NEW DELHI: Iran‘s recent comment on the nuclear doctrine dropped a hint that the Middle East tension can further escalate and also raised concerns amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Sayyid Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said that Iran will have to change its nuclear doctrine if its existence is threatened by Israel, Times of Israel reported.
“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 said, as reported by Iran’s Student News Network on Thursday, adding that Tehran has already signaled it has the potential to build such weapons.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa in the early 2000s prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons, reaffirming his position in 2019, stating that building and stockpiling nuclear bombs is wrong and using it is “haram” (religiously forbidden)… Although the country has nuclear technology.
Nonetheless, in 2021, Iran’s former intelligence minister suggested that Western pressure might compel Tehran to pursue nuclear weapons, reported Times of Israel.
“In the case of an attack on our nuclear facilities by the Zionist regime (Israel), our deterrence will change,” Kharrazi, who is a former foreign minister, added in the remarks published Thursday.
Escalating threat
The conflict between Iran and Israel escalated dramatically in April, sparked by 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 high-ranking generals who commanded the elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera.
In retaliation, Iran launched approximately 300 missiles and drones towards Israel. Since 2017, Israel has frequently targeted sites associated with Iran and Hezbollah in Syria, with the frequency and intensity of these strikes increasing, particularly after the commencement of its conflict with Gaza in October of last year.
Sayyid Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said that Iran will have to change its nuclear doctrine if its existence is threatened by Israel, Times of Israel reported.
“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 said, as reported by Iran’s Student News Network on Thursday, adding that Tehran has already signaled it has the potential to build such weapons.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa in the early 2000s prohibiting the development of nuclear weapons, reaffirming his position in 2019, stating that building and stockpiling nuclear bombs is wrong and using it is “haram” (religiously forbidden)… Although the country has nuclear technology.
Nonetheless, in 2021, Iran’s former intelligence minister suggested that Western pressure might compel Tehran to pursue nuclear weapons, reported Times of Israel.
“In the case of an attack on our nuclear facilities by the Zionist regime (Israel), our deterrence will change,” Kharrazi, who is a former foreign minister, added in the remarks published Thursday.
Escalating threat
The conflict between Iran and Israel escalated dramatically in April, sparked by 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 high-ranking generals who commanded the elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera.
In retaliation, Iran launched approximately 300 missiles and drones towards Israel. Since 2017, Israel has frequently targeted sites associated with Iran and Hezbollah in Syria, with the frequency and intensity of these strikes increasing, particularly after the commencement of its conflict with Gaza in October of last year.
