@Persian Gulf
@ShapurII
Iran had two Supreme Leaders that belonged to the wrong periods of time.
When Iran needed a peace seeking SL it got Khomeini who kept an unnecessary war going.
When Iran needed a war and strong defiant supreme leader it got Khamenai who tried to avoid war at all cost and failed to deter the enemy.
In the past Iran was not ready for war.
It was in Iran's best interests to postpone the war as long as possible.
Imagine if war started in 2015. Iran's missile arsenal was small, missiles inaccurate, drone arsenal non existent and China was still a developing country vulnerable to US pressure.
How Iran could respond to US and Israel in 2015 for example?
Khamenei did a good job by postponing the conflict as long as possible and not falling to Israel-US provocations .
Iran won time to improve centrifuge technology, accumulate large arsenal of accurate missiles and drones and develop air defense systems.
It would have been even better if Iran could have another 5 years to improve IR-9 centrifuge technology and increase missile and drone arsenal even further.
When you are fighting a global superpower, better to fight in 2026 than in 2009, 2016 or 2020.
Sun Tzu - "To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill".
The best scenario in Khamenei's mind was winning time until 2035 when Iran is fully equipped for war, nuclear program is unstoppable, while China is a new global superpower that is ready to challenge the US.