Amid the raging war with Hamas, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued yet another warning to Israel. Iran hinted at a change in its nuclear doctrine if Israel continues to threaten its existence in the ongoing turmoil in West Asia.
Kamal Kharrazi, the adviser, said that Iran will have no choice but to alter the military doctrine if Israel threatens its existence.
"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.
Since the Gaza war, tensions between Israel and Iran escalated. It further intensified after Iran's embassy in Syria was attacked in April. At least 11 people were killed in the attack, including two generals of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
"Recently, the military officials also announced that if Israel wants to attack nuclear facilities, it is possible and imaginable to revise Iran's nuclear doctrine and policies and divert from the previous declaration considerations,” said Kharrazi.
Iran claims that it has the capability of making a nuclear bomb. In the 2000s, Khamenei banned the development of nuclear weapons.
"In the case of an attack on our nuclear facilities by the Zionist regime, our deterrence will change," said Kharrazi.
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s efforts to engage in talks with Iran did not yield positive results of late. The head of the IAEA, Rafel Grossi alleged Iran's lack of cooperation.
"The present state is completely unsatisfactory for me. We are almost at an impasse and this needs to be changed," Grossi said, as quoted by news agency AFP.
