Ali Akbar Darani, an analyst at the Tehran Center for Strategic Studies, said that the US and Israeli claims of "disagreements" within the Iranian leadership are actually playing right into Tehran's hands. He stated, "We want them to believe there are divisions within Iran because it helps us achieve our goals." Darani confirmed that differing opinions do exist within Iran's Supreme National Security Council when discussing certain policy initiatives, with both supporters and opponents. However, he emphasized that once the Supreme Leader approves a decision, a consensus is reached within Iran, and "there will be no more disagreements."
Darani stated that pressure within the Iranian ruling system to shift towards developing nuclear weapons is increasing. This pressure stems from a widespread belief that if Iran possessed a nuclear deterrent, the US and Israel would not have launched their attack on Iran in February. He said, "It has been proven that Iran's conventional deterrent is insufficient to prevent Israel and the US from attacking Iran." However, he also stressed that the Iranian government has not yet made any official decision on this matter.
