Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a 12-day war with Israel in June allowed Tehran to close many security gaps, calling it a miscalculation by the Jewish state that would end with the same result if repeated.
“The recent war enabled us to close many of our security gaps. The war gave us valuable experience because it revealed our weaknesses and we eliminated them,” Araghchi cited in an interview with Omani broadcaster Moosa Al-Farei, published on Monday.
Araghchi said the surprise military campaign by Israel in June, did not achieve the objectives and was a miscalculation.
“They (Israel) imagined that if this war began, the Iranian nation would take to the streets and protest against the government and the system. But what happened was exactly the opposite: the nation came out into the streets to support the government and the country,” Araghchi said.
Israel attacks killed over 20 senior commanders, including Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces; Hossein Salami, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-chief; and Gholamali Rashid, Head of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.
The attacks on June 21 also struck the IRGC’s external arm, killing Mohammad Saeed Izadi, who oversaw Palestinian operations, and Mohammadreza Nasirbaghban, the Quds Force’s deputy for intelligence.
“They thought that if our military commanders were assassinated in the first hours of the war, our armed forces would collapse. On the contrary, replacement commanders were immediately appointed, and the armed forces fought with even higher morale,” Araghchi said.
“This war that the Zionist regime started was based on miscalculation and misunderstanding. As I said, repeating this mistake will bring nothing but a similar defeat,” he added.
The United States held five rounds of negotiations with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program earlier this year, for which President Donald Trump set a 60-day ultimatum.
When no agreement was reached by the 61st day Israel launched a surprise military offensive on June 13, followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.