Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this week not to attack Israel, but made sure not to express such views at a public microphone.
Khamenei vowed revenge against the Jewish State for last week’s assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran for Pezeshkian’s inauguration. Haniyeh spent the past six years living a life of luxury in Doha, Qatar, but ventured forth from his protected haven to honor the new Iranian president — and thereby made himself available for a strike.
Israel has not responded either with confirmation or a denial of the accusations that the Mossad was responsible for the attack.
Pezeshkian, who based his electoral campaign on a platform of “reform,” expressed concern over the repercussions of a direct Iranian attack on Israel, although he publicly affirmed Iran’s right to respond to the assassination.
The new Iranian president cautioned Khamenei that a harsh Israeli retaliatory attack against Iran’s national infrastructure and energy resources could cripple the Iranian economy and potentially lead to the country’s collapse, according to the Iran International opposition news outlet.
As with Khamenei, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is demanding a strong military response against Israel, regardless of the significant social and economic costs.
Despite the grave warnings, sources said Khamenei remained noncommittal during his meeting with Pezeshkian, neither supporting nor opposing the president’s concerns.
Ultimately, it is the 85-year-old Supreme Leader who makes the decision on whether or not to unleash Iranian missiles and drones in another direct attack on Israel.
This past April, Iran fired some 300 missiles and drones at the Jewish State, nearly all of which were intercepted and shot down by Israel together with a coalition of allies led by the United States.
