With death clock gone, Khamenei's prophecy lies shattered

Time of India

23-06-2025

Israel conducted on Monday a high-profile airstrike on Tehran, targeting not only military and intelligence assets but also one of the most potent ideological symbols of the Islamic Republic -- the
digital countdown clock
in Palestine Square. Installed in 2017, the clock was based on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's ominous 2015 prophecy that Israel 'will not exist in 25 years.' Its destruction carries enormous symbolic weight, not only erasing a defiant message embedded in Tehran's skyline but also underlining Israel's growing assertiveness amid escalating confrontation.
The origin and ideology behind the doomsday clock
The digital clock, unveiled during Quds Day in June 2017, was more than a timekeeping device. It was propaganda incarnate, counting down the days to Israel's predicted demise in 2040. Displaying its message in Persian, Arabic and English, the clock tower loomed over Palestine Square, a location already soaked in political symbolism. Its placement and message were calculated to consolidate
Iran
's self-image as the epicenter of the anti-Israel activities.
For Iran's hardliners, the clock functioned as a perpetual reminder of their ideological mission -- the eventual eradication of Israel. It was also designed to project ideological resolve to domestic and foreign audiences alike. To supporters, it was a declaration of strategic patience and religious destiny. To Israel, it was a provocation, an unwavering threat that one day Iran's ambitions would be realized.
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In July 2021, widespread blackouts across Iran briefly halted the countdown. Though the disruption was due to electricity shortages caused by drought, heatwaves, and crumbling infrastructure, the symbolic impact was immediate. Iranian critics mocked the state's inability to keep its ideological machinery running, while international observers noted the irony that a regime proclaiming the fall of Israel couldn't keep a propaganda clock running. This moment offered a rare window into Iran's fragility. Even as the regime pushed grand ideological visions, it struggled with basic services, facing economic strain from sanctions and internal mismanagement. The clock's failure, however brief, diminished its aura of invincibility and suggested a gap between Tehran's ambitions and its capabilities.
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An ominous symbol is gone but the threat remains
Today's Israeli airstrike marks a critical turning point, not just in military escalation, but in the symbolic war between the two nations. Alongside hits on the notorious Evin Prison and IRGC headquarters, Israel deliberately targeted the countdown clock in Palestine Square. This act was not accidental. It was a surgical erasure of a regime's ideological fixture, timed precisely to deliver maximum symbolic impact.
The destruction of the clock represented a reversal of narratives. For years, Iran had used the clock as a visual countdown toward Israel's destruction. By physically erasing it, Israel flipped the script, demonstrating that it no longer accepted Iran's psychological warfare and that it possessed both the will and the precision to eliminate even the most guarded symbols of ideological aggression.
The clock's destruction coincides with a series of crippling blows to Iran's nuclear ambitions and strategic infrastructure. American B-2 bombers have destroyed Iran's key nuclear site, Fordow, using bunker-buster bombs, which amounts to the de-nuclearisation of Iran. The development marks a significant rollback of Iranian power. For the first time in years, Israel appears to be dictating the tempo of conflict, not reacting to Iran's moves, but preemptively shaping the battlefield. The destruction of ideological symbols like the countdown clock underlines this momentum.
However, it would be premature to declare Israel free of existential threat. Iran still retains a vast missile arsenal and asymmetric tools such as drones, cyber capabilities and maritime threats in the Strait of Hormuz. Even a weakened Iran can inflict significant damage through its regional proxies or unconventional attacks. Ideologically, while the clock is gone, the doctrine behind it remains embedded in the regime's DNA.
Perhaps the most important shift lies in the realm of psychological warfare. The countdown clock's presence gave Iran a persistent advantage in setting the ideological narrative. Its disappearance, bombed into oblivion by an Israeli strike, reverses that advantage. It suggests that Tehran's grand timelines and theological certainties are no longer sacred or untouchable.
Symbolically, this act represents Israel's defiance not just of physical threats, but of the very idea that its destruction is inevitable. It delivers a message to the Iranian regime and its allies that history will not unfold on their terms. By destroying the clock, Israel has shattered Khamenei's prophecy, not only for the people of Tehran, but for a global audience witnessing the symbolic end of the 2040 vision. Bombing of the countdown clock is the culmination of a sustained campaign by Israel and the US to neutralize both the physical and ideological engines of Iran's aggression. While military threats remain and Iran's ambitions are far from extinguished, the destruction of the clock marks a powerful shift in psychological momentum.