The Israeli foreign minister says that the Iranian regime of Ayatollah Khamenei was definitely “weaker” than it was before the 12-day war in which it was pounded repeatedly by Israeli bombs.
But in contrast to many Iranian opposition leaders who predict the regime will fall soon, Israel’s Gideon Sa’ar would only say that he “wouldn’t gamble” on when an uprising will occur and that “you don’t bring a regime down from the sky but from people on the ground.”
Sa’ar’s comments to Newsmax came a week before Iran announced on Wednesday that if further attacks come from Israel, it would respond with newer and more deadly missiles.
“Today, we have manufactured and possess missiles with far greater capabilities than previous missiles, and if the Zionist enemy embarks on the adventure again, we will undoubtedly use them,” Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh told reporters.
Nasirzadeh’s remarks came a week after Israel’s Sa’ar told Newsmax that “the [Iranian] regime was built on an image of power inside and out but is today weaker as a result of the [Israeli] bombing.”
The foreign minister added that “the next step should be a snapback of European sanctions” on Iran through the United Nations that lapsed under the 2015 nuclear deal. Britain, France, and Germany recently warned Iran that unless it returns to nuclear talks by the end of August, they will trigger the mechanism that could reimpose all U.N. sanctions.
Sa’ar also noted that although the Iranian regime was weakened by the Israeli bombing and the majority of the Iranian people “oppose the government,” the Islamic dictatorship “has a huge oppression system. And wars usually bring people around the ruling regime.”
He did say that when and if the Iranian regime is overthrown, Israel would almost certainly recognize a new government immediately.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Sa’ar.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
