Connor O'Keeffe

Told @yne that: A. It makes sense that Jalili would be appointed as the secretaryof the SNSC, because he has already served as secretary of the National Security Council and is the supreme leader’s representative there. B. He is ultra-conservative and holds very extreme positions. His appointment also makes sense because he would win the support of the Revolutionary Guards, since he is truly regarded as one of the biggest hawks in the regime itself. His appointment would not bode well in terms of the ability to reach any kind of agreement with this regime. That is the problem from the outset with what is happening right now. True, the regime is being weakened, but in the end all those figures like Larijani, with whom it was still possible to conduct some kind of moves, are being removed. With Jalili, less so.”l C. This is a dangerous man. He lost to Pezeshkian in the last presidential election, and the fact that he received 13 million votes in the second round only shows how strong the regime’s ideological base is in Iran. That is no small number, when he is offering Iran a very conservative, ideological and religious horizon. If he is chosen, it will be another step toward the regime’s radicalization.” D. It is clear that the Iranian system is becoming significantly more extreme, and the question is what the objective is. If the regime does in fact fall, then it will not matter, because its people will no longer remain in power. But if the regime survives, he said, this would be a highly troubling development for Israel, the Iranian people and the Gulf states. E. These are very extreme people. It will be very difficult to reach any kind of arrangement with them. The Iranian system is becoming much more extreme. That reduces the likelihood of ending the war. It creates a situation in which either the regime collapses or the war continues for a very long time. @Liorbenari1 #IranWar‌ ynetnews.com/article/b1jq1b…

After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby. It has been an honor serving under @POTUS and @DNIGabbard and leading the professionals at NCTC. May God bless America.