Exclusive: Iranian President Urges Khamenei to Avoid War With Israel

Newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appealed to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to refrain from attacking Israel, warning of the devastating impact it would have on his presidency, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Iran has threatened to launch a direct missile attack against Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, despite Calls for restraint by friends and enemiesBut it seems that this desire for revenge is not shared by all senior officials in Tehran, as there are voices expressing concern about the possible consequences.

In a recent meeting with Khamenei, President Pezeshkian urged the 85-year-old ruler to prevent any direct Iranian attack on Israel to avoid escalating tensions into an unwanted war, informed sources told Iran International. Pezeshkian warned that such a potential conflict could severely disrupt his presidency and lead to major problems.

Pezeshkian warned that Israel’s decision to launch a harsh retaliatory attack against Iran’s national infrastructure and energy resources could cripple the Iranian economy and possibly lead to the country’s collapse.

Despite the dire warnings, sources said Khamenei remained noncommittal during the session, neither supporting nor opposing Pezeshkian’s concerns.

Pezeshkian also warned that the rhetoric and actions of senior military leaders could drag the country into war, noting that he faces relentless pressure from factions within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demanding a strong military response against Israel, regardless of the huge social and economic costs involved, according to the two sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The president stressed that his opposition to military action stemmed from national interest and not from a lack of knowledge or experience in security and military affairs, as hardliners claim. He stressed that starting a war with Israel would make economic recovery and bridging the already deep gap between the Islamic Republic and its citizens impossible, which would seriously damage Iran’s international standing, which the country desperately needs to improve.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami said Monday that Israel will learn a lesson once it receives a “severe response” from Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian authorities have also told Arab countries that the country no longer cares whether its attack on Israel leads to a full-scale war in the Middle East.

Last week, a close aide to Pezeshkian told The Telegraph that the security lapse that led to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran “may have been a deliberate attempt by the IRGC to damage the reputation of the new president.” He added: “No sane person can accept that this happened by accident, especially on Pezeshkian’s first day in office. He may have to go to war with Israel in the first few days of his term, and all because of the IRGC.”

The president’s private call for restraint contrasts with his public statements asserting Iran’s right to respond to Israel’s killing of Haniyeh, though he has largely avoided inflammatory language and even told world leaders that Tehran is not seeking escalation.

In remarks on Wednesday, Pezeshkian made clear that he would not question the policies dictated by the supreme leader in public and in his meetings with foreign officials. “I was asked to speak about the country’s problems during the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony, but the 14th government does not allow itself to criticize Iran in front of other countries,” he said.

“Iran is in no way seeking to expand the crisis in the region, but this regime will certainly receive a response for its crimes and arrogance,” Pezeshkian said in a meeting with Russia’s top security official Sergei Shoigu on Monday. Shoigu was in Tehran to convey a message to the international community that “the Iranian regime is in no way seeking to expand the crisis in the region, but this regime will certainly receive a response for its crimes and arrogance.” Vladimir Putin’s message to de-escalate To the Iranian authorities.

Iran’s president told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday that “Iran reserves the right to respond appropriately” to Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, without repeating the harsh statements made by the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and military authorities.

In his recent meeting with Khamenei, the newly elected president stressed the importance of “citizens’ trust in their elected representatives,” highlighting the low voter turnout in the last presidential election as an indicator of deep mistrust, sources told Iran International.

Iran’s 2024 presidential election — held almost a year ago, after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May — saw the lowest voter turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Official figures indicate that more than 16 million people voted for Pezeshkian, many of them hoping to prevent hardliners from heading all three branches of government, although Pezeshkian himself has declared that he will implement policies dictated by Ali Khamenei.