MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Israel will not be able to hit Iran's nuclear sites on its own, while US support for such an operation would prompt a global disaster, said Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran and former advisor to the Iranian team negotiating the nuclear deal.
"Israel does not have the capability to destroy Iran's nuclear program because these sites are deep under the ground and the Israeli army and air force do not have the necessary capabilities to inflict serious damage. Moreover, Iran's response would be very harsh," he told TASS on the sidelines of the 14th Middle East Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
If the US attacks Iran, he said, "the Iranians will be forced to retaliate."
"I also don't think the Americans are interested in a military confrontation," the analyst continued. "There are many American military bases in the smaller countries of the Persian Gulf, and it would cause a global economic disaster as oil and gas prices would skyrocket. That seems unlikely to me. Of course, no one knows the future, but in my opinion, [US President Donald] Trump will not attack, and Israel simply does not have the capability to do serious damage."
Axios earlier reported, citing sources, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming talks with US President Donald Trump will attempt to convince him to supply the Israeli military with weapons capable of destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities deep underground. The report indicated that the strike could happen if diplomacy fails to settle the situation around Tehran’s nuclear program. However, according to the news website, Trump would like to "reach a deal with Iran that would make an Israeli military action unnecessary."
Marandi conceded that it is hard to predict Trump's moves. However, the world has changed a lot since he was president the first time, the analyst said.
"The US is facing many more challenges now than during his previous term. And the world itself has changed: Iran has become much stronger. So I don't think that from a military point of view he will be interested in unleashing a conflict," Marandi said.
He expressed confidence that Washington is unlikely to succeed in inflicting serious economic damage on Tehran either because the country is already under "as many sanctions as possible."
"I think there is a high probability that it will try to pile up pressure on the country, but it will no longer have the same effect as last time," Marandi said.