With tensions escalating between Israel and Iran as the fighting between the two archrivals entered its second week, Hamidreza Gholamzadeh, Director of DiploHouse, spoke exclusively with NewsX on Friday from Tehran about the situation unfolding in the region.
Gholamzadeh told NewsX that in the past 24 hours, Iran launched a missile targeting an Israeli tech facility linked to AI-driven military operations against Iran, as a response to which a drone reportedly struck a house and bakery in downtown Tehran.
“It’s hard to understand the justification for attacking a bakery,” Gholamzadeh said, describing the recent assault. He also confirmed another attack on an industrial town far from his location.
On the Possibility of the US Entering the Conflict
When asked if there’s fear of direct US involvement, Gholamzadeh exuded confidence, saying, “There’s no worry about that. If the US gets involved, they’ll be easy targets for Iranian missiles. It would be a nightmare quagmire for the Americans.”
Iran, he claimed, is “one of the strongest and most independent countries in the region” with “indigenous defence capability” and ready to defend itself. A US attack, he suggested, would lead to not just regional chaos but a global economic disaster due to oil market disruption.
Responding to a question about what life is like in Tehran amid the conflict, Gholamzadeh explained, “We don’t have sirens because the attacks aren’t that successful. Instead, we hear our defence systems shooting down drones and missiles.”
He recalled the memories of sirens during the eight-year war with Iraq, when Tehran was “defenceless”, and contrasted that with the current-day situation in the region, all while insisting that despite the attacks, his country is standing strong.
“After Friday prayers today, there were massive demonstrations across Iran against the US and Israel. Iranians are not afraid. They are ready to stand against their enemies to the end.”
On Reports of Iran Targeting Hospitals
Accusing Israel of hypocrisy, he rejected claims that Iranian missile strikes hit hospitals, saying, “No, Iran did not target hospitals. It was a military hospital near two Israeli military intelligence centres that were the real targets. Any damage to the hospital was collateral.”
On Pakistan’s Role in the Israel-Iran Conflict
Reacting to the reports of Pakistan having recently offered its airspace to the US, Gholamzadeh said, “If Pakistan actively helps the US or Israel, Iran will respond strongly. This is an existential war for us. But I haven’t seen confirmation of this yet.”
Responding to a question on whether the Israel-Iran conflict was heading toward heightened escalation, he said, “I am not worried, but the whole world should be worried because we are already at war.”
Gholamzadeh further warned that American involvement could spark a catastrophic regional war that would quickly affect global markets and potentially escalate into a larger conflict.
“If the current situation continues, the world risks World War 3.”
He also claimed that Iran has an upper hand in the conflict despite what he called the media hype. “The facts show Iran is defending itself effectively.”
On Potential Israel-Iran Ceasefire and A Regime Change in Iran
When asked about the possibility of a regime change in Iran, Gholamzadeh told NewsX, “There will be no regime change in Iran. That requires a land invasion, which neither Israel nor the US can pull off.”
“They (the US) failed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen—how could they succeed here?”
Asserting that the Iranian society was now more united than ever, he said that Iranians stand behind the government because they see the conflict “not as a political dispute but as a fight for the country’s survival”.
Explaining what it would take for the two countries to agree upon a ceasefire, he said, “What’s needed is Israeli admission of defeat. Any imposed ceasefire will be violated, just like Israel did with Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran will continue until the Israelis are punished enough to stop further aggression.”
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:
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