Ehud Barak
Photo: AFP
As the unrest following the outcome of last week's presidential elections in Iran continues, and with Mossad Chief Meir Dagan saying the Tehran riots will end in a matter of days, while former Military Chief Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash predicts the end of the ayatollahs regime, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warns the prophecies are often given to fools.
"This is undoubtedly a fascinating process, but I wouldn’t venture a bet on the final outcome," he said Wednesday
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In an interview with Army Radio, Barak said that like US President Barack Obama, he too sees little difference between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his reformist rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
Beginning of the end? Tehran rally (Photo: AP)
"Whatever happens, the regime is run by the ayatollahs. Don’t be fooled by Mousavi. These people are religious fundamentalists. What we are seeing in the streets is the true energy of young Iranians, who don’t want what happens – and they are being forcibly suppressed."
The cycle, added the defense minister, is a familiar one: "We’ve seen this in other places and in Iran itself – the more force is used, the faster the countdown to the end of the (regime) legitimacy, and eventual hold, is. The past few years have shown, however, that these things can get suppressed and we will be back where we were."
As for the nuclear threat, Barak said the matter was "highly complex and very challenging, as far as Israel is concerned… we have to work in a lot of fronts."