Leader’s aide: If US strikes, Iran may have no choice but to go nuclear

A senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned that if the United States and Israel bomb Iran under any nuclear pretext, the Islamic Republic may have no choice but to go nuclear.

Ali Larijani sounded the alert on Monday, after US President Donald Trump has in multiple times during the past several days threatened Iran with bombardment if Tehran refused to strike a new agreement on its nuclear program with Washington.

“Iran has gained a distinguished position among major powers, and most Western countries want to establish independent relations with Iran. However, due to US pressure, they have not taken a definitive stance,” he said in an interview.

Back in May 2018, the US began to unilaterally impose sanctions against Iran after Trump pull out his country from the 2015 nuclear deal – officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - between Iran and world powers.

The then-Trump administration launched what it called a maximum pressure campaign against Iran at the time, targeting the Iranian nation with the “toughest ever” embargoes through returning the sanctions that the agreement had lifted, and imposing even more illegal and unilateral bans against Tehran.

Retaliating against the measures, Iran took legitimate nuclear steps that have featured its operationalizing advanced centrifuges, among other things.

“If the US or Israel bomb Iran under the pretext of Iran’s nuclear issue, the Islamic Republic will be forced to move towards producing nuclear bombs. Iranian people will pressure us to develop nuclear weapons,” Larijani stressed.

Trump revealed in early March that he had sent a letter to Iran. At the same time, he reinstated his maximum pressure policy against Iran by imposing fresh sanctions on the country. The letter was delivered to Tehran on March 12 by UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.

On March 27, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran’s official response to the US president’s letter had been sent through Oman.

Iran has stressed time and again that it will not sit at the negotiating table with the US administration as Trump continues his pressure campaign against Tehran.

“Military action against Iran will not be without consequences. The content of Trump's letter is almost the same rhetoric he always repeats,” further said Larijani, who served as parliament speaker between 2008 and 2020.

Iran has ruled out direct negotiations with the US under pressure but has said it is open to indirect talks.

“Indirect negotiations are about understanding each side’s demands and concessions. In the nuclear issue, Trump disrupted the agreement, but Iran’s nuclear program cannot be destroyed by bombing,” Larijani stressed.

In letter to UN, Iran condemns Trump's 'reckless, belligerent remarks'

Iran has strongly condemned Trump

In an interview with NBC News late last week, Trump threatened that “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”

On Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei warned that if the US commits any hostile act against the Islamic Republic, “it will certainly receive a heavy blow in return.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani noted that most politicians consider Trump's statements to be mere rhetoric, adding that Ayatollah Khamenei did not consider the JCPOA a good agreement because a US president easily broke his country’s commitments, “whereas we upheld ours.”

“The Leader’s fatwa prohibits nuclear weapons, but if the US makes a mistake, public pressure will force Iran toward nuclear armament,” Larijani stressed.

“Western discussions revolve around destabilizing Iran from within. Despite economic discontent, the Islamic Republic enjoys strong public support. The bond between the people and the Revolution is like that between a parent and child,” the Leader’s advisor further emphasized.

Last month, Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed Trump’s outreach for talks, criticizing him of attempting to deceive global public opinion by portraying the United States as willing to negotiate while framing Iran as unwilling to engage. 

Iran remains the most verified Member State of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear agency, having put the country’s nuclear program under the agency’s most comprehensive and frequent verification processes over decades.

Ayatollah Khamenei – through a relevant fatwa (religious decree) – has banned pursuance, acquisition, and storage of non-conventional weapons by the Islamic Republic that is among the first signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

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