Former US defence chief says he rejected Netanyahu’s Iran assessment

Former US defence chief says he rejected Netanyahu’s Iran assessment Former US defence secretary and CIA director Robert Gates recalled a 2009 conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which Netanyahu argued that Iran would quickly collapse if attacked militarily. Speaking on Face the Nation, Gates said Netanyahu told him the Iranian government would “crumble at the first attack”. Gates said he rejected the argument, telling Netanyahu he was “dead wrong” and underestimated “the resilience of the Iranians”.