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Source: https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Episode-366-Final-Transcript.docx?x97961
Are We Achieving Our Objectives in Iran?
(American Enterprise Institute) Amb. Yechiel Leiter interviewed by Marc A. Thiessen - Israel's Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter told an AEI podcast on Monday: Q: Are we achieving our objectives in Iran and what's left to be done? Leiter: We're clearly reaching our objectives. We've decapitated most of the leadership. We've also taken out the vast majority of their launchpads for ballistic missiles. We've shut down their ability to terrorize with drones. They're still getting missiles through because there's no multilayered missile defense system that can keep everything out, and we're seeing that in Israel and in our neighbors as well. But the important thing is that we continue to put this kinetic pressure on them so that they will be completely debilitated in terms of their ability to wreak havoc on Israel and their other neighbors in the region. Q: What is Israel's goal in this war? Leiter: The purpose is to make sure that we don't have a power, an entity in Tehran, which is developing nuclear weapons, is developing weapons of mass destruction in terms of these ballistic missiles, and is supporting proxies around the region. That's what we're focused on. Now, if that can be done without regime change, okay. Probably can't though. So at the very least, what we want is regime collapse. Some of our allies have become even greater allies over the past month, whether it's UAE, Bahrain. I think we've become closer to the Saudis, closer to the Omanis. Closer to the Kuwaitis, for crying out loud. They've asked us for assistance. So we become closer. This isn't going to end even if at some point the U.S. says, we've done our job, we've destroyed them militarily and now we're wrapping up. Israel and its allies will continue to act. The entire world is being held hostage right now at the Strait of Hormuz. Now imagine that these guys had a nuclear weapon. The level of holding the world hostage would be just exponentially so much greater. Or even if they had 7-8,000 ballistic missiles that they could threaten their neighbors with, even before they get to an intercontinental ballistic missile that can hit Chicago. The main lesson of the Holocaust is that if somebody says they're intent on killing you, believe them. We ignored exactly what Hitler wrote, what he planned, and what he began to do. And we just kept kicking the can down the road until it was too late and 65 million people lost their lives. Every day, I have at least five journalists appealing to the embassy to find the daylight between the president and the prime minister. I'd have to look hard with a microscope to find the difference of opinion on this joint operation. We are flying shoulder-to-shoulder, wing-to-wing. This operation is massive. There's never been anything like it. We were together in the planning, we're together in the implementation, and we're going to be together in the grand finale as well. At the end of the day, we are the junior partner. The President of the United States makes decisions. Nobody drags President Trump into something he doesn't want to do. We provide intel, they provide cover, we're doing things together, and I think we're changing the world together. This is Judeo-Christian civilization on steroids. This is for the world. This is not just for our two countries, and it's certainly not just for Israel.