A reporter interviewed an old Jewish man who for 60 years, everyday,and every time He had prayed for 45 minutes next to the Western Holy Wall of Jerusalem.

The reporter asked: "What has been your daily prayer during these 60 years?"

The old man said, I pray for: "Peace between Christians, Jews ,and Muslims; The disappearance of all hatred and wars, Growing up with the safety of young people and turning them into Responsible people who love people. And finally, the politicians tell us the truth and put the interests of society above their own interests.

The reporter asked: “In the end, how do you feel?"

The old man said: “I feel like I'm talking to the wall."

Iran's quandary: How to stay out of Israel's war on Hamas

DUBAI, Oct 22 (Reuters) - On Oct. 15, Iran issued a stinging public ultimatum to its arch-enemy Israel: Halt your onslaught on Gaza or we'll be forced to take action, its foreign minister warned.

Only hours later, the country's U.N. mission softened the hawkish tone, assuring the world that its armed forces wouldn't intervene in the conflict unless Israel attacked Iranian interests or citizens.

Iran, a longtime backer of Gaza's rulers Hamas, finds itself in a quandary as it tries to manage the spiraling crisis, according to nine Iranian officials with direct knowledge of the thinking within the clerical establishment.

Standing on the sidelines in the face of an all-out Israeli invasion of Gaza would significantly set back an Iranian strategy for regional ascendancy pursued for over four decades, according to the people, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the discussions in Tehran.

Yet any major attack against a U.S.-backed Israel could exact a heavy toll on Iran and trigger public anger against the clerical rulers in a nation already mired in an economic crisis, said the officials who outlined the various military, diplomatic and domestic priorities being weighed by the establishment.

Three security officials said a consensus had been reached among Iran's top decision makers, for now: Give their blessing for limited cross-border raids by its Lebanese proxy group Hezbollah on Israeli military targets, over 200 km away from Gaza, as well as low-level attacks on U.S. targets by other allied groups in the region. Prevent any major escalation that would draw Iran itself into the conflict.

"The Iranians are facing this dilemma of whether they are going to send Hezbollah to the fight in order to try to save their arm in the Gaza Strip or maybe they are going to let go of this arm and give it up," said Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official and a negotiator during the first and second intifadas.

"This is the point where the Iranians are," he added. "Calculating their risks."

"For Iran's top leaders, especially the supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), the utmost priority is the survival of the Islamic Republic," a senior Iranian diplomat said.

"That is why Iranian authorities have used strong rhetoric against Israel since the attack started, but they have refrained from direct military involvement, at least for now."

Iran's rulers can't afford a direct involvement in the conflict while struggling to quell mounting dissent at home, driven by economic woes and social restrictions, two separate officials said. The country's has seen months-long unrest triggered by the death in custody of a young woman last year and the state's persistent crackdown on dissent.