A senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and aide to the IRGC’s chief said the 12-day war with Israel ended with an absolute win for Tehran, adding Iran could have carried on the fight for years if necessary.
“We achieved a 100% victory in this war. Do not doubt it. Our victory was very significant, and we definitely came out as the winner,” Ahmad Vahidi told Fars News in an interview published Thursday.
When asked how he defined victory, Vahidi pointed to public opinion and the circumstances surrounding the ceasefire.
“In all the surveys, the judgment of our people is that we were victorious. The opinion of the people and global public sentiment is the same,” he said, without citing specific evidence.
“If we hadn’t won, and if the enemy hadn’t been crushed, then why did they ask for a ceasefire? It’s those who are defeated who request a ceasefire. For us, those 12 days were not a problem — we could have continued for 12 years.”
Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks during the June war killed hundreds of Iranians, including civilians, military personnel, and nuclear scientists. Missile strikes launched by Iran killed 27 Israeli civilians.
According to an Iranian government spokesperson this week, 1,062 Iranians were killed in the conflict — including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians.
On June 22, the United States entered the conflict by striking Iran’s nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow using long-range bombers and submarine-launched missiles.
A US-brokered ceasefire was announced on June 24 after Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes on a US airbase in Qatar.
An Iran International analysis of satellite imagery covering the base showed that the Iranian attack had destroyed a cutting-edge communications hub within the facility.
Asked about the level of Israeli infiltration in Iran, Vahidi acknowledged limited human espionage but attributed most of Israel’s intelligence advantage to technological superiority.
“We don’t deny they have spies. But that they had someone at that level, in that position? I do not confirm that,” he said. “Much of their intelligence comes from advanced technology and satellite surveillance.”
During the war, Israel reportedly killed several high-ranking IRGC officials, including Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and IRGC Deputy for Operations Mehdi Rabbani.
On Tuesday, an Iranian analyst claimed Israel caused more than 100 Iranian missile launchers to explode upon activation during the war, adding that the country's entire air defense system had been hacked.
