Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz celebrates strikes on Iran
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
‘You worry what’s going to come next’: Iranians brace themselves as war looms
Iranians are reeling as the country enters its second day of open war with Israel. Death toll continues to climb, with at least 138 people killed and more than 320 wounded. Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes across Iran on Friday morning, killing its country’s top military leadership and hitting its nuclear facilities. Iran quickly responded with a barrage of missiles and drones, sparking a cycle of retaliatory violence between the two countries. The ferocity of Israel’s strikes has left Iranians, who grew up with an image of a military and security apparatus that was supposedly impregnable, stunned. Some Iranians watched footage of missiles hitting Tel Aviv, and state TV played images on a loop. People in Tehran sat together watching jumbo screens, cheering as videos showed Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel. But the problem is from Iran’’s perspective they see this as an existential peril, one analyst said. The network of proxies Iran had built across the Middle East to defend itself over the last four decades has been conspicuously silent since Friday.
“Seeing Iranian missiles over your heads worries you, you worry what’s going to come next. Will it be a war, destruction?” said Sahar over the phone. She sent a video to the Guardian that shows people in the park hurriedly packing up and looking up as the crack of anti-aircraft munitions rings out overhead.
Iranians are reeling as the country enters its second day of open war with Israel, the most intense exchange of fire in the two countries’ histories, with a level of violence not seen in Iran since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.
Fighting started when Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes across Iran on Friday morning, killing its country’s top military leadership and hitting its nuclear facilities. Iran quickly responded with a barrage of missiles and drones, sparking a cycle of retaliatory violence between the two countries.
In Iran, which has had much of its air defence systems crippled in the initial wave of Israeli airstrikes, the death toll continues to climb, with at least 138 people killed and more than 320 wounded. About 60 of the total, including 20 children, were killed in one Israeli attack on a housing complex in Tehran on Saturday, according to state media.
At least three people were killed and dozens wounded in Israel by Iranian strikes over the last two days.
The ferocity of Israel’s strikes and the apparent ease with which it has decapitated Iran’s military has left Iranians, who grew up with an image of a military and security apparatus that was supposedly impregnable, stunned.
In the first hours of Israel’s attacks on Friday, Iran’s military was caught flatfooted. Israeli jets flew across Iranian skies seemingly unchallenged, while drones reportedly planted weeks before sprung up from secret locations within the country itself.
“Israel’s attacks came as a shock, with high-profile killings and the destruction it brought, and the fact that Tehran was attacked,” said Amin*, a businessman from Sistan Baluchestan.
The sudden assault provoked confusion in the country.
View image in fullscreen A damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Tehran. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/Reuters
Traffic on the capital’s city’s roads was light as people sheltered in their homes and bread lines grew long as people prepared themselves for further days of war. A resident of Tehran said that goods were in short supply at the shops and markets she visited as people stocked up on supplies.
Internet coverage was intermittent, and most of the people the Guardian spoke to struggled to send voice notes and messages.
“We are panicking. Today, I had a flight for Mashhad from Sistan Baluchestan and it was cancelled. I am in a state of limbo,” Amin said.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has threatened “severe punishment” in revenge for the attacks. The country has sent repeated waves of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel since Friday, some of which hit Tel Aviv.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, in turn, warned Khamenei that “Tehran will burn” if it continues its attacks against Israel.
There was a sense of satisfaction among some Iranians as they watched footage of missiles hitting Tel Aviv, and state TV played images on a loop. People in Tehran sat together watching jumbo screens, cheering as videos showed Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel.
View image in fullscreen A banner with anti-Israel messages on top of a building in Tehran. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
“Many people are celebrating and happy for Iran’s retaliation to Israeli aggression and are asking that Israel be taught a lesson. People in Iran hate Israel as we know it’s a mad country ruining the region,” said Sahar.
Analysts said that Iran’s leadership had few good options in front of it as it decided what to do next in response to Israeli attacks. The network of proxies Iran had built across the Middle East to defend itself over the last four decades has been conspicuously silent since Friday, offering words of support but little more.
“Iran is alone – unlike Israel, it doesn’t have the back up of a superpower. But the problem is from Iran’s perspective they see this as an existential peril. I don’t think they see any exit ramps,” said Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group’s Iran project director.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said the US will support Israel in a military confrontation with Iran, and the US has warned Iran that there would be “dire consequences” if it or any of its proxies targeted US citizens or bases in the region.
