Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Iran's security chief, said the United States and Israel aim for the fundamental dismantling of Iran.
On the 7th (local time), AFP and other outlets reported that Larijani said in a pre-recorded interview aired on Iran's state TV, "Their (the United States and Israel's) issue was the fundamental dismantling of Iran." He said the United States is trying to reenact in Iran a scenario similar to Venezuela.
Larijani said, "The biggest problem Americans have is that they do not understand the context of West Asia, especially Iran," adding, "They thought Iran would be like Venezuela and believed that if they struck and seized control, the situation would be over, but now they are trapped."
Larijani also sent a warning to the Kurds. He said, "Our military clearly conveyed to Kurdish groups that if they make a mistake, we will hold them accountable." President Donald Trump that day reversed his previous stance, saying he does not want Kurdish involvement. Earlier, on the 5th, Trump said in a media interview that he supported a Kurdish attack on Iran.