IRGC founder said military officials told Khameini Iran was in ‘no position to fight Israel.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Iran is not eager to fight a full-scale, lengthy war with Israel and may welcome outside mediation from the US to prevent escalation, says the founder of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC).
The IRGC was founded in 1979 following the Iranian revolution to protect the new Islamic government when many in the regular army were still loyal to the deposed Shah.
Mohsen Sazegara, one of the founders of the IRGC, which is now considered a terrorist organization, spoke to the Jerusalem Post from the United States, where he emigrated after leaving Iran decades ago.
He spoke of the embarrassment and disorder created in Iran following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the reluctance of the Iranian government to pursue a full war with Israel given the economic position of Iran and the lack of the mandate for war among the Iranian public.
“What Israel did, I mean the alleged assassination of [Hamas Chief] Ismail Haniyeh, in the heart of Tehran, in one of the most protected places, was a humiliation for the intelligence organizations of Iran,” Sazegara stated. “This has created a problem for Khamenei among his main powerbase – the intelligence services.”
Sazegara explained that after Haniyeh was assassinated, Khamenei urged immediate retaliation against Israel until Iran’s military commanders said Iran was “in no position to fight Israel.”
Sazegara explained that the military told Khameini, “They can send missiles toward Israel, especially hypersonic missiles that can reach Israel in six to eight minutes. But when Israel retaliates, then we can’t defend the country, especially air defense.”
“Iran is not in a position to fight Israel,” Sazegara added. “They emphasized that ‘even if we launch an attack, we should immediately consider a ceasefire with international mediators.”
Sazegara posited that Iran urged the US to tell Israel not to retaliate if Iran attacks to avoid escalation.
He said, “Iran asked the US to put pressure on Israel not to retaliate enough to escalate. But this time, the US disagreed and told them that we can’t prevent Israel.”
Sazegara said the three main reasons Iran doesn’t want a full war with Israel are the possibility of losing the war, the downward pressure on an already weak Iranian economy, and the lack of support among Iranians for a war with Israel.
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