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Time of India
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Mohammad Pakpour, Iran's new intelligence chief
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iran has appointed a new chief of intelligence at its Revolutionary Guards on Thursday, after his predecessor was killed in an Israeli strike last week. Major General Mohammad Pakpour , the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division, Irna said. He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers -- Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri -- in an Israeli strike. Pakpour had himself been recently appointed after Israel killed his predecessor Hossein Salami in a strike on June 13. Khademi previously headed the Intelligence Protection Organization at the Ministry of Defense. Live Events Israel launched air strikes on nuclear and military sites in Iran last week, claiming that its arch enemy was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies. Israel killed several top Iranian officials, prompting a counter-attack by Iran, which on Thursday hit an Israeli hospital. Upon his appointment by Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei last Friday, Pakpour threatened to open "the gates of hell" in retaliation for Israel's attacks. Top Israeli figures have openly talked about killing Khamenei. Israel-Iran conflict enters second week Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It says its nuclear programme is peaceful. Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, said the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Those killed include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Israel has said at least two dozen Israeli civilians have died in Iranian missile attacks. Reuters could not independently verify the death toll from either side. Israel has targeted nuclear sites and missile capabilities, but also has sought to shatter the government of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Western and regional officials. "Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it's up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. Iran has said it is targeting military and defense-related sites in Israel, but it has also hit a hospital and other civilian sites. Israel accused Iran on Thursday of deliberately targeting civilians through the use of cluster munitions, which disperse small bombs over a wide area. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Israel-Iran conflict LIVE: Iranian missile strikes Israel's 'crown jewel of science'
Iran appointed a new chief of intelligence at its Revolutionary Guards on June 19, the official IRNA news agency said, after his predecessor was killed in an Israeli strike last week. Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division, IRNA said. With Iran and Israel in an open-ended direct conflict, scientists in Israel have found themselves in the crosshairs after an Iranian missile struck a premier research institute known for its work in life sciences and physics, among other fields. While no one was killed in the strike on the Weizmann Institute of Science, it caused heavy damage to multiple labs on campus, snuffing out years of scientific research and sending a chilling message to Israeli scientists that they and their expertise are now targets in the escalating conflict with Iran. Meanwhile, the White House said that President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a regular briefing that Mr. Trump was interested in pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran, but his top priority was ensuring that Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Only regime change will solve the problem of Iran
The Middle East currently stands at a crossroads. The future geopolitical balance and perhaps also the historical direction of the region depend on the outcome of the war currently underway between Israel and Iran. With the US poised on the cusp of possible intervention, it's important to grasp the nature and dimension of what is at stake. To understand the weight of the present moment, it is necessary to accurately define the nature of the current conflict and its roots. This is a war not only or primarily between states. It is a conflict between systems of governance and between rival visions of the region. The objective needs to be the decapitation of the regime On one side, the Islamic Republic of Iran and its various militia allies are committed to a particular conception of political Islam. Their vision mandates the subversion of regional states by the insertion of political/military proxies of Tehran. These forces, as witnessed in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, then seek to turn the area in question into a space from which Iran can continue to advance its project. The goal: Iranian hegemony, Islamist rule, and perpetual war until victory over Israel, the US and western-aligned regional states is achieved. On the other side, Israel is the sole regional power with the military capacity to effectively counter this ambition. It is also the only non-Muslim majority state in the Middle East. In its recent diplomatic advances, in particular with the United Arab Emirates, one may glimpse the outline of a rival vision for the region, one