Iran’s leadership does not only fear a military defeat by Israel, but also internal unrest if its security apparatus is shaken. The Iranian government’s popularity has waned in recent years and it faced nationwide protests in 2022 after the death of a woman arrested by police for not wearing a headscarf.
On Saturday, a separatist Kurdish party – the Council of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), which has clashed with the Iranian government, issued a statement calling for the people of Iran to mobilise against the Iranian government.
Iranian riot police were pre-emptively deployed in Tehran amid calls from some student groups for protests, three students told the Guardian.
“The regime is trying to do two things in parallel: it is trying to play on Iranian’s strong sense of nationalism … and it’s trying to crack down internally and make sure there is no space for any organised opposition,” Vaez said.
The Israeli attacks and the prospect of a wider war has had a rally-around-the-flag effect for some Iranians, even those who do not count themselves as nationalists.
“War brings destruction and that’s the last thing anyone wants. But it’s been imposed on Iran,” Amin said.
* Names have been changed
Iran celebrates state TV presenter after Israeli attack
Iranian news websites said explosions were heard in Tehran and the city of Karaj west of the capital. The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning. Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on Friday after saying it had concluded the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. The US has so far only taken defensive actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel. The U.S. is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three US officials told Reuters. The IAEA declared Iran in breach of its obligations for the first time in almost 20 years on Tuesday, the 35-nation board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday. The UN says 24 civilians have been killed, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed while evacuating oil markets or fleeing the country. But Israel says it has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in coming days.
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON/DUBAI: Iran and Israel launched new missile strikes at each other on Wednesday as the air war between the two longtime enemies entered a sixth day despite a call from US President Donald Trump for Iran’s unconditional surrender.
The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv.
Israel told residents in the area of Tehran to evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Iranian news websites said explosions were heard in Tehran and the city of Karaj west of the capital.
Trump warned on social media on Tuesday that US patience was wearing thin. While he said there was no intention to kill Iran’s leader “for now,” his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen US involvement.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he wrote on Truth Social, referring to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We are not going to take him out , at least not for now … Our patience is wearing thin.”
Three minutes later Trump posted, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!“
A White House official said Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday.
Trump’s sometimes contradictory and cryptic messaging about the conflict between close US ally Israel and longtime foe Iran has deepened the uncertainty surrounding the crisis. His public comments have ranged from military threats to diplomatic overtures, not uncommon for a president known for an often erratic approach to foreign policy.
Britain’s leader Keir Starmer, speaking at the Group of Seven nations summit in Canada that Trump left early, said there was no indication the US was about to enter the conflict.
Trump met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said. Details were not immediately available.
The US is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three US officials told Reuters. The US has so far only taken defensive actions in the current conflict with Iran, including helping to shoot down missiles fired toward Israel.
Regional influence weakens
Khamenei’s main military and security advisers have been killed by Israeli strikes, hollowing out his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process.
With Iranian leaders suffering their most dangerous security breach since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the country’s cybersecurity command banned officials from using communications devices and mobile phones, Fars news agency reported.
Israel launched a “massive cyber war” against Iran’s digital infrastructure, Iranian media reported.
Ever since Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and triggered the Gaza war, Khamenei’s regional influence has waned as Israel has pounded Iran’s proxies — from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. Iran’s close ally, Syria’s autocratic president Bashar Assad, has been ousted.
Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on Friday after saying it had concluded the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the international Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran’s nuclear development is disabled, while Trump says the Israeli assault could end if Iran agrees to strict curbs on enrichment.
Before Israel’s attack began, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.
The IAEA said on Tuesday an Israeli strike directly hit the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility.
Israel says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in coming days.
But Israel will struggle to deal a knock-out blow to deeply buried nuclear sites like Fordow, which is dug beneath a mountain, without the US joining the attack.
Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Residents of both countries have been evacuated or fled.
Global oil markets are on high alert following strikes on sites including the world’s biggest gas field, South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar.
