Former Mossad official Eliezer Tsafrir, who was the last person to serve in the agency’s office in Iran, said on Sunday he believes there will ultimately be no choice other than to launch a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Tsfarir said he believes the United States should be the one to carry out such a military strike, but added that if there is a feeling that no one is willing to attack Iran, then Israel will have no choice other than to do so itself.

Tsafrir, who in the past has served as the Prime Minister’s advisor on Arab affairs, also said that as an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites takes place, Iranian government sites should be attacked as well, thus allowing the Iranian people to take over their government centers and replace the current regime.

His remarks are being made ahead of a special conference at the Hebrew University’s Truman Institute, in which he will lecture on the issue of the attitudes of the Iranian people. He noted that he believes that almost all Iranian citizens who were born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution would like to see the country return to its status as an empire and in this spirit want to see the Islamic Republic having a nuclear capability. This desire, explained Tsafrir, is part of their greater desire for freedom and independence as they view them.

However, Tsafrir noted he believes the Iranian people are really unaware of the ramifications of a nuclear program on the international attitude towards their country, and do not know that the road to freedom does not pass through nuclear power. In order to explain this to them, he said, whoever decides to attack in Iran, preferably the Americans, will need to hold a massive public relations campaign prior to the attack, in order to clarify to the Iranian people the advantage such an action would have for them.

Tsafrir also said he is not hopeful that the Western sanctions on Iran will bring a stop to its nuclear activities.

“Sanctions will not help,” he said. “The Iranians are determined to obtain nuclear weapons. There is no choice other than a military strike. As an Israeli, I think it’s best that America do this, but if there is no other choice and no one will do it, Israel will have to do it.”