General Yadollah Javani: US made a strategic mistake over assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Javani says Washington underestimated Iran’s cohesion and that long-term pressure failed because of Tehran’s decisive response.
General Yadollah Javani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the United States made a strategic mistake by assuming Iran's leadership would collapse after the assassination of the former ayatollah and leader Ali Khamenei.
Javani argued that Washington misjudged Iran's resilience and that the US assessment does not reflect "the reality of Iranian society," he said.
He added that pressure from Washington stretches back to before Donald Trump’s presidency, but those efforts failed because of Iran’s "persistence and decisive response," according to Javani.
Trump's comments and wider implications
Former president Donald Trump has himself said the United States "maybe went too far" in attacks on Iran's leadership, adding that Washington now struggles to know who it can negotiate with. "Maybe we went too far with the leaders because we don't know who the hell we're dealing with anymore," Trump said at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio.
He also said, "Nobody wants to be president of Iran," claiming prospective candidates were not willing to assume the post.
Massud Pezeshkian is president of Iran since July 2024.
Photo: press material from the event
