Another round of conflict with Iran could erupt because military strikes failed to eliminate its nuclear programme, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing a Western diplomat who said recent operations had not resolved the standoff.
“There could be another cycle [of conflict] because the military operations have not resolved anything,” the diplomat said. “There’s debate about how severely the nuclear facilities have been damaged, but it’s not so damaged that the programme is destroyed.”
Although Israeli and US strikes severely damaged Iran’s nuclear facilities, its programme has not been destroyed, the FT said. The report added that the longer there is no diplomatic solution, the greater the risk of renewed conflict.
A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and France, Germany and the United Kingdom concluded in Geneva on Tuesday without progress, as the three European powers consider triggering the snapback mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Tehran.
The snapback, part of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, allows parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to restore previous UN sanctions if Iran is found to be in serious non-compliance.
Western officials told media outlets that Iran had offered vague proposals in Geneva, lacking detail or concrete deliverables. “Very little to work with,” one source told Axios. The E3 envoys are expected to report back to their foreign ministers before deciding whether to activate the process in the coming days.
Israel launched a 12-day air campaign against Iran in June, with brief support from the United States, targeting nuclear sites and killing senior military officials and nuclear scientists. The strikes crippled much of Iran’s air defense network and damaged a significant portion of its ballistic missile arsenal, Israel said.
Army chief: No choice but to grow stronger
Iran must become more powerful to protect its sovereignty, the Armed Forces commander Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami said on Wednesday in Tehran.
“In such a world, we have no path but to grow stronger,” Hatami said. “We need a powerful army to protect our nation.” He said military strength depends on every unit fulfilling its role, including the armed forces’ medical services.
Iran warns next war will target new regions
Iran will expand future conflicts across new geographic, political and economic fronts if attacked again, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday.
“In the next possible war, our restraint will end,” Ghalibaf told lawmakers. “New geographic areas and targets will be added to our response.”
His remarks follow comments by Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who said Iran now possesses a more advanced generation of missiles and claimed Iranian strikes became more accurate as the June war progressed. He said Israel’s missile defense systems failed to intercept most Iranian missiles by the end of the conflict.
Divided voices inside Iran weigh postwar strategy
Political figures quoted by the Financial Times offered differing perspectives on how Iran’s leadership should respond to the fallout from the June war.
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice-president, said Tehran faces a growing disconnect with society. “There’s a 20-year gap between the people’s demands and the system,” he said, adding that bridging that divide will not be easy.
Abdollah Momeni, a longtime political activist, said the war undermined the state’s credibility as a security guarantor. “With this war, the only thing they had left — security — was lost,” he said.
Foad Izadi, an analyst close to hardline circles, said the leadership may respond with greater resolve. “The military capacity is less, but the willingness to use it is more,” he said, pointing to the emergence of a new generation of Revolutionary Guard commanders.
