Israel and the United States need to do more to create regime change in Iran,
Mossad director Meir Dagan urged a top American diplomat in 2007.
In a
meeting in August 2007 with Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, Dagan
pressed for more activity among Iranian minority groups to overthrow the
Islamist regime.
RELATED:Wikileaks: 'Saudis on Iran: Cut off the head of the snake'Analysis: Wikileaks vindicate, don’t damage, IsraelWikileaks: Dagan says peace process will achieve nothing“Instability in Iran is driven by inflation and tension
among ethnic minorities.
This, Dagan said, presents unique opportunities,
and Israelis and Americans might see a change in Iran in their lifetimes,” the
cable read.
According to the cable, Dagan referred to supporting student
democracy movements, and ethnic groups such as the Azeris, Kurds and Baluchs,
who oppose the ruling regime.
“He [Dagan] said he was sure that Israel
and the US could ‘change the ruling regime in Iran, and its attitude towards
backing terror regimes.’ He added, ‘We could also get them to delay their
nuclear project.
Iran could become a normal state,’” according to the
cable.
Dagan also warned about the sale of advanced American weaponry to
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states saying that they would not know how to use
the “weapons effectively.”
During the meeting, Dagan stressed that Iran
had weak spots that could be exploited, citing unemployment, which he said
exceeded 30 percent, with some towns and villages experiencing 50% unemployment,
especially among 17-30 year olds.
“The economy is hurting,” Dagan said,
according to the cable, “and this is provoking a real crisis among Iran’s
leaders.”
He added that Iran’s minorities are “raising their heads, and
are tempted to resort to violence.”
In November 2009, almost a year into
Barak Obama’s presidency, a cable that summed up a meeting of the annual
Strategic Dialogue between Israel and the United States in Jerusalem cited a
Mossad official who said the Mossad’s analysis was that Iran will use
negotiations to stall for time so that by 2010-2011, it will have the
technological capability to build a nuclear weapon.