Can iran defeat israel

While Israel is not a part of the talks, it is a main player in the drama that could quickly escalate. Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war that has intensified in the last month. An explosion disrupted one of Iran's nuclear power centers in Natanz; one of Iran's spy ships was hit with an explosive device in the Red Sea; and at least two Israeli owned cargo ships have been targeted.

Iran's decision to increase uranium enrichment came after the explosion at Natanz, which the Islamic Republic has blamed on Israel. Israel has vowed to destroy Iran's nuclear program if all else fails, and they have experience in that arena.

Forty years ago in June , eight Israeli Fs took off, flew over the Red Sea, straddled the Jordanian — Saudi border, and dropped their bombs on Iraq's nuclear power plant in Osirak days before it was set to go hot. It was called Operation Opera and one of the pilots was Gen. Amos Yadlin. In , Yadlin, while serving as the head of military intelligence for the Israeli army, helped design a second operation.

This one targeted Syria's secret nuclear power plant. Operation Orchard was also a success — the target was completely destroyed. Yadlin said if it comes down to it, this time will be very different: "Saddam and Assad were surprised. Iran has been waiting for this attack for 20 years.

Yadlin said Iran's program is "much more fortified and dispersed," while Iraq and Syria's nuclear programs were concentrated in one place. Iran's nuclear program is in dozens of sites, many buried deep beneath mountains. He was not only Iran's leading nuclear technical expert but he carried a senior rank in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps IRGC and Israel believed he was the person running the covert "military" aspect of Iran's nuclear programme.

That programme is now at a potentially dangerous stage. But in President Donald Trump pulled the US out of it, slapping draconian sanctions on Iran, which has responded by incrementally breaking the terms of the deal, most notably enriching uranium - the chemical element that can be used for nuclear energy or, potentially, weapons - beyond the permitted limits. President Joe Biden wants to bring the US back into the deal but only if Iran returns to full compliance.

Iran is basically saying: "No, we don't trust you, you go first. We will comply fully once sanctions are lifted. To try to break this deadlock, negotiators from several countries are meeting in Vienna. But Israel doesn't believe the nuclear deal is worth reviving in its current form. First, these Israeli efforts could undermine the US negotiating position as it seeks to re-enter the nuclear deal with Iran.

Israel has proved it can disrupt the Iranian programme, but at what cost? Strange things have been happening at sea recently. Iran denied any involvement. In April the Saviz, an Iranian vessel anchored in the southern Red Sea, suffered damage to its hull believed to have been caused by limpet mines.

Israel and the Saudi-led Coalition in nearby Yemen believe the Saviz has been serving as a logistic "mothership" for Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen.

Speedboats, machine-guns and sophisticated communication aerials have been spotted onboard but Iran says it is there for peaceful, legitimate purposes and blames Israel for the attack.

US media reports say that over the past 18 months Israeli forces have targeted at least 12 ships bound for Syria, carrying Iranian oil and military supplies. The fact that Syria has been at war within its own borders for the past 10 years has tended to divert attention away from Israeli military actions there. Israel has been particularly alarmed at Iran's supply of precision-guided rockets and missiles to its proxies within striking distance of Israeli cities and it has carried out numerous air strikes against these missile bases and supply lines in Syria, with little perceptible response from Iran so far.

Salami said that "all the vulnerabilities of the Zionist regime were demonstrated" over the past few months and that after 10 incidents, an eleventh could follow. The senior military official said Israel was especially at risk due to its reliance on maritime trade, something he claimed accounted for 90 percent of Israel's trade. These routes, he said, "could be easily disrupted," and he argued the country's relatively small size made it susceptible to a devastating strike.

The remarks came as indirect talks between the U. The two sides are attempting to overcome an impasse over the terms of a potential reentry by President Joe Biden 's administration and Tehran's reimplementation of uranium enrichment limits it suspended as a result of non-compliance by Western parties to the accord.

As negotiations play out involving China, the European Union , France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom, political tensions have arisen within Iran ahead of a presidential election set for June. The vote will bring about the end of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's second and final term, and the Guardian Council is expected to soon announce a list of candidates that will vie to succeed him. Many are expected to represent more conservative elements, and even former military officials skeptical of Iran's strained diplomacy with the United States and Europe.