Larijani casts 12-day war as US-Israeli plot planned years ago
‘Iran, Pakistan determined to seriously confront terrorism’
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani said the 12-day aggression against Iran in June was a “plot” hatched by the United States and Israel years ago, stressing that Iran emerged victorious while the occupying entity is now grappling with severe internal disorder and decline.
Larijani made the remarks during a meeting with a group of heads of Pakistan’s top think tanks and experts in the field of regional and international peace and security at a ceremony held at Iran’s Embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Wednesday.
“This war was the result of an American–Israeli plot that had been designed years ago. [US President Donald] Trump also recently declared that since 2003 they had been working on a plan to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities with their aircraft,” Larijani said, adding, “The power of God, however, prevented this assault.”
“It was the will of the Iranian nation that revealed itself in this war. The Israeli regime, which thought it would defeat Iran, became completely frustrated,” Larijani added.
Referring to the current situation of Israel, he stressed that the regime is facing internal disorder and a crisis rooted in its illegitimate existence.
“This regime is now facing reputational erosion and has never had such a challenge at the international level. The Zionists have fallen into a kind of internal disorder, and the statistics also show that an existential disorder for them lies ahead. Their posture of power in the region was never deep,” Larijani emphasized.
He also stressed that the determination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the will of the Iranian nation triumphed over the enemy’s weapons and aggression in the recent war.
“The civilizational background of the Iranian nation is the secret of our heroic struggle and victory. Iran has been, is, and will continue to exist for thousands of years. It was the foolish idea of the aggressive enemy to imagine that it could break Iran with war,” Larijani added.
Talks with Pakistani officials
Larijani, who was on an official visit to Pakistan, also held talks with several Pakistani officials for talks on security and economic cooperation.
On Wednesday, he held talks with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi, during which the two sides pledged to deepen cooperation on regional security challenges.
Pakistan’s chief of army staff stressed the “need for closer collaboration with Iran to combat terrorism”.
Munir also highlighted the growing importance of strategic cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad in light of the evolving geopolitical situation.
On his part, Larijani acknowledged Pakistan’s vital role in ensuring peace and security in the region and expressed Iran’s commitment to further expand Iran-Pakistan ties.
Larijani also underlined that Iran and Pakistan are determined to seriously confront terrorism.
The Iranian top official also underlined the significance of dialogue and partnership between the two nations in tackling regional challenges and ensuring long-term stability.