Amid heightened tensions following the Islamic Republic’s drone and missile attacks on Israel over the weekend, Iran has warned Israel that it is likely to review its nuclear posture if its nuclear facilities are threatened.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday it may “reconsider” its nuclear policy, which Tehran has long insisted is purely peaceful, but which Western countries believe threatens to turn the country into a weapons state. He claims to be one step closer.
The warning comes after the US and UK announced new sanctions against Iran’s drone program following Saturday’s attack on Israel.
“Reexamining the nuclear policy and nuclear policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. . . . If a pseudo-Zionist regime threatens to attack our nation’s nuclear centers, it is entirely possible and conceivable that it will do so.” said Maj. Gen. Ahmad Haq Talab, who oversees security.
His comments were published in the semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s most powerful military.
Regime hardliners have previously threatened that Iran could withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty, which governs nuclear facilities around the world, at a time of heightened tensions with the West.
Haq Talab warned Israel that any attack on Iranian facilities would be retaliated with Israeli nuclear weapons facilities. The Jewish state has never admitted possessing nuclear weapons.
Israel has vowed to respond to last weekend’s attack on Iran, in which the Iranian government launched more than 300 missiles and drones.
In response to the assault, Washington on Thursday announced sanctions against 16 individuals and two companies that help manufacture drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, in line with measures announced by Britain.
US President Joe Biden said: “We are committed to acting collectively to increase economic pressure on Iran,” and his administration will “take all necessary actions to hold Iran accountable.” I won’t hesitate to take it,” he added.
“Our allies and partners have imposed or plan to impose additional sanctions and measures to limit Iran’s destabilizing military programs,” Biden said.
Other restraints announced by Britain on Thursday included measures against Iran’s Defense Minister, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, as well as institutions and personnel responsible for directing Iranian military operations.
The Iranian government announced last weekend’s attacks (from Iranian territory to Israel) in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Damascus that killed seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, including two senior commanders. announced that it had launched the first direct attack on Japan.
The United States and other Western allies are pressuring Israel to show restraint, fearing that hostilities between Iran and Israel risk sparking an all-out conflict in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday: “Let me be clear: We have made our own decisions and the State of Israel will do whatever it takes to protect itself.”
Israel has not said the timing or scale of its counterattack, but Iran has vowed to retaliate against any Israeli attack on the republic.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Thursday at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers that “we are on the brink of regional war in the Middle East” and urged Israel to “respond to Iranian aggression.” I asked for
Over the years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to take action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The US-based Arms Control Association said in a paper this week that targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities “would be a reckless and irresponsible escalation that would increase the risk of a broader regional war.” . . And it is likely to force Tehran to decide that developing nuclear weapons is necessary to deter future attacks. ”
Tehran and Washington have been in a nuclear crisis since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally reneged on Tehran’s agreements with world powers in 2018 and imposed a series of sanctions on the republic.
Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear activities and strict oversight from the International Atomic Energy Agency in exchange for sanctions relief.
But after President Trump withdrew the US from the deal, Iran responded by aggressively ramping up its program, installing advanced centrifuges and enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, Iran’s highest purity ever. .
Experts typically cite 90 percent purity as the grade for weapons, but Iran has already taken the most difficult technical steps to reach that point.
The Biden administration’s efforts to revive the 2015 deal have stalled, with Iran developing the ability to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon in about two weeks.
In September, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a prisoner exchange, and the U.S. government unfrozen $6 billion in Iranian oil money. It was hoped that the adversaries would build on these agreements and agree to de-escalation measures, including a cap on Iran’s uranium enrichment.
However, hopes for progress were dashed by the October 7 Hamas attack and Israeli retaliatory strikes in Gaza. In the months since then, hostilities have escalated across the Middle East, with Iranian-backed extremists attacking Israeli and U.S. forces in the region.
Israel engages in daily firefights with Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group and Iran’s most important proxy, and targets members of the Revolutionary Guards in Syria.
The IAEA continues to send inspectors to Iran, but the United Nations watchdog and Western governments have repeatedly accused Tehran of not cooperating with the agency.
Iranian nuclear envoy Mohammed Eslami told reporters on Wednesday that Iran could remain committed to the 2015 nuclear deal if other signatories fulfill their commitments to ease sanctions against Iran. . He said the IAEA chief would visit Iran “soon” to “update” the mutual agreement.
