Washington and Tel Aviv made a mistake in believing that the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would paralyze the Islamic Republic. This opinion was expressed by Gao Zhikai, chairman of the China Institute of Energy Security and vice president of the think tank “China and Globalization“, quoted by Guancha. “This is undoubtedly just wishful thinking.“
The Israeli-American attack on the Islamic Republic not only failed to paralyze Iran, but also caused unprecedented unity in the country and led to a comprehensive counterattack by Iran and its allies, Gao Zhikai said. This could leave the US and Israel strategically passive and drag the entire Middle East into the quagmire of war, the expert suggested.
“The US had many reasons to attack Iran, but in essence the US is being led by Israel, becoming its tool in its pursuit of regional hegemony“, said the professor. He believes that such a phenomenon is extremely rare in human history: a small country can force a superpower to use its military power for its own interests. “This is a clear provocation against the international order and the ultimate manifestation of hegemonic logic“, noted Gao Jikai.