As confrontation with Iran escalates, Israel continues attacks on Gaza and West Bank
Iran continues to send retaliatory waves of ballistic missiles following Israel’s initiation of war with the country. The Israeli attack on Iran also continues, with both sides pledging to escalate military confrontation. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump told the press at the G-7 summit in Canada that an agreement between Israel and Iran “is still possible,” urging Iran to come back to the negotiating table. Israel continues its relentless bombardment of Gaza, as medical sources reported that 43 Palestinians had arrived dead at medical centers, including the Red Cross field hospital in Gaza. The war has highlighted the role played by the U.K. and the possibility of direct U.N. involvement in attacking Iran, writes Shashank Joshi, a former British ambassador to Iran and now a senior Israeli military official. He adds that the Israeli war cabinet had approved a plan to force the displacement of Iranians from Tehran in order to put pressure on the Iranian government. The plan intends to destroy civilian infrastructure with overwhelming force and kill civilians, he says.
On Sunday, Israel announced it bombed several targets across Iran, including the airport in the city of Mashhad, more than 2,300 kilometers away from Israeli bases. The Israeli army claimed that it had disabled all Iranian air defenses and had allegedly made Iranian airspace free for Israeli air operations, while Iranian media agencies continue to assert that Iranian air defenses continue to be operational and were activated during every Israeli attack.
Israel also announced having killed more leading figures in Iran’s military and security institutions, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s military intelligence.
On Friday June 13, Israel’s Channel 14 reported that the Israeli war cabinet had approved a plan to force the displacement of Iranians from Tehran in order to put pressure on the Iranian government. Modeled after Israel’s well-worn “Dahiya Doctrine” as implemented in Lebanon and Gaza, the plan intends to destroy civilian infrastructure with overwhelming force and kill civilians, hence pressuring the enemy’s leadership through its civilian population.
On Monday, Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said that “the residents of Tehran will pay the price.” He later responded to criticism that he was admitting to attacking civilians, stating that he meant that Israel would notify Iranians to evacuate places near government targets.
On that same day, Israeli strikes targeted the heart of Tehran, including the state television station that aired the moment its on-air anchor had to interrupt the broadcast as the studio shook. Katz admitted in a statement that Israel had in fact targeted the television building, adding that Israel would “continue to attack the Iranian regime everywhere.”
‘Unprecedented destruction’ in Israeli cities
Iranian missiles pounded Israeli cities in repeated volleys of dozens of missiles over the weekend, penetrating Israeli air defenses and striking several targets in Haifa, Tel Aviv, and other cities within the greater Tel Aviv area. Iranian missiles struck buildings in Bat Yam, east of Tel Aviv, destroying and damaging several buildings, while in southern Tel Aviv’s Rohovot, an Iranian missile struck the Weizman Institute of Science, where Israeli media reported significant damage.
Iranian missiles also struck an oil refinery plant in Haifa and the Rafael arms company factory in the gulf of Akka, north of Haifa, as well as the Palestinian town of Tamra, near Haifa, killing four Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.
Israeli officials reportedly told Israel’s Channel 13 that the destruction in the greater Tel Aviv area was “unprecedented” and “has not been seen before.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister stated again that Israel was aiming at destroying Iranian “nuclear and missile threats,” calling on the residents of Tehran to flee. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard, for its part, called on Israelis to leave Tel Aviv, while state media in Iran reported that Iran was preparing for “a big attack” on Israel.
On Sunday, the Iranian Tasneem news agency reported that Iran was studying the option of closing the straits of Hormuz, which lie between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea and through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes. If taken, the decision would have worldwide economic repercussions.
On Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry said that the Iranian parliament was preparing a bill to withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
The war has highlighted the role played by the U.S. and the possibility of direct U.S. involvement in attacking Iran. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump told the press at the G-7 summit in Canada that an agreement between Israel and Iran “is still possible,” urging Iran to come back to the negotiating table. Iran, notably, had already been in talks with the U.S. on a nuclear deal when Israel launched its attack on Iran last week. When asked what it would take for the U.S. to enter the war directly, Trump replied that he preferred not to talk about the subject.
Iran-Israel war overshadows Gaza massacres
Meanwhile, Israel continues its onslaught on Gaza, as its relentless bombardment of the Strip has not stopped since it launched its attack on Iran. On Monday alone, Palestinian medical sources reported that 43 Palestinians had arrived dead at medical centers, including the Red Cross field hospital in Gaza. Among the dead were 38 Palestinians who were shot and killed while waiting to receive aid at a site run by the Israeli-backed and U.S.-controlled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the controversial organization tasked with distributing aid to Palestinians instead of the UN. Israeli forces have committed several aid massacres against starving Gazans at the GHF’s distribution points in southern and central Gaza. The massacres have seen the killing of dozens of civilians at GHF sites on a near-daily basis, often after the Israeli army has opened fire on desperate crowds of civilians.