based on economic development, modernity, pluralism. For all these reasons, Israel has been singled out for destruction by the regime in Tehran since the earliest days of the Islamic Republic. The Israeli embassy building in Tehran was among the first to be sacked by the mob during the revolution. A Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) office was later opened in its place. The particular brand of Shia Islamism espoused by the late Ayatollah Khomeini had a special contempt for the Jews and their state. Khomeini referred to Israel in 1979 as the 'cancerous Zionist tumour in the body of Islamic countries'. Tehran has conducted a long war intended to result in the demise of the Jewish state since the early 1980s. This effort has been based on three components. The creation and sponsorship of Islamist political-military organisations was one element. The skills of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in this area, combined with actions by rival powers and lucky circumstances, have delivered dividends for Tehran. On the eve of the current war, they had brought Iran effective control of Lebanon and a dominant stake in Iraq, Yemen and the Palestinian movement. All this, combined with an alliance with Assad's Syria, gave Iran effective control of the entire landmass between the Iraq-Iran border and the Mediterranean Sea on the eve of the conflict, as well as a major stake in the Palestinian struggle against Israel (via Hamas) and the ability to strike directly at Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Gulf of Aden/Red Sea shipping route (through the Houthis). It was a commanding position in the region, and Iran intended to use it as a springboard for further advances. The two other components of Tehran's power projection are its ballistic missile array, the largest in the region, and, most importantly, its clandestine nuclear program. As a result of Hamas's premature firing of the starting gun for conventional war with Israel, Iran's emergent regional empire now lies in ruins. Iran chose in a partial and piecemeal fashion to mobilise its proxies and launch them against Jerusalem. Hezbollah is now weakened, Assad is gone, and Hamas's Gaza fiefdom is reduced to a pile of rubble. These circumstances created a chance for Israel to cripple the Iranian nuclear programme and its missile array, and to strike at Iran's structures of governance. This chance was limited in time. With the exception of Assad in Syria, all of Iran's losses are reversible. The opportunity needed to be used or lost. The statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran is in violation of its commitments vis a vis the nuclear non-proliferation treaty added greater urgency to the moment. The running down of the clock on the 60 days of negotiations to which the US administration had committed itself made action feasible. In the early hours of the morning on 13 June, Israel chose to act. Until now, the results have been encouraging. Nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Arak have been targeted and severely damaged. A wide range of individuals and targets associated with regime governance have also been eliminated, including two military chiefs of staff, a series of senior IRGC commanders and a number of nuclear scientists. The regime has been set back years in the nuclear arena and elsewhere. None of this, however, yet resembles anything like victory. The Fordow uranium enrichment facility, embedded in the mountains near the Shia holy city of Qom, remains intact. It is immune, according to a recent article by former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, to the IDF's current capacities. The US appears poised to intervene to address the matter of Fordow. It remains to be seen if President Donald Trump will give the order. But if he does, and the US action is limited to this one strike, or indeed if he does not, there is a possible negative outcome of which Israel should be aware. If Israel just keeps pounding away at Iranian targets, damaging but not destroying them, it risks being drawn into a war of attrition which will play to Tehran's benefit, not Jerusalem's. Potential shortages in Israel's Arrow 3 interceptors render this issue more acute. If, following such a slogging match, Israel at a certain point declares victory and leaves, what will remain will be a damaged but not destroyed regime with an obvious incentive to race towards the bomb. This would be the worst possible outcome. It's therefore imperative that Israel, the US, or some combination thereof commit to the intensification of the pace and scale of current operations, and the expansion of the target list to include the regime's most senior figures. The objective needs to be the decapitation of the regime. Iran's folly in sending its proxies against Israel in 2023, and then initiating direct attacks in April 2024 has created an opportunity. The Islamic Republic of Iran has cast a shadow over the Middle East for nearly half a century. It's time that this shadow be lifted.
Memri
a day ago
- Politics
- Memri
Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1988 'Poisoned Chalice' Speech Accepting UN Security Council Resolution 598 Ending The Iran-Iraq War – Will Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Make A Similar Decision?
