Iran had only expected Israel to strike the country after another round of nuclear talks between it and the United States, officials of the Islamic Republic admitted to The New York Times in a report published late Friday night.
The next round of talks was initially scheduled for this Sunday in Oman in the capital Muscat, which was initially announced by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday. However, the following day, Iran said that the talks are "meaningless" after Israeli strikes on the country.
The Islamic Republic later accused Washington of supporting the attack.
Iranian officials dismissed reports that an Israeli attack was imminent, the NYT report said. The US news source said they had conducted interviews with six senior officials from the Islamic Republic as well as two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members, who all asked to remain anonymous in their reporting.
An ill-prepared Tehran
The officials said they had dismissed reports of plans for an earlier attack, believing them to be tactics to pressure Tehran into accepting a nuclear deal with the United States on terms more favorable to the West.
Their disbelief in an incoming Israeli attack ultimately helped the efficiency of the airstrikes, as many top officials ignored advice to take shelter - staying instead in their homes, according to the sources. Many officials also ignored a notice not to congregate, collectively meeting on an airbase that was struck by Israeli fighter jets.
“Where is our air defense?” one official texted the NYT. “How can Israel come and attack anything it wants, kill our top commanders, and we are incapable of stopping it?”
“Israel’s attack completely caught the leadership by surprise, especially the killing of the top military figures and nuclear scientists. It also exposed our lack of proper air defense and their ability to bombard our critical sites and military bases with no resistance,” Hamid Hosseini, a member of the country’s Chamber of Commerce’s energy committee, told the American news site.
Fears of a civilian uprising
With much of Tehran's military leadership in tatters, one official admitted that new worries stemmed from Iran's civilian population, who may begin to riot should water or energy infrastructure be damaged.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Iranian people to stand up to the Islamic Republic in an address on Friday evening.
"Israel's fight is not against the Iranian people. Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you," Netanyahu said.
In addition, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last monarch, issued a sharply worded message on Friday calling on Iranian military and security forces to abandon the Islamic Republic and join a popular movement to reclaim the country.
Elon Musk previously announced that Starlink was operating in Iran after Tehran shut down internet access for civilians.
Reuters, Jerusalem Post Staff, and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.