SAEDNEWS: The Israeli attacks strengthened unity among the Iranian people. They emerged from the Iran-Iraq war and decided to develop their self-defense capabilities across various military and regional domains.
According to Saeed News, Kayhan newspaper wrote in its special news column:
This analysis was presented by Robert Malley, the former U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, in an interview with MSNBC. Malley stated:
“If we want to understand the mindset of Iranians, we must realize that they emerged from the Iran-Iraq war — one of the most brutal wars of the century. They were subjected to chemical bombings without global support. All countries, even those that were enemies of each other, supported Iraq. The Iranians saw themselves as alone and vulnerable, and they decided that they needed to develop their own defense capabilities independently — both by supporting proxy groups in the region and by building a nuclear program.”
He added:
“Our mistake sometimes is thinking that sanctions will cause countries to surrender. But nations that feel threatened are not willing to give up their only leverage without receiving something in return. Yes, Iran sought sanctions relief, but not out of weakness.”
Malley went on to say:
“We in the Biden administration started too slowly on the JCPOA and the subsequent negotiations. We talked about a ‘stronger and longer deal,’ which was essentially a Republican slogan. The Iranians wanted guarantees that this time the deal wouldn’t be torn up. We couldn’t give them such guarantees. Perhaps there should have been an agreement from the very beginning — at least to reduce sanctions — even if it might be torn up again in the future.”
He also said:
“I truly believe the military option was, for many reasons, the wrong choice. It doesn’t fully solve the problem and leads to a range of uncertainties and unforeseeable consequences — not just in the coming days and weeks, but for months and years to come. We have planted the seed of a mindset in which Iran may say: ‘Maybe one day we’ll have to go for the bomb, because nothing else worked.’”
Malley added:
“Those who thought Israeli attacks on Iran would trigger a popular uprising were certainly mistaken. Yes, the Iranian people may have grievances, but when your country is bombed by a foreign nation, the situation changes. The foreign country didn’t just target nuclear facilities in the attack — it also hit hospitals and caused civilian casualties. Naturally, under such conditions, nationalistic sentiment is strengthened. It increases patriotism and support for Iran.”