Israel also cut off internet and telecommunications services to large parts of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, imposing an effective media and information blackout on millions of Palestinians as Israeli strikes continue to rain down on them.
Israeli forces also continued to impose a total closure on the occupied West Bank since Friday, including the roads between West Bank towns and cities. Closures have caused a total halt to public transportation in several parts of the West Bank.
Alongside the closures, Israeli forces raided the Palestinian cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Ramallah, arresting at least 35 Palestinians, including a woman and four children, according to the Wafa news agency. In Hebron, residents reported that Israeli soldiers threatened Palestinian families during the raids with unspecified “consequences” for whoever celebrated Iranian missile strikes on Israel.
Israel raids prison cells in crackdown on Palestinian inmates celebrating Iranian attacks
Israel says it raided its prison cells after officials heard inmates making “expressions of joy” during a round of Iranian airstrikes against Israel. The prison service’s elite “Metzada” unit had been called in to raid the cells and remove those involved. The inmates were brought before a disciplinary tribunal and “subsequently disciplined,” without saying how. Israel says it has killed several high-level Iranian military commanders in those strikes, but Iranian civilians have also been caught in the assaults. At least 224 people have been killed in Iran since hostilities began Friday, the country’s health ministry said Sunday. The Iranian capital has come under heavy bombardment since Israel launched its attack on the country.
“During the recent round of fighting, sounds of celebration were heard from criminal inmates who are residents of the Palestinian territories” in a prison in central Israel, the country’s prison service said Sunday.
It said the prison service’s elite “Metzada” unit had been called in to raid the cells and remove those involved.
In a video shared by the prison services, armed troops were seen storming a prison, pointing guns at inmates as they took cover on the floor of their cell. One of the men was seen lying face down as an officer bound his hands with a zip tie. Another man was blindfolded. Several men were then marched out of their cells, hunched over, with their arms tied behind their backs.
The prison service said the inmates were brought before a disciplinary tribunal and “subsequently disciplined,” without saying how.
It said the operation was carried out as part of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s “zero tolerance” policy for expressing support for Israel’s adversaries.
During a visit on Monday to Petah Tikva, the central Israeli city where four people were killed in overnight Iranian attacks, Ben Gvir reiterated that authorities will crack down on anyone making “displays of joy” over Iran’s strikes on Israel.
“There is zero tolerance on this matter. The police have arrested quite a few people, and I back them — this is precisely my policy,” Ben Gvir said.
The far-right minister referenced the “images” of prison guards entering cells with shotguns to “restore order” in the prisons.
“This is the policy I want,” he said. “Zero tolerance for displays of joy. Zero tolerance for those who support Iran. Support for Iran is support for terror, and anyone who supports terror must be detained.”
“I would like to clarify what should be obvious: There is no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran, unlike what the murderous dictator (of Iran) is doing to the citizens of Israel,” Katz said on X.
Earlier, after Iranian strikes on Israel killed at least eight civilians, Katz had said that the residents of Tehran “will pay the price, and soon,” for the Iranian attacks on Israel.
Clarifying his comment, Katz said that Tehran residents “will have to pay the price of the dictatorship and evacuate their homes in areas where it will be necessary to strike regime targets and security infrastructure in Tehran.”
The Iranian capital has come under heavy bombardment since Israel launched its attack on the country overnight into Friday.
Israel says it has killed several high-level Iranian military commanders in those strikes, but Iranian civilians have also been caught in the assaults. At least 224 people have been killed in Iran since hostilities began Friday, the country’s health ministry said Sunday. — CNN
As Bolivia celebrates its main Andean festival, it feels the pain of mounting crises
The annual festival, which takes place some eight weeks after Easter, was recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for displaying the nation’s unique mix of Roman Catholic belief and Indigenous heritage. Inflation in Bolivia over the first five months of 2025 hit 9.81%, the highest rate in more than a decade, fueling public protests over President Luis Arce’s handling of the economy. Organizers could only afford to hire some 70,000 dancers — some 20,000 fewer than last year — and scrapped their usual plans to invite regionally renowned musicians. Many of them, both peaceful and violent, have reported being bruised and beaten by officers in recent days. But organizers refused, pointing to the $68 million that was expected to be generated Saturday – a shot of stimulus into a sputtering economy now witnessing its worst crisis in 40 years. The ceremony pays tribute to what is believed to be a miraculous rendering of Jesus Christ — El Señor del Gran Poder, or The Lord of the Great Power — that shows the Christian savior with Indigenous Andean features and outstretched arms.
