Iran Intelligence Ministry: US, Israel have not given up on overthrowing Tehran regime

Central News Agency (Tehran) Iran's Intelligence Ministry stated today that the goal of the United States and Israel remains the overthrow of the Iranian regime and the division of the country. A statement from the Intelligence Ministry, published by Iranian media, noted: "The enemy is seeking to overthrow the regime and divide the country through other means. This goal was publicly declared at the beginning of the recent war but could not be achieved through military attacks." This statement comes as Tehran and Washington continue negotiations seeking an agreement to end the war that broke out on February 28 and spread across the Middle East. The Iranian Intelligence Ministry stated that according to intelligence gathered by authorities, the US and Israel will attempt to "strengthen economic pressure," create divisions among religious and ethnic groups within the country, and plan sabotage and other "terrorist acts." The statement added that these actions would involve the large-scale "smuggling of various weapons, ammunition, and illegal communication equipment, especially Starlink devices that can connect to the internet via satellite." For decades, Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war, including sabotage of Iranian nuclear facilities and the assassination of scientists. The 12-day war last June was the first sustained direct conflict between the long-time rivals; prior to that, while they had engaged in sporadic retaliatory attacks in 2024, they had never escalated into open war. The Iranian government refuses to recognize Israel's sovereignty and legitimacy, and Iran has had no formal diplomatic relations with the US since 1980.