Iran Warns U.S. and Israel: We Will Build Nuclear Weapons If Our Existence Is Threatened

Iran has issued a caution to its rivals, the United States and Israel, stating that it might consider developing a nuclear weapon if it feels its existence is under threat.

Kamal Kharrazi, who advises Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed on May 9 that although Iran has not planned to create a nuclear bomb, it may have to rethink its military strategy if its survival is at risk.

He mentioned that any attack on Iran’s nuclear sites by Israel could lead to a shift in their approach to deterrence, as reported by Iran’s Student News Network.

The Supreme Leader, who has ultimate authority over nuclear matters, had previously declared the making of nuclear weapons as forbidden under Islamic law through a religious decree in the early 2000s. However, in 2021, the intelligence minister of Iran at the time suggested that external pressures might compel the nation to consider acquiring nuclear arms.

Currently, Iran is processing uranium to a purity level of 60 percent, which is below the 90 percent typically required for weapons-grade material. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has indicated that if Iran were to further enrich the nuclear material it possesses, it would be enough for two nuclear bombs.

Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated into direct conflict in April following an alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.

This incident resulted in the deaths of seven members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals. In response, Iran launched approximately 300 missiles and drones at Israel.