Iran has issued a stern warning to its adversaries, the United States and Israel, cautioning that it could be compelled to pursue nuclear armament if its very existence is jeopardized.
“We have not made a decision to develop nuclear weaponry, but should Iran’s survival be endangered, we will have no option but to revise our military strategy,” stated Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday, May 9.
Kharrazi emphasized that in the event of an assault on Iran’s nuclear installations by the Israeli regime, the nation’s deterrent measures would be altered, as reported by Iran’s Student News Network.
Although Ayatollah Khamenei, who holds the ultimate authority over nuclear initiatives, prohibited the pursuit of nuclear weapons through a religious edict, or fatwa, in the early 2000s, stating it is “haram,” or forbidden in Islam, there have been indications of a potential shift.
In 2021, Iran’s former intelligence minister suggested that mounting Western pressure might prompt the Islamic republic to consider seeking nuclear armament.
Presently, Iran is enriching uranium to a purity level of up to 60 percent, while uranium suitable for weapons is enriched to approximately 90 percent. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), if the current stockpile of nuclear material were further enriched, it would be adequate for the production of two nuclear weapons.
Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated openly in April following a suspected Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, Syria. The attack resulted in the deaths of seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals who commanded the elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon.
Iran responded by launching approximately 300 missiles and drones towards Israel, intensifying the confrontation between the two nations.
