WarSclerotic

Iran is facing one of its most difficult periods since its war with Iraq in the 1980s, making the current period conducive to reaching a potential deal, former Mossad chief Meir Dagan said on Thursday.

Addressing the Iran at a Cross Roads conference at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Dagan said that economic troubles caused by sanctions, growing ethnic tensions within Iran (such as discord among Azeris and Balouchis), and conflict with the Sunni world have all contributed to Iran’s difficulties.

“This is the most comfortable time to gain achievements in talks with Iranians,” Dagan said, citing high levels of hostility developing against the regime inside and outside of Iran.

He stressed, however, that the Islamic Republic “hasn’t changed its policies because of Rouhani’s election. The president does not set the policies in Iran.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei makes all decisions on matters of war and peace, Dagan said, adding that it is impossible to disconnect Khamenei’s conservative personality from the regime’s worldview.

During talks with the West, Iran will seek to buy time and safeguard its nuclear capabilities, and the outcome of the current diplomatic drive remains uncertain, Dagan said.

Israel, for its part, must safeguard the military threat as a credible option, and advise the international community on how to engage the Iranians, he added.

Iran’s nuclear program is intended to prevent outsiders from interfering in its affairs, and to bolster its ambitions to become a leader of the region and the Islamic world, he said. It is also intended to serve as a protective layer for Iran’s proxies, such as Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, Dagan stated.