Amid tensions, Iran’s president has issued a threat to ‘destroy’ Israel if it carries out military strikes on Tehran’s nuclear program, as reported by Mail Online.
The Jewish state is suspected of conducting a series of attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and a prominent scientist.
During a rare news conference on Monday, President Ebrahim Raisi stated that if Israel follows through with its threats to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, ‘they will see if anything from the Zionist regime will remain or not.’
Raisi emphasized that actions by Israel, such as ‘the assassination of (Iranian) nuclear scientists’ and ‘acts of sabotage’ against nuclear facilities, would not halt Iran’s nuclear program.
He also cautioned that any plan to restore Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers must involve international inspectors concluding their probe into man-made uranium particles found at undeclared sites in the country.
Seeking to maintain a positive outlook despite Iran’s economic challenges due to international sanctions, Raisi highlighted the ongoing negotiations for the nuclear deal.
While talks in Vienna are at a critical juncture, Tehran and Washington have exchanged written responses on the specifics of the roadmap, which aims to lift sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
For years, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been pressing Iran to address questions about man-made uranium particles found at undeclared sites.
U.S. intelligence agencies, Western nations, and the IAEA have asserted that Iran had an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003, although Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons.