Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani says that the US and Israel are seeking to break the Islamic republic apart, AFP reports.

“Their issue was … the fundamental disintegration of Iran,” Larijani has said in a pre-recorded interview broadcast on state TV.

He says the US is seeking to replicate in Iran a scenario similar to Venezuela, where interim president Delcy Rodriguez has cooperated with him under threat of violence after Washington ousted former president Nicolas Maduro.

“I think the most important problem the Americans have is that they do not understand the context of West Asia, especially Iran,” said Larijani. “Their perception was that it would be like Venezuela —they would strike, take control, and it would be over — but now they are trapped.”