Ambassador: Trump Made a Major Miscalculation in Attacking Iran
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Iran’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Mohammad Boroujerdi, has concluded that the United States made a major miscalculation when it attacked Iran, resulting in a war that Washington expected to end swiftly instead dragging on and having significant repercussions for the world.
According to the ambassador, US President Donald Trump believed that direct strikes on Iran’s top leadership as well as its civilian and military infrastructure would trigger a popular uprising to overthrow the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“The first mistake was a miscalculation, that is, a wrong calculation. He thought that the war against Iran could be resolved in two or three days, but he was wrong,” said Boroujerdi during a public lecture at Prof. Dr. Moestopo University (Beragama) in Jakarta on Wednesday.
With that belief, the US launched attacks on Iran alongside Israel on 28 February, leading to the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as well as dozens of key government figures in Iran and thousands of civilians.
“After that, the people did indeed take to the streets. However, they did not come out to overthrow the government, but rather to offer support and solidarity for their country,” said Boroujerdi.
Iran was then able to launch successive counterattacks on Israel and US military bases in the Gulf region, until a ceasefire was agreed upon on 8 April, said the Iranian Ambassador.
According to Boroujerdi, Trump is currently seeking opportunities to “declare victory” in the war against Iran by opening the Strait of Hormuz. However, from Iran’s perspective, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz occurred due to Trump’s own actions, he said.
As efforts for peace continue following the failure of the first round of negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, the Ambassador hopes that any agreement reached in subsequent talks will be an equitable one.
He also hopes that the negotiations will succeed in achieving a permanent and guaranteed peace, with commitments from the US and Israel not to amass forces again to attack Iran.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated following the joint US and Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February, which prompted Iranian counterattacks on Israel and US allies in the region.
In the latest developments, the Iranian government has proposed five conditions to the US as a step towards “restoring trust” before they are willing to resume negotiations, according to a report from the Fars news agency on Tuesday (12/5).