In an N12 op-ed, Oded Eilam, a former head of the Mossad's counter-terror division and now a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs, argues that the Iranian regime is most vulnerable to economic paralysis via widespread strikes. Eilam warns that premature sanctions relief would forfeit leverage and insists Israel must retain full freedom of action against Iran's nuclear program.
Oded Eilam, a former head of the Mossad's counter-terror division and now a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs, published an op-ed on N12 arguing that the Iranian regime's critical weakness is economic. He contends that general strikes—by transportation, oil fields, banks, and commerce—could paralyze the state more effectively than street protests, because suppression forces lose their main advantage when workers stay home.
Eilam warns that Western powers risk missing a historic opportunity if they rush to ease sanctions, which would replenish the IRGC and the regime's apparatus. Instead, he advocates sustained economic pressure, eroding loyalty within the Basij and IRGC, and a continuous consciousness campaign to create the 'right crack' that could break the system from within.
The analysis comes as Iran's economy faces severe inflation and collapsing purchasing power, and as the regime confronts internal unrest. Eilam emphasizes that Israel must maintain full operational freedom against any Iranian attempt to revive its nuclear program.
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