Former Australian Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos has warned that the Iranian regime is likely to “fight to the end,” following US and Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour.
Speaking on the crisis, Sinodinos, who served as chief of staff to Prime Minister John Howard and as Ambassador to the US, said Iran had been a “source of destabilisation” in the Middle East since 1979.
He noted that while the Supreme Leader’s death may weaken the regime, successors are likely to continue fighting and brutally repress protests.
“It’s very hard to change a regime just from the air,” he said.
“A lot of people are afraid to go on the streets because they know how brutal this regime is. Iranians may well decide we’re going to fight this to the end. It’s a very ideological regime.”
Sinodinos emphasised the dangerous position facing the Iranian people, stating that only mass, self-sacrificing uprisings could topple the regime.
“Many could be killed in the process,” he said. “That’s the calculation people will have to make… because my view is that the regime will fight to the end.”
President Donald Trump has urged Iranians to rise up, declaring, “your freedom is at hand,” but Sinodinos cautioned that a successful revolt would require significant elements of the regime to break ranks.
Source: Sky News.