Introduction On July 17, 1988, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder and leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution, announced his agreement to accept UN Security Council Resolution 598 of that month pertaining to a ceasefire in the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, after rejecting the ceasefire for years. On the 2012 anniversary of Khomeini's decision, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei published several statements casting Khomeini's decision to end the war in a positive light, attributing it to Iran's grave economic problems at the time. He also stressed Iran's achievements because of this decision. It should be noted that Khamenei translated into Farsi the book The Peace Treaty of Hassan – the Second Imam bin Ali (625-670) who is Khamenei's role model. The book analyzes the circumstances of Hassan's 661 concession on his demand to rule to his rival, the Umayyad Caliph Mu'awiya ibn Abu Sufyan, and justifies Hassan's decision to sign a peace treaty ceding the caliphate, because he was in a much weaker position than the Sunni Mu'awiya and his forces For his translation of the book, Khamenei added to the title the subtitle "The Most Heroic and Glorious Flexibility [narmash-e kaharmananeh] in History," underlining Hassan's tactical decision in negotiating with forces much stronger than his. See MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1846, The Iranian Shi'ite Regime's Built-In Religious Mechanisms For Dealing With Grave Military Threats: Tactical And Temporary Concessions – Which It Calls 'Heroic Flexibility' – That It Has Employed Several Times Since Its Establishment In 1979, June 11, 2025. At this time, as Israel's attacks continue against the infrastructure of the Iranian regime's nuclear and ballistic missile projects in Iran that threaten Israel, Iran's Arab neighbors, and the West, Khamenei is at a crossroads. Will he order continued attacks against Israel, risking more Israeli attacks on Iran and, subsequently, the U.S.'s entry into the fray, which could lead to the collapse of Iran's Islamic regime? Or will he agree to enter into negotiations with the U.S., which will ultimately force him to relinquish Iran's nuclear and missile programs, by means of which he had sought to ensure the survival of the regime by threatening Israel, the Arab countries, and the West? Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei's Considerations: Continue The War Or Negotiate/Surrender? In Favor Of Negotiations Or Surrender 1. The top echelon of the military command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the senior conservative group that has surrounded Khamenei for the past 30 years and accompanied him since the days of the Iran-Iraq war, was eliminated in the first days of the Israeli strikes. 2. The Iranian regime no longer has the power of its proxies to operate in Iran's stead or even at its side. It should be noted that the Iranian regime's policy throughout the years has been to wage war against its enemies – that is, Israel, the Sunni Muslim countries, and the West – by means of proxies. However, in the past two years, most of the elements of the axis of resistance that Iran built over the past three decades have been struck hard and severely damaged or disabled. 3. The decision by Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, to accept the terms of surrender in UNSC 598 and stop the war was made under unique circumstances, after eight years of fighting, most of which in a war of attrition that cost Iran about a million lives, severe public resentment, near paralysis of its economy and military, and loss of hope of things ever getting better. 4. The Iranian regime is sending distress signals in the diplomatic arena and asking for direct talks with President Trump at the White House, apparently via Iran's representatives to the UN or Iran's figurehead president, who is a ceremonial figure because the leadership of the regime is reserved for the supreme leader, Khamenei. This change reflects a retreat in the Iranian regime's ideological stance of refusing to acknowledge the U.S. – the "Great Satan." In Favor Of War 1. Khamenei's right hand man today, his son Mojtaba, who is in his fifties and is even more extreme than his father, is the heir apparent of Khamenei, who is 86. Mojtaba relies on a circle of IRGC officers who are younger and more extremist than the veteran IRGC, and who have in recent years demanded a harsher approach to Israel. This generation of IRGC officers did not experience Iran's 1980-88 war against Iraq – in which Iraq was supported by both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. That war was a founding experience for the regime, and this new IRGC generation has not tasted that defeat. 2. Khamenei's situation today is not like Khomeini's in 1988, since not even a week has passed since Israel's first strikes on Iran, and despite the pinpoint damage to Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure, Khamenei has conveyed that he is determined to continue attacking Israel. The following is a translation of Khomeini's 1988 letter to the Iranian people informing them of his decision to accept the ceasefire. