Ritter claimed collusion between the United States and Israel regarding Iran's nuclear program

The negotiations between the United States and Iran on the nuclear deal were just a ploy aimed at creating a false sense of security in Tehran. Former American intelligence officer Scott Ritter told Izvestia about this on June 13.

"The United States and Israel conspired to create an environment in which the Iranians would believe that Sunday's talks, the sixth round of talks, would be crucial, and that Israel said, 'We will wait and see what comes out of Sunday's talks before making a decision.' The United States has helped spread this opinion. And then, when the Iranians lost their vigilance, Israel launched a surprise attack," the ex-intelligence officer said.

In addition, Ritter admitted that this attack could not have occurred without the full consent of the American government, as the United States was aware of all the details of the attack, which had been planned for several months.

He stressed that the purpose of the Israeli strike was not only to destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but also to destroy the human potential and technical aspects associated with any possible nuclear weapons program.

"I don't believe it, again, it's hard to say, because there is incomplete information about what exactly was hit and how it was struck. But I believe that this action was aimed not so much at dealing a crushing blow to Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but rather at destroying the human potential and technical aspects associated with any potential Iranian nuclear weapons program: the assassination of high-ranking nuclear executives, the destruction of facilities that could be involved in the peripheral industrial aspects of this program." — Ritter explained.

In addition, the ex-intelligence officer added, the current conflict between Israel and Iran has deeper roots and is connected not only with Iran's nuclear ambitions, but also with attempts at regime change.

One step before the war: Israel attacked Iran

The targets were the country's nuclear facilities

Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran and declared a state of emergency across the country earlier in the day. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the purpose of the military operation is to attack Iran's nuclear infrastructure, as well as ballistic missile factories. He called the beginning of the operation a success.

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's unprovoked attack and pointed out that the state violated the UN Charter with its move. In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also noted that the Russian Federation is concerned and condemns the sharp escalation of tension between Israel and Iran.