Iranian Majlis National Security Council Deputy Chair Mahmoud Nabavian: 'Before The Iranian Attack [On The U.S. CENTCOM Base In Qatar], The Americans... Proposed The "Location" Of A [Different U.S.] M

Memri

21-07-2025

In a July 13, 2025 interview with the Iranian Fars News agency, which is close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Majlis National Security Council Deputy Chair Mahmoud Nabavian discussed the Qatar-mediated behind-the-scenes contacts between the U.S. and Iran prior to Iran's June 23, 2025 attack on the U.S. CENTCOM base in Qatar.
According to Nabavian, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had sent a message to the Iranians stating that Israel was about to attack Iran but that the Americans were not involved in this. He added that Rubio asked Iran not to attack the U.S.
Iran, said Nabavian, had also informed Qatar prior to its June 23 attack on the U.S. CENTCOM base in Qatar, that came the day after the U.S. bombing of the nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. According to him, the Qataris had replied that they and Iran were "in this together" and had also conveyed a message from the Americans proposing that Iran attack a U.S. base in a different country, which Iran rejected. He clarified: "The Americans sent specific coordinates to strike such-and-such a base, but we targeted the base that we saw fit, not the one that the U.S. had proposed." He added that Iran had attacked the U.S. CENTCOM base, "the most important American base in Qatar – that is how humiliated the U.S. was."
He also said that after Iran's June 23 attack on the base, the U.S. had repeatedly begged Iran not to retaliate, and that a ceasefire would be reached. "When we attacked... the Americans again contacted us and asked us to stop. For the tenth time, perhaps the twentieth, they begged us... The Iranian people must know that the Americans truly begged, in the full sense of the word."
The following is a translation of statements made by Nabavian in the July 13 interview, and of boasts by the IRGC-Affiliated Tasnim News Agency about the damage Iran caused the U.S., ridiculing President Trump:
Navabian: The U.S. Warned Us In Advance About Israel's Attacks And About Its Own Bombing Of Our Nuclear Sites; "Victory Is Inscribed On The Foreheads Of The Iranian People, And Defeat Is Etched Upon The Face Of The Global Heresy"
In the interview, Nabavian noted that the Iranians had made it clear that they would not agree to a ceasefire before retaliating against the U.S. for the June 22 bombing. He said that U.S. Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff had contacted the Iranians with the message that the U.S. and Israel wanted a ceasefire and added that this was the tenth or maybe the 20th time that they had begged for this. He concluded by saying that the Iranian people had stood up to all of NATO and won, stating: "Victory is inscribed on the foreheads of the Iranian people, and defeat is etched upon the face of the global heresy."
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below:
Navabian's Statements, As Published By Saed News: "The Iranian People Need To Know That The Americans 'Begged,' In The Full Sense Of The Word"; "The Iranian Nation Faced Down All Of NATO, And Triumphed – We Will Surely Defeat The Enemy As Well"
The following is a translation of the main points of Navabian's statements from a July 13 report published by the Iranian Saed News website:
"... Before the Iranian attack, the Americans sent a message through one of the countries in the region [Qatar] and even proposed the 'location' of a [U.S.] military base to be attacked... On Saturday afternoon [June 21, sic], the day before Iran's response[sic], one of the countries in the region contacted Iran and conveyed a message from the Americans. The same Americans who attacked us and threatened to retaliate harshly if Iran responded were now sending a message in which they begged, 'Although you want to respond, don't strike us.'
"On the night of Israel's attack [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio contacted one of the ministers of the countries of the region, who in turn sent a message to our foreign minister [Abbas Araghchi] stating that 'Israel wants to attack, but we (the Americans) are not involved, don't attack us.'
"The very next day [June 22], Sunday morning, the Americans sent another message saying, 'If you are going to attack, come strike [an]other of our bases, we have no problem!' It was as if they wanted to involve us in a theatrical scenario. When we told the Qataris where the target was, they said, 'Wait, let's consult with the Americans,' and then the Americans sent specific coordinates for striking a particular base.
"But we targeted a base that we saw fit – not the one that the U.S. had proposed. The important [CENTCOM] American air base [Al-Udeid] in Qatar, that is one of their most important operational centers in the Middle East, was the focus [of our attack].
"Prior to the attack, the Americans said clearly that if we responded, they would respond forcefully [in turn]. But when we attacked, they changed their tune, and they called back and asked [for us] to stop. Ten times, maybe 20, they begged us. The Iranian people need to know that the Americans 'begged,' in the full sense of the word.
"I swear before God, the Iranian nation faced down all of NATO, and triumphed. We will surely defeat the enemy as well. Victory is inscribed upon the foreheads of the Iranian people – and defeat is etched upon the face of the global heresy [the West]."[1]
IRGC-Affiliated Tasnim News Agency Magazine Boasts Of Iran's Attack On CENTCOM Base, Ridicules President Trump Over Damage It Caused
The previous day, July 12, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency's magazine published a cartoon on its cover page mocking U.S. President Trump. It boasted about Iran's attack on the CENTCOM base and said that it had significantly damaged an American strategic weapon – referring apparently to a geodesic dome used for secure communications that was reported destroyed.[2]
The cartoon depicted a blinded Trump with geodesic domes for eyes titled "Did you see what happened?"[3]
Tasnim magazine cover page (tasnimnews.com/fa, July 12, 2025)