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1988 Statement Accepting A Ceasefire In The Iraq-Iran War "At present, after our military men, both of the army and the Revolutionary Guards, who are experts at warfare, openly admit that the Islamic army [of Iran] will not attain victory soon, and considering that military and political officials who support [the regime of] the Islamic Republic do not view a war going forward to be in the best interest of the country, and strongly asserting that 1/10th of the weapons placed by the Eastern and Western Arrogance [i.e. the USSR and the U.S.] at the disposal of Saddam [Hussein, Iraq's then-ruler] cannot be bought, anywhere in the world, for any price, and considering the horrifying letter from the Chief of the IRGC [Yahya Rahim Safavi], which was one of dozens of military-political reports I received after the recent defeats, and [in light of] the acknowledgement of the Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff [Hashemi Rafsanjani] saying that the IRGC chief is one of the only commanders who believe in continuing with the war, provided that war supplies are made available, and considering the enemy's widespread use of chemical weapons, and having no means to neutralize them, I accept a ceasefire, and in order to clarify the reason for making this bitter decision, I refer to several points in the letter from the IRGC chief, written on June 23, 1988. "[The commander wrote:] It is possible that we will not achieve any victories for the next five years. It is possible that if we have the means to purchase [what is needed] over the next five years, we will gain the power to carry out destructive operations or counterattacks. And [in five years,] in 1992, if we have 350 ground divisions, 2,500 tanks, 3,000 cannons, 300 fighter jets, and 300 helicopters... which are required for the war during that period, with God's help we may be able to carry out offensive operations. [The commander] says that it should be noted that the IRGC must grow to seven times its current power and that the army must be increased to two and a half times its size. He also mentioned, of course, that we must expel the U.S. from the Persian Gulf, otherwise we cannot succeed. This commander considered the most important factor in the success of his plan to be budgeting and preparing facilities in a timely manner, and noted that it is unlikely that the government and central command could meet their obligations. Of course, while mentioning this, he added that we must fight again, and that this is no longer a mere slogan. "The Prime Minister, [following the] statements by the Ministers of Finance and Budget Planning, announced that the regime's financial situation is at a deficit. Official war authorities say that the cost of the weapons we have lost in just the most recent defeats is equal to the annual budget allocated to the IRGC and the army. Political authorities say that since the people realized that a quick victory will not be achieved, their desire to join the front lines has diminished. "You, my dear ones, know more than anyone that this decision is like deadly poison to me, but I am satisfied by the will of Almighty God and will give all I have to protect [God's] religion and the [regime of] the Islamic Republic. "Oh God, we have risen up for the sake of Your religion, we have fought for Your religion, and we accept the ceasefire in order to defend Your religion. "Oh God, You are witness that we are not compromising with America, the Soviet Union, and all the superpowers of the world for even one moment, and that we see compromising with the superpowers as a betrayal of our Islamic principles. "Oh God, we are strangers to the world of polytheism, unbelief, and hypocrisy, to the world of money, power, and deceit. Please help us. "Oh God, throughout history, when the prophets, the first [imams], and the religious scholars decided to reform society, to combine knowledge and action, and to create a society free of corruption and ruin, they were met with resistance from the Abu-Jahels and Abu-Sufyans of their day.[1] "Oh God, we have sacrificed the children of Islam and our revolution for You, we have none but You, help us carry out your commandments and laws. "Oh God, I beseech You to grant me shahada [martyrdom] as soon as possible. "I have said that a meeting must be held to explain the ceasefire to the people. Beware, hotheaded aggressors may use revolutionary slogans to draw you away from what is best for Islam. I say clearly that all your efforts should be directed at justifying this [the ceasefire]. Any deviation is forbidden, and will incur a response. You know that the regime's leaders made this decision with reddened eyes and hearts full of love for Islam and our Islamic homeland. Look to God and know that all that is happening is for the best, peace be unto us and God's servants." *Ayelet Savyon is Director of the MEMRI Iran Studies project.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Khamenei vows Iran will never surrender, hypersonic missiles target Israel
