Amid rising regional tensions, Bulgaria has shuttered its embassy in Tehran and pulled out its diplomatic personnel, citing heightened security concerns following warnings issued by Israel to populations in adjacent areas.
The move comes in the wake of an extraordinary declaration from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who issued a rare and pointed threat directed at Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Katz stated that Khamenei’s “elimination” has now been formally adopted as a strategic objective of Israel’s ongoing military campaign—marking a dramatic escalation in rhetoric and intent.
In his words: “A man like [Khamenei] has always aimed at destroying Israel through his agents.
“This man, who is willing to attack us, must not stay alive. This matter, the matter of stopping this man, eliminating him, is part of the campaign, and we now understand his role because before, he was talking about the destruction of Israel.”
Katz added that Khamenei “cannot continue to exist”, intensifying what observers are calling a dangerous shift in Israel’s strategy from targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure to open declarations of regime decapitation, Al jazeera reports.
The statement follows Iranian missile strikes that damaged four sites in Israel, including Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, one of the country’s largest hospitals. Iran said its “main target” was a nearby Israeli military and intelligence facility.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has acknowledged that Iran remains in breach of key nuclear safeguard commitments, though it emphasized that there is no concrete evidence to suggest Tehran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
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Iran, in turn, lashed out at the agency, with its Foreign Ministry criticizing IAEA Director Rafael Grossi’s comments as belated and one-sided—accusing the body of issuing reports that effectively furnished Israel with justification for military aggression.
Following Israel’s latest military response—which included a targeted airstrike on Iran’s decommissioned Arak heavy water reactor—the IAEA confirmed that no radiological contamination occurred as a result of the attack.
Amid the mounting hostilities, Bulgaria took precautionary measures by closing its embassy in Tehran and evacuating diplomatic personnel, citing escalating threats in the region and Israel’s heightened security warnings.