Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 08:08 pm
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has threatened with “divine wrath” against any form of retreat or compromise. In heightened tension between Iran and Israel following last month’s assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who had been visiting Tehran, Khamenei again vowed that any kind of retreat-military, political, or economic-would attract serious punishment from God.
- Condemning Psychological Warfare
- Khamenei denounced the “enemy psychological war,” he believes is to apply pressure on Iran for a rethink on plans of retaliation against Israel. He said that countries that succumb to bullying from the superior world powers can stand up to bullying by having self-confidence in the support of their people and knowing correctly the power equation of enemies.
- Iran’s Geopolitics
- The killing of Haniyeh, which Iran blames on Israeli intelligence, places Tehran in an uncomfortable position as it debates how to react. Iran, amidst rhetoric, has not retaliated yet. For some analysts, this is a strategic interlude. Yet Iranian officials have rebuffed Western calls for restraint, pointing to double standards when the West does nothing about what Iran says are Israel’s “genocidal” actions in Gaza.
- Internal and External Dynamics of Iran
- Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has publicly identified himself with Khamenei’s hardline stance. Still, he may have privately expressed his fear about what such an escalation might lead to. Israel has continued declaring that direct hostility from Tehran would get a strong counterattack. Israeli officials said they warned the Iranian government that an attack would meet swift, powerful retaliation.
