Katz Describes Voter Participation in Iran's Elections as a 'Clear Message for Change'

In the first official comment from the Israeli government following the announcement of Massoud Pezeshkian's victory in Iran's presidential elections, the Israeli Foreign Minister wrote in a message on X that the Iranian public sent a clear message of desire for change and opposition to the Ayatollah regime in this election. Yisrael Katz added in his message on Saturday night, July 16, that the world must now declare the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and call for the cancellation of Iran's nuclear program and the cessation of support for terrorist organizations, as this is the only opportunity to understand change. Channel 14 of Israeli television, a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote on its website that Iran's elected president will not change the Islamic Republic's attitude towards Israel, but nevertheless, Israel considers his election a 'bright spot' in Iran's internal process. According to this network, although the reformist candidate is not opposed to this Islamic regime, he is expected to have a softer approach towards the region and the world, help reduce crises, and decrease the extent of the regime's oppression of the people domestically. The site added that Iranians who took to the streets to celebrate after the election results had valid reasons because Massoud Pezeshkian had repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the Revolutionary Guards' treatment of the people during major crises in Iran. Israel Hayom, a newspaper supporting Benjamin Netanyahu, described Pezeshkian's victory as a weak light in a dark regime and characterized him as someone who may be less harmful than other candidates. Meanwhile, the newspaper wrote that the 69-year-old heart surgeon's chances of influencing the foreign policy of the government in which he became president are weak. The victory of Pezeshkian was reflected in global media. According to Israel Hayom, since the attack by the extremist group Hamas on Israel last October, Iran has shown that it is determined to do whatever it takes to harm and weaken Israel. The newspaper wrote that Ali Khamenei is waiting for the outcome of the U.S. elections to decide whether resuming negotiations with the West for a new agreement is beneficial. If it becomes clear that Washington is interested in this matter, he will give the Pezeshkian government the green light to send a negotiation team with clear instructions on what areas they are allowed to make decisions. Israel Hayom added that some in Israel are concerned that Iran will take advantage of the chaos in the U.S. presidential race and the fact that global attention is focused on the ongoing war in the Middle East to cross more 'red lines' in its nuclear program and get closer to acquiring nuclear weapons. As a result of this concern in Israel, former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, one of the opposition politicians, said last week that there is no longer a possibility to stop Iran with conventional means. The site of Channel 7 of Israeli media reminded that according to the governmental system in the Islamic Republic of Iran, although the president has powers to change the nuclear program or military affairs, Pezeshkian has reached the presidency while supporting the improvement of relations between Iran and the West and the need to reduce religious strictness for the people inside Iran, compared to his war-hungry rival. The site also wrote that one should be suspicious of Pezeshkian regarding the core messages of the Islamic Revolution, as mere being a reformist does not mean being moderate. Dani Citrinovich, a former senior officer of Aman, the military intelligence agency of the Israeli army regarding Iran, wrote in Maariv that the events in Iran after the helicopter crash involving Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister and the support of the reformist camp for Massoud Pezeshkian have revived the reformists and thwarted the ultra-principlist candidate who was more hardline than Raisi. However, both the leader and the parliament and the Revolutionary Guards of Iran will not allow Pezeshkian's political life to pass easily. Citrinovich wrote that the seminary and religious institutions will also not tolerate Pezeshkian's moderate approach and, like the powerful governmental institutions, will harass him throughout his work, but Pezeshkian is supported by figures like Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Javad Zarif, for whom Raisi's death has provided a heavenly gift, allowing their return to the scene. Dani Citrinovich wrote that it would have been better for Israel if Jalili had been elected to show that Iran is continuing on the same conservative path... and now Israel faces a political challenge that it must prepare for. The Iranian representative at the UN warned about the consequences of an Israeli attack on Lebanon. According to this researcher at the National Security Studies Center, until last month, few had heard of Pezeshkian's name, but now he is the president of Iran, and this is a reminder for those who hastily say that Iran is still turning on the same axis as before. During the days when the Islamic Republic of Iran was busy with elections, Israel's major attention was drawn to the message from the Iranian delegation on July 7 regarding 'a devastating war.' Israel interpreted this message as a warning of Iran's possible entry into the ongoing regional war. The commander of the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards also stated between the first and second rounds of the Iranian presidential elections that the Guards aspire to repeat the 'Promise of Truth' operation. His remarks also received significant attention in Israel. The Islamic Republic of Iran, on April 14 this year, coinciding with the last weeks of Ebrahim Raisi's presidency before the helicopter crash, carried out a military attack on Israel from the sky and soil of Iran for the first time, sending over 300 missiles and suicide drones towards Israel in the operation known as 'Promise of Truth.' The last months of Ebrahim Raisi's presidency were marked by the Islamic Republic's firm support for the extremist group Hamas, with Hamas leaders and other Palestinian groups visiting Tehran multiple times, and the leader of the Islamic Republic describing Hamas's attack on Israel as an operation that 'was exactly what the region needed and a great necessity.'