Tehran: An adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Kamal Kharrazi, issued a stark warning, suggesting that Iran may alter its nuclear doctrine if faced with existential threats from Israel, sparking concerns over the possibility of an Iranian nuclear arsenal.
“We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb, but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” Kharrazi stated, as reported by Iran’s Student News Network on Thursday. He emphasized that Tehran has previously indicated its capability to develop such weapons.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had previously issued a fatwa in the early 2000s banning the development of nuclear weapons, reaffirming this stance in 2019 by declaring the building and stockpiling of nuclear bombs as religiously forbidden. However, Iran’s former intelligence minister hinted in 2021 that Western pressure could prompt Tehran to reconsider its nuclear ambitions.
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“In the case of an attack on our nuclear facilities by the Zionist regime (Israel), our deterrence will change,” Kharrazi emphasized.
Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated significantly in April, marked by Tehran’s direct launch of approximately 300 missiles and drones against Israel in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Damascus.
