Shabtai Shavit, one of the longest serving directors of the Israeli security agency known as Mossad, he said that Israel and the world cannot prevent Iran from developing its own nuclear arsenal. The super agent recommends focusing on deterrence systems instead. Shavit, now 80, has a long career in one of the most powerful intelligence agencies in the world. In 1989 he was appointed director of the Mossad when the government was led by Yitzhak Rabin's Labor Party. He resigned in 1996 and was succeeded by Danny Yatom. A book entitled, “The Head of the Mossad”, published in Hebrew in 2018, was also dedicated to him and should be available in English in September.
Shavit gave an interview to David Horovitz, founder of the newspaper The Times of Israel. Horovitz said he spoke to Shavit on June 2 this year, the English translation of the interview was published by The Times of Israel on July 8.
In the interview, Shavit is highly critical of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who accuses of "don't make decisions as a statesman ". Under Netanyahu's leadership, Shavit says, Israel's position "is among the worst in recent decades " internationally, with the exception of the privileged relationship with the United States. But even that alliance is in doubt, as President Donald Trump's re-election in November - a prospect Shavit calls "a catastrophe for the United States and the world"- is doubtful.
On the issue of Iran, Shavit says he has an obligation to speak, not as a politician or other public figure, but as an intelligence officer, and therefore consider the worst scenario for Israel. Shavit argues that the worst case scenario is that Tehran refuses to abandon its ambition to develop a nuclear arsenal. If Iran decides to pursue this goal, it would be very difficult, if not impossible for Israel to avoid such an eventuality. However, the Jewish state could try to dissuade Iran from using a nuclear weapon.
For this to happen, Israel must recognize that Iran's main logic "is not necessarily:" I want to have a bomb to drop it on Tel Aviv "“Says Shavit. On the contrary, Iran's main logic is to elevate its "influence and status" in the region, mainly vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel. Furthermore, the Tehran regime is seeking to develop nuclear weapons in order to achieve what Shavit calls "immunity" from a potential military attack by the United States.
Once Israel recognizes that Iran has no intention of destroying the Jewish state it can also stop preventing Tehran from building nuclear weapons. Israel can only convince the Iranians that "Iran will cease to exist" if it decides to make use of its nuclear arsenal. This policy of deterrence can be exercised regardless of whether clerics remain in office in Tehran or are removed from power by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Shavit believes is possible.