A man in Tehran watches as smoke billows into the air during an Israeli air strike on June 18, 2025. PHOTO: NYTIMES TEHRAN - Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 18 Iran would never surrender, with the country unleashing hypersonic missiles in a new wave of attacks against Israel on the sixth day of war between the longtime enemies. The launch came hours after Israel said it had destroyed Iran's internal security headquarters in Tehran, and as it reported a new wave of attacks targeting missile systems and storage sites in the country's west. Ayatollah Khamenei also warned the United States against becoming involved in the conflict, after US President Donald Trump appeared to flirt with the idea in recent days, calling for Tehran's 'unconditional surrender'. 'This nation will never surrender,' Ayatollah Khamenei said in a televised address, in which he called Mr Trump's ultimatum 'unacceptable'. 'America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.' Ayatollah Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show 'no mercy' towards Israel's leaders. Iran's state television reported the launch of Fattah hypersonic missiles, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also announced the launch of so-called super-heavy, long-range missiles. An Israeli military official, who asked not to be named, said on June 18 that Iran had fired around 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since June 13. About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier that air force jets had destroyed Iran's internal security headquarters, as AFP journalists in Tehran reported powerful explosions across the city. He called the internal security facility 'the main arm of repression of the Iranian dictator'. Meanwhile, a London-based internet watchdog said Iran was in the midst of a 'near-total national internet blackout' on June 18 after days of disruptions. People spending the night in a Tel Aviv underground train station on June 18. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Iran later announced heavier internet restrictions due to 'the aggressor's abuse of the country's communication network for military purposes', according to the Fars news agency. It first imposed internet curbs at the outset of Israel's campaign last week. 'Unconditional surrender' Mr Trump has fuelled speculation about US intervention, saying on June 18 that his patience had 'run out' with Iran, but that it was still not too late for talks. He later said he has not yet made a decision on whether to join Israel in bombing Iran and warned that the country's current leadership could fall as a result of the war. A change in Iran's government 'could happen,' he told reporters at the White House. A day earlier, Mr Trump had boasted that the United States could assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei, but would not do so, 'at least not for now'. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned against any 'additional military interventions' in the Middle East, saying they could have 'enormous consequences' for the region and beyond. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, thanked Mr Trump for his 'support in defending Israel's skies' on June 18, calling him a 'great friend' of Israel. 'Painful losses' 'We are striking the ayatollahs' regime with tremendous power,' Mr Netanyahu said, in a televised statement. 'We are hitting their nuclear programme, their missiles, their military headquarters, the symbols of their power,' he added, acknowledging Israel had also suffered 'painful losses'. A handout picture showing the trail of a missile fired from Iran to Israel, in the sky over Tehran, on June 18. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Since June 13, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Mr Netanyahu's office. Iran said on June 15 that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then. Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons – an ambition Tehran denies. Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads. Beyond the deadly strikes, some Iranians have reported shortages in recent days. Finding fuel has become a challenge, with long car queues waiting hours in front of petrol stations, a 40-year-old Iranian driver told AFP at the Iraqi border crossing of Bashmakh. 'There are shortages of rice, bread, sugar and tea,' he said, asking to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. 'People are shocked and distraught, they don't know what they should do,' said a car dealer in the Iranian city of Bukan who also asked not to be identified by his real name. Centrifuges hit Earlier, Israeli strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. In another strike on a site in Tehran, 'one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested', the agency added. Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead. French President Emmanuel Macron on June 18 urged Israel to end strikes on targets in Iran not linked to nuclear activities or ballistic missiles, his office said. Foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries since the conflict began. But some Israelis stranded abroad chose to return home on special flights. 'I decided to come back because the family is here, and I belong here, and unfortunately we get used to these fights and war, but we prefer to be here, to support as much as we can,' said Yaakov Bogen, a 66-year-old hotelier. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
