Angel Orbetsov: I hope that Iran will distinguish between Israel's actions and American policy and will eventually return to the American-Iranian negotiations
You can talk about anything with the Iranians. They accept opinions that are contrary to their own. What they do not accept easily is a frontal attack on their national honour. If that happens, they respond appropriately. This is according to a former Bulgarian diplomat who is a leading Iran expert in Bulgaria.
Iliya Valkov, BNR, 13 June 2025
Angel Orbetsov was a special envoy at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His acquaintance with the Persian language and Iran dates back to the 1980s. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was a diplomat in Iran and worked in the field of consular affairs. He is the author of the book ‘Bulgarian-Iranian Relations from Liberation to the End of the 1950s,’ which was be published in 2022 and is his dissertation.
Israel attacks nuclear military sites in Iran, as well as former Iranian commanders and scientists. Our first guest on today's edition of Radio Tochka is Angel Orbetsov. He is one of the best experts on Iran. Angel Orbetsov is an Iranist, former ambassador for special missions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a specialist in the Persian language and Persian history. Hello, Mr Orbetsov!
Hello.
Israel called the operation against Iran ‘Rising Lion’. What does that mean? Is there a message?
It is difficult for me to comment on the exact terms used by Israel. But this is an attack that borders on undeclared war, in violation of the UN Charter and international law.
What could be the response of Iran, of the political leadership, which currently seems unaffected by the attack and has called for a response from the UN?
I would not say that the political leadership is unaffected. One of the most loyal advisers to Supreme Leader Khamenei, General Shamkhani, who was chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, was killed. In addition, the generals killed were of very high rank. We are talking about the Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Salami and other senior leaders who are highly respected and of very high calibre in the Iranian political and military system.
There is much to be said about Iran's response here. Let's see how the Iranians react psychologically to such events. Iranians are generally a people inclined to dialogue and negotiation. They can take foreign opinions into account and even accept opinions contrary to their own in discussions.
But when it comes to a frontal attack on their national honour and pride, there can be no doubt that their response will be proportionate. In Persian, there is a term that means honour and pride: keyrat. And when this honour is violated in any way, when it turns out that the enemy does not respect the Iranian national character, the Iranian spirit, then an equally strong reaction from Iran can be expected.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkiyan made a statement today saying that with such a valuable spirit and divine support, a strong, wise and firm response will be given to the crimes of the Israeli regime. He even quoted the late Imam Khomeini, who said that whenever a flag falls from the mighty hand of a commander, another commander will pick it up and enter the battlefield. Is it possible for Iran to recover so quickly from this blow?
Is it possible to talk about moral panic after such an attack, even within Iran? Because at least what is coming out in the media suggests that Israeli intelligence and the Israeli army have been preparing this attack for many years.
I don't know if we can talk about years. This attack has certainly been in preparation for a long time. There is no doubt that this is a serious blow to the Iranian armed forces. But I believe that Iran has enough trained personnel. And as far as I have heard here from the news, the supreme leader immediately appointed other senior military commanders to replace the commanders who were killed. In my opinion, Iran will do everything possible not to show weakness at this difficult time and to respond proportionately.
As for President Masoud Pezeshki, I would like to emphasise that he is in the beginning of a mandate of a reformist government. He won the second round of the presidential elections last year by a convincing margin. He came with the idea of pragmatic governance, including the settlement of relations with Europe and the Western world, the creation of favourable opportunities for the recovery of the Iranian economy and the establishment of good relations with all countries around the world.
However, the events unfolding in the Middle East are a major obstacle to the realisation of Pezeshkian's intentions, including when it comes to the Iranian nuclear programme, on which negotiations with the United States had made some progress. Internationally, there were hopes that the negotiations would continue on Sunday, as planned in Oman, with the aim of reaching a mutually acceptable solution. But it is clear that, given the current state of affairs, this would be extremely difficult.
So you think it is very difficult to continue the negotiations. Incidentally, the military strike was followed by a statement from US President Donald Trump in which he again called on the Iranian government to conclude this agreement to limit and halt its nuclear programme. It was also noted that the US did not participate in the attack, although it had been informed about it.
I also really hope that the Iranian leadership will separate Israel's actions from US policy. And that if not now, then in 48 hours, or at a slightly later stage, negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme will continue with a view to clarifying all differences and reaching a mutually acceptable solution.
You mentioned halting the nuclear programme. The Iranians have declared on several occasions, through various leaders, that there can be no halt to the nuclear programme. But it can be put on a path where there is no doubt that Iran is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. And they have always declared the peaceful nature of their nuclear programme.
Thank you very much for that comment. We heard Angel Orbetsov, one of our best experts on Iran. Angel Orbetsov was ambassador for special missions at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.