Senior Minister Says This Is Why Iran Won't Attack Israel

Security and political tensions in the Middle East are rising sharply, following reports of a harsh Iranian response that includes direct fire toward Gulf states and other countries in the region. Energy Minister Eli Cohen addressed the regional developments this morning (Thursday) in an interview with Avi Ratzon on Radio Galey Israel, and set out a hard line on Israel's deterrence balance against Tehran and the strategic shift in the region. At the start of his remarks, Cohen sought to reassure the public in Israel regarding direct threats from the Islamic Republic, and said the regime in Iran is well aware of the force of Jerusalem's response. "The State of Israel does not absorb fire because the Iranians understand that any attack will be met with even more severe damage from our side," Cohen said.

The Iranian plan has collapsed

The minister outlined the new political situation created in the Middle East, and argued that Iran's long-term strategy to create a unified front against Israel has failed and completely backfired, especially in light of its attacks on neighboring countries. "Iran, which wanted to isolate Israel and create a ring of suffocation around it, ultimately found itself surrounded by countries that want to see the fall of the regime," Cohen explained, describing the dramatic geopolitical shift that places Tehran in a defensive position and in confrontation with regional states.

"There is no faith in agreements with Tehran"

Later in the interview, Cohen referred to the various diplomatic contacts and to Iran's nuclear and missile programs, and expressed complete skepticism about the ability to restrain the regime through legal or international diplomatic means. "I do not pin hopes on an agreement, even if one is signed," the energy minister stated unequivocally, and ended with a warning about the future: "Iran will want to return to its old ways at some point, which requires us to remain constantly alert."