Ali Khamenei’s office has responded to an open letter sent by former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant to Iran's Supreme Leader, calling it propaganda and a “full-scale psychological operation.”
In an op-ed published Monday on Khamenei’s official website, his office issued a rare rejoinder to Israeli officialdom in which it dismissed Gallant's assertions of overwhelming Israeli military and intelligence superiority.
The statement described Gallant's message as part of “a conflict whose primary battlefield is not border zones, but public perception and the realm of awareness.”
Gallant’s letter, dated July 9, highlighted what he described as Israel’s supremacy over Iran which had unraveled the Islamic Republic's long-held strategy.
“What unfolded in June 2025 was not merely a military campaign. It was the strategic collapse of a system you spent four decades constructing,” Gallant wrote, referring to the 12-day Iran-Israel war last month.
Israel launched a series of strikes on June 13 which pounded military and nuclear sites, assassinated senior commanders and killed hundreds of civilians. Iranian missiles killed 27 Israeli civilians.
Gallant warned Khamenei that Israel has full access to Iran’s inner workings, including military planning and high-level decision-making.
“We knew your schedules. Your sites. Your communications. Your conversations with your closest allies — most of whom are no longer with you — in Beirut, Damascus, and Tehran. Your timelines. Your fallback plans. And your blind spots,” he wrote.
The letter also highlighted weaknesses in Iran’s air defenses and warned that any attempt to restore the nuclear program would invite future attacks.
“Abandon your war against a small, determined country a thousand miles from your border," Gallant said, "and focus instead on the welfare and future of your own people.”
