The head of Military Intelligence on Wednesday said the heavy economic sanctions on Iran and their devastating financial ramifications were the driving forces behind attacks linked to the Islamic Republic on petroleum facilities last month and recent threats by Tehran to step up nuclear enrichment.
“Iran is under growing pressure that is forcing it to take actions connected to oil and to its nuclear project — though for now there are no changes to its policies,” Maj Gen. Tamir Hayman said, speaking at the Intelligence Legacy Center conference in Tel Aviv as part of the Israel Defense Expo.
On May 15, Iran announced it was stepping up its uranium enrichment program in response to the United States’ decision the year before to drop out of the 2015 nuclear deal and impose heavy economic sanctions on Iran and the countries and groups that do business with it. Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency watchdog said Iran was staying within the limitations set by the 2015 nuclear accord, though its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium and heavy water were growing.
“The unprecedented sanctions on Iran has led to a severe recession, which is being felt in all directions, and has led Iran to take actions against the global oil trade,” he said.
Last month, four United Arab Emirate oil tankers were damaged in the Gulf of Oman. The United States and Israel said Iran was behind the sabotage, which Tehran denied.
Days later, Houthis in Yemen — a militia that receives significant funding and assistance from Iran — carried out a number of drone strikes on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
In his wide-ranging speech, the Military Intelligence chief also addressed the prospect of war in the Gaza Strip, saying it was not likely as the Hamas terror group, which rules the enclave, is not interested in a large-scale conflict. However, Hayman warned that the second-largest group in the Strip, the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has far fewer responsibilities toward Gaza residents and thus has less to lose in a war, making it a far likelier instigator of violence.
“Hamas is quite deterred from war and is deeply interested in staying the course of a ceasefire in which they expect to receive certain concessions — and therefore they really don’t want a war,” he said. READ MORE
