged the possibility that the country's top leader could be considered a target. The report noted that the rumors surfaced shortly after Supreme Leader Khamenei made a strong statement against U.S. threats...