A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi has alleged that Israel and Iran appear to be engaging in a carefully display of force while deliberately minimizing actual damage and avoiding significant escalation. He stated that the nuclear facility that Israel claimed to have hit in Iran has been abandoned and had been deliberately selected for attack due to its abandoned status.
He suggested a level of behind-the-scenes coordination through diplomatic intermediaries between Israel and Iran. He opined that Iran may have strategically removed valuable assets from the facility beforehand, effectively allowing Israel to claim a symbolic victory against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure while avoiding any substantial damage to Iran’s actual nuclear capabilities.
He said in an interview with Arise TV from 11:01, ‘When they decide to hit each other, they pick targets with minimal damage. The nuclear facility that was hit by Israel had been abandoned by the Iranians a long time ago. They were being used at one particular time, but had since been abandoned. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the exchange of messages through interlocutors, the Iranians had moved out any useful objects within that nuclear facility.
This would allow the Israelis to hit it and claim they attacked part of Iran’s nuclear facilities. And you will also see that the statement made by Iran’s supreme leader was very measured. The Israelis acknowledge Iran’s right to defend itself, but Israel will choose its own time, dictated by Iran’s vested interest in regional stability. Would you have expected an Iranian leader to prioritize Middle East stability as one of their objectives just six months ago?”