UAE official says regional countries paying price for Iran’s ambitions

A senior official at Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said on Tuesday that the United States was seeking the Islamic Republic’s “full surrender.”

Mohammad Jafar Asadi, the headquarters’ deputy inspector, said there would be war if surrender was not an option.

“When there is no surrender, war lies ahead, and we have not yet revealed all our winning cards,” he said.

Iran was still reviewing the final text of a possible memorandum of understanding with the United States and has not yet sent a response, semi-official Mehr News reported on Tuesday, citing an informed source.

“America’s record of breaking commitments and historical mistrust have led Iran to take a very strict approach to the issue,” said the source, described as close to Iran’s negotiating team.

The source also said Iran was seeking “real benefit” based on past experience.

Outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea said Israel should remain committed to toppling Iran’s ruling system.

Speaking at a retirement ceremony late Monday, Barnea said the Islamic Republic was at its weakest after the recent war and that Israel should “complete the job.”

“I believed, and I still believe, that a change in the reality in Iran by virtue of toppling the regime is a possible and achievable goal,” Barnea said.

He said such a goal would require “persistence, a cool head, and commitment to the mission.”

“This mission must remain as our top priority,” he added.

A member of Iran parliament’s presiding board warned on Tuesday against taking disputes among officials into the public sphere, saying it could harm unity.

“All political groups, elites and those with public platforms must align their positions and conduct with the Supreme Leader’s guidance,” Ahmad Naderi said.

The lawmaker said that during the “silence of the military scene,” preserving unity and avoiding division were conditions for maintaining power.

“The battlefield is not only the military arena; diplomacy is another domain of the same battlefield,” he added.

An IRGC cleric said on Tuesday that the public should be given updates on the country’s wartime situation, citing how former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spoke directly to people when he was still alive.

“In the 12-day war, our martyred Imam would take the microphone, speak to the people and reassure them. Of course, we are not saying that secrets should be revealed… but people should be given reports on the situation so the enemy cannot exploit it,” said Abdollah Haji Sadeghi, the leadership’s representative to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

Since his appointment as the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public and no image or audio recording of him has been released.

The IRGC cleric also said the United States had repeatedly shown it could not be trusted and warned that Iran would give “stronger and more astonishing” responses if necessary.