Dancers perform in the annual parade honoring “The Lord of Great Power”, in La Paz, Bolivia, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Dancers perform in the annual parade honoring “The Lord of Great Power”, in La Paz, Bolivia, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Dancers perform in the annual parade honoring “The Lord of Great Power”, in La Paz, Bolivia, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Dancers perform in the annual parade honoring “The Lord of Great Power”, in La Paz, Bolivia, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
“There is no business,” she said. “People want to celebrate, but they cannot afford to pay the price.”
Plácida Quispe, 73, an embroiderer at the festival Saturday, said there wasn’t enough demand to sell her colorful costumes this year. She said she would rent her handiwork to participants instead.
Inflation in Bolivia over the first five months of 2025 hit 9.81%, the highest rate in more than a decade, according to official figures, fueling public protests over President Luis Arce’s handling of the economy and leaving many Bolivians struggling to buy even the basics.
Every year, one of La Paz’s wealthy merchants, or “qamiris,” gets the expensive honor of paying more than anyone else for Gran Poder. This year, the unlucky merchant, Edgar Apaza, said he had been saving all year and his budget was still tighter than ever before.
Organizers could only afford to hire some 70,000 dancers — some 20,000 fewer than last year — and scrapped their usual plans to invite regionally renowned musicians.
“The price of my costume went up by 60%,” said dancer Jorge Rodríguez, 37. “Many haven’t been able to dance, almost half of my group didn’t come.”
Economic strain was visible at Saturday’s giant party as participants pared down their usually elaborate costumes and masks and dancers traded their traditional gold jewelry for Chinese-made knock-offs.
“Devotees are asking for economic recovery, as well as for peace and unity among Bolivians in this time,” said a priest leading the ceremony, Father Saul Mamani.
Dancing in the festival is a holy act of spiritual devotion as dancers pray for personal forgiveness and salvation. This year, however, many turned their prayers on a more immediate target.
The ceremony pays tribute to what is believed to be a miraculous rendering of Jesus Christ — El Señor del Gran Poder, or The Lord of the Great Power — that shows the Christian savior with Indigenous Andean features and outstretched arms.
The annual festival, which takes place some eight weeks after Easter, was recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for displaying the nation’s unique mix of Roman Catholic belief and Indigenous heritage.
La Paz municipal authorities proposed postponing the festival, citing the “pain of the Bolivian people.” But organizers refused, pointing to the $68 million that was expected to be generated Saturday – a shot of stimulus into a sputtering economy now witnessing its worst crisis in 40 years.
Many of them, both peaceful and violent, have reported being bruised and beaten by officers in recent days. The government sent military tanks to the streets of Llallagua, in central Bolivia.
After Bolivia’s electoral tribunal disqualified former President Evo Morales, a leftist political titan who still wields influence in the country’s tropical heartland, from running in Bolivia’s August presidential election, his loyalists took to the streets to vent their outrage earlier this month.
The second civilian, identified by protesters as a young student beaten by police, had been hospitalized and succumbed to his wounds on Saturday, just before the festival.
The typically exuberant crowd fell silent for a few moments on Saturday before the folk dance performance kicked off in the major city of La Paz, paying their respects to the victims of fierce clashes between protesters and police last Thursday that left six people dead, among them four police officers and two civilians.
But this year on Saturday, Bolivians say the day of the Great Power, the beloved carnival dedicated to a 17th-century painting of Jesus Christ, reflects more than distracts from the country’s spiraling economic and political crises.
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s largest Andean religious festival has long inspired joyous revelry and offered a chance for the nation to forget about its perpetual political turmoil and escape into the world of its rich folklore.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Stanley’s stay in South Florida is getting extended.
The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the final on Tuesday night, becoming the NHL’s first back-to-back winners since Tampa Bay in 2020 and ’21 and the third team to do it this century.
