By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Iran’s strategic advisor warned Israel on Friday that the Islamic Republic is mulling producing nuclear weapons and may increase the range of its ballistic missiles after the Jewish nation recently struck its air defense systems.

“We now have the technical capabilities necessary to produce nuclear weapons,” Kamal Kharrazi, Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations head, told pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.

He stressed that Iran’s nuclear doctrine could change if the nation faced an “existential threat.”

Tehran had long claimed that its nuclear program was “for peaceful purposes,” though Israel has for years expressed doubts about these assertions.

“We are ready for war, but we do not want to escalate because we have currently proven our ability to deter from doing so,” Kharrazi claimed.

“The matter is up to the Israelis – if they really want to continue, we will respond to them. Our missile capabilities are clear to everyone and everyone believes in them, and we have proven that during our operations,” he said.

However, Iranian officials have said privately that Iran’s capabilities were severely limited in last weekend’s strikes by Israel, which also destroyed one S-300 system in April and three this past weekend.

‘NAKED IRAN’

It left Iran “naked” without a defense umbrella to target incoming missiles, according to the Israeli sources familiar with the situation.

Yet Kharrazi added that Iran will respond to the Israeli retaliatory attack “at the appropriate time” and that it is likely that Tehran “will increase the firing range” of their ballistic missiles.

Israel said it hit the military sites in response to Tehran’s recent launch of some 200 missiles toward the Jewish nation.

In a sign that was due to worry Israel and its Western allies, Kharrazi also warned that Tehran would increase cooperation with Moscow and Beijing to help “build a new international system to be free from the West’s hegemony and authority.”

Iran already delivered drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine, a development that Israel and the West have closely followed, several sources have confirmed.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said last month that Russia had launched more than 8,000 Iran-developed Shahed drones at Ukraine since it began its full-scale invasion 2-1/2 years ago. “The partnership between Russia and Iran has resulted in lost homes and lost lives,” the foreign ministry recalled.

Kyiv first accused Iran of supplying Shahed kamikaze drones to Russia in the autumn of 2022, with Moscow’s troops subsequently using them extensively for regular long-range attacks.

UN AGENCY

Additionally, Kharrazi made clear that Iran closely watches Israel’s military operations against its proxy Hamas in Gaza.

The official condemned the Israeli move to ban the U.N. refugee agency in Gaza after an investigation showed that nine employees may have been involved in the Hamas massacre of some 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.

“Israel’s prevention of the [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] UNRWA from delivering water and food to the besieged people of Gaza is the height of hostility to human values,” he said.

Israel has denied halting aid to Gaza and says it is open to cooperation with other aid agencies.

However, Israel’s government says much of the aid has been stolen by Hamas or sold for high prices to Palestinians.

The Hamas-run health ministry claims more than 43,000 people have died in the 13-month war in Gaza sparked by the Hamas massage.

That death toll has been difficult to verify independently, and Hamas-run authorities do not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians.

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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