ASTRAKHAN, August 22. /TASS/. The real goal of Israel’s military operation against Iran was regime change, not preventing the creation of nuclear weapons, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said.
"At that time, we were conducting indirect negotiations with representatives of the United States. And it was precisely during the days of these negotiations that we faced a ruthless attack by the Zionist regime. Although they claimed it was to prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon, the [real] goal of the Israeli regime is to change the government in Iran," he said at the opening of the Caspian Media Forum.
The ambassador noted that several senior Iranian military officials were killed in the attacks. "They also targeted certain military centers in an attempt to disable them. However, our supreme leader, the commander-in-chief, swiftly appointed new commanders to these posts. As a result, we were able to launch the first retaliatory strike within 17 hours," Jalali stated.
In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched a military operation against Iran. Within 24 hours, Iran responded with retaliatory strikes. Nine days later, on the morning of June 22, US jets entered the conflict by striking Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The following evening, Tehran answered with a missile barrage on Al Udeid, the largest US military airbase in the region, located in Qatar. On June 24, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had reached an agreement on a full ceasefire.
About the forum
The Caspian Media Forum opened today in Astrakhan. It has been held since 2015. TASS is the general information partner of the media forum. A live broadcast of the events is organized on TASS’s official platforms, as well as on the Caspian Media Forum’s website.