Henrique Gouveia e Melo, a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic and former Chief of the Naval Staff, advocated on Monday that Israel “should not succumb to the temptation to attempt a regime change” in Iran.
Speaking to CNN Portugal, Gouveia e Melo commented on the current situation in the Middle East, noting that “Israel is conducting a preventive action against the potential Iranian nuclear threat” and “against Iran’s ballistic missiles”.
“It should stop there, in my opinion, it should not go beyond that, because that is defensive. It should not fall into the temptation of attempting to change the regime or effect a regime change. That would not be defensive; it would be an offensive measure,” he argued.
Regarding the direct involvement of the United States in the conflict, the presidential candidate asserted that the country helped “a great ally against a common threat.”
“Sometimes we forget that in our strategic partnerships and alliances, we cannot only have good things, which is the protection the alliance gives us. Sometimes we have to pay, in some way, for the collaboration within that alliance”, he emphasized.
Recall that on June 13, Israel launched an offensive against Iran, arguing that the advancement of Iran’s nuclear program and the manufacture of ballistic missiles by Tehran represent a direct threat to its security.
Since then, Israeli aircraft have attacked a series of strategic infrastructures, including air defense systems, ballistic missile storage facilities, and the nuclear plants of Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo, and commanders of the Revolutionary Guard, intelligence chiefs, and scientists linked to the Iranian nuclear program have also been eliminated.
Tehran authorities have reported that the bombings have caused at least 400 deaths and 3,056 injuries, while the Israeli government stated that missiles launched by Iran in retaliation resulted in the deaths of 24 people and injuries to 1,272 in Israeli territory.
On Saturday, the conflict took on a new dimension with the United States entering the war, bombing the three main facilities involved in Iran’s nuclear program, including the Fordo unit, which according to experts, has a uranium enrichment capacity of 60%, with Trump threatening Tehran’s theocratic regime with more attacks if “peace does not come quickly.” The American operation that devastated the Iranian nuclear program was the result of months of preparation and did not target Iranian military or civilians.
Objective “is not regime change, but it could be the consequence”
Today, the Israeli government indicated that the objective of the attacks on Iran is “not regime change, but it could be the consequence,” citing what happened in Syria last December.
In a press conference with international media, government spokesperson David Mencer argued that the Iranian people are “victims of Tehran’s regime” and not enemies of Israel.
“Now they have the opportunity to overcome the fear that the Iranian regime instilled in them because we believe that the Iranian regime fears its own people more than Israel,” he stated.
The spokesperson’s declarations align with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated on Sunday that the offensive against Iran “will not end soon nor last long,” but only when Israel’s goals are achieved.
On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump also referred to a “regime change” in Tehran.