Sam Reinhart scored four goals, becoming just the sixth player in league history and first since Maurice Richard in 1957 to get that many in a game in the final. His third to complete the hat trick sent rats, along with hats, flying onto the ice. Matthew Tkachuk, one of the faces of the franchise, fittingly scored the Cup clincher.
More rats were part of the victory celebration when the clock hit zeroes. Panthers players mobbed in the corner, while the Oilers watched in dismay.
“Good evening, South Florida,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said before presenting the trophy to captain Aleksander Barkov. “It feels like we just did this.”
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced, closing the door on a rematch with the same end result. The only goal came from fellow Russian Vasily Podkolzin in garbage time, long after the outcome was decided.
That was followed by chants of “We want the Cup!” as time ticked down. The Panthers already had it. Now they get to keep it.
“This is as good as the first one,” Reinhart said. “We learned some lessons. We stayed on the gas, foot on the pedal, and obviously the result speaks for itself.”
Not long after the Lightning made three trips to the final in a row, Florida has done the same and now has the makings of a dynasty. The Panthers have won 11 of 12 playoff series since T kachuk arrived by trade and Paul Maurice took over as coach in the summer of 2022.
“We’ve got to be a dynasty now,” Tkachuk said. “Three years in a row finals, two championships. This is a special group.”
The only time they have been on the wrong side of a handshake line was the final in Vegas in 2023, only after several key players were banged up and gutting through significant injuries.
From the core of Tkachuk, Reinhart, Barkov and Sam Bennett on down the roster, they were much healthier this time around and were boosted by key trade deadline additions Brad Marchand and Seth Jones. Bennett led all goal-scorers this postseason with 15, and Marchand had six in the final alone.
Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Barkov handed the Cup to first-time champion Nate Schmidt, and all the others winning it for the first time got it soon after.
“It’s amazing to be able to be here,” Schmidt said. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
Getting depth contributions from throughout the lineup allowed them to overpower Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers, who struggled with Florida’s ferocious forecheck and switched goaltenders multiple times in the final. Stuart Skinner got the nod in Game 6 and was again done in by mistakes in front of him that ended with the puck in the net behind him and had his own blunder on Reinhart’s second goal.
McDavid tried to take over but was again stymied by Barkov, Jones and Bobrovsky. He finished with seven points in his second career trip to the final, again denied his first title.
The Panthers spent more time leading during this Stanley Cup Final than any previous team in history, 255:49 minutes in all.
“We lost to a really good team,” McDavid said. “Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in, but they’re a heck of a team. They’re back-to-back Stanley Cup champions for a reason.”
Canada’s Stanley Cup drought reached 31 seasons and 32 years dating to Montreal in 1993. Teams in the U.S. Sun Belt have won it five of the past six times, four of them in Florida.
This run through Tampa Bay in five games, Toronto in seven, Carolina in five and Edmonton in six showed how clinical the Panthers have become under Maurice, who has coached more NHL games than everyone except Scotty Bowman and is now a two-time champion.
So is Marchand, who last hoisted the Cup in 2011 with the Boston Bruins. The 14-year gap is the third-longest in league history, just shy of 16 for Chris Chelios from 1986 to 2002 and 15 for Mark Recchi from ’91 to ’06.
“It’s incredible,” Marchand said. “It’s a feeling you can’t really describe. Seeing the family and everyone up there and everyone that supported me and helped me get to this point, words can’t put this into reality how great it feels. Such an incredible group.”
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Edmonton Oilers’ Mattias Janmark (13) and Kasperi Kapanen (42) look on as the Florida Panthers celebrate after winning Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Florida Panthers celebrate with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) kisses the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk helps raise the Stanley Cup trophy after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Florida Panthers raise the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers players celebrate an empty net goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and teammates celebrate after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and teammates celebrate after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers players celebrate an empty net goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) and Edmonton Oilers defenseman John Klingberg (36) go after the puck during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates his goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) as Panthers’ Carter Verhaeghe (23) reacts during the first period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates his goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) as Panthers’ Carter Verhaeghe (23) reacts during the first period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad (5) scores on Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) during the third period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals in Sunrise, Fla., Monday, June 9, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates after his goal against the Edmonton Oilers with teammate Matthew Tkachuk (19) during the third period in Game 4 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)