Iran threatens Israel, says it has the capacity to produce nuclear weapons

Iranian officials say the country has the capacity to produce nuclear weapons and could change its nuclear doctrine if its survival is threatened.

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, told Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen television on November 1 that Tehran is likely to increase the range of its ballistic missiles and reassess its nuclear doctrine amid tensions with Israel.

Iranian missiles during a military parade in 2023 in Tehran

Asked whether Iran was prepared if the conflict expanded after the recent exchange of attacks, Kharrazi said Iran was likely to increase the range of its ballistic missiles beyond its current self-imposed ceiling of 2,000 km.

According to Reuters, the adviser said that although Iran has the technical capacity to produce nuclear weapons, the country is not doing so because of a fatwa, or religious decision, issued by Supreme Leader Khamenei in the early 2000s, according to which the leader banned Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

The Islamic republic has long denied allegations that it is seeking to build nuclear weapons, insisting that Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, according to Reuters.

Iran's Supreme Leader: Don't Downplay or Exaggerate Israeli Airstrikes

Iranian officials have also said that the country does not need to increase the range of its ballistic missiles beyond 2,000 km because it already has weapons to attack US forces stationed in the region.

As for Israel, Mr. Kharrazi said Iran would respond at its own time and in its own way, in response to Tel Aviv's airstrikes near Tehran and other areas last week, following Iran's missile attack on Israeli territory on October 1.

According to CNN, an Israeli military source revealed that the country is in a high state of readiness for a possible Iranian response. The source said Israel is still assessing the decision-making process in Iran but added that Tehran is facing a difficult problem because its offensive and air defense capabilities have been weakened by the recent Israeli attack.

US media recently reported that Iran will carry out a "decisive and painful" response to Israel, possibly before the US presidential election on November 5.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/iran-de-doa-israel-noi-du-nang-luc-san-xuat-vu-khi-hat-nhan-185241101234455159.htm