After the elections: A new strategy is needed vis-à-vis Iran

Dr. Raz Zimmt of INSS argues that the next government must formulate a new strategy toward Iran, since the last two wars did not eliminate the nuclear and missile programs, and the new leadership in Tehran is more extreme. He states that as long as there is no reliable operational response, a political arrangement is preferable to renewing a war without a clear purpose.

Dr. Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran and the Shiite Axis program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), argues that whatever the results of the elections in Israel, the next government must formulate a new strategy toward Iran. The last two wars severely damaged the leadership of the Islamic Republic and its military capabilities, but the regime survived, the nuclear and missile programs were not eliminated, and the new leadership in Tehran appears more extreme. The article analyzes the tension between three objectives: destabilizing the regime, blocking the path to nuclear weapons, and delaying the rehabilitation of strike capabilities. Zimmt states that strategic planning cannot be based on the possibility of regime change, and that as long as there is no reliable operational response to fissile material, a meaningful political arrangement is preferable to renewing a war without a clear purpose. He emphasizes the need for a sober examination of the achievements and failures of the recent campaigns.