Sir Alex Younger, former chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), spoke with Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist, on the ongoing US/Israel-Iran.
Younger said “the reality is that the US underestimated the task and as of about two weeks ago lost the initiative to Iran.” He characterised the Islamic Republic’s response as unexpectedly robust, noting “in practice, the Iranian regime has been more resilient than I think anyone would have expected.”
Younger explained that Tehran dispersing their military capability and delegation of authority has given them extra resilience against the US and Israel’s powerful air campaign.
On Iran’s performance, he observed that “they’ve played a weak hand pretty well,” reflecting Tehran’s ability to sustain pressure despite significant military and diplomatic challenges.
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