In response to US President Donald Trump’s warning to bomb Iran, an assistant to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday that the nation would have to acquire nuclear weapons if it were attacked by the US or its allies.
This comes after Iran’s top leader, Khamenei, threatened to retaliate if President Trump bombed Tehran if the nation does not engage in nuclear talks.
“We are not moving towards (nuclear) weapons, but if you do something wrong in the Iranian nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself,” stated Khamenei’s adviser Ali Larijani, according to the AFP news agency.
Larijani went on to say, “Iran does not want to do this, but… (it) will have no choice.” According to Khamenei’s counsel, “Iran would be forced to make a different decision” if the United States itself decided to bomb the Islamic nation or send in its allies, such as Israel.
Trump vowed to put secondary tariffs on Tehran on Saturday, saying that “there will be bombing” if Iran rejects a nuclear deal.
“There will be bombardment if they are unable to reach an agreement. According to NBC News, Trump stated, “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
It was the US government’s initial response to Iran’s rejection of its offer of direct talks last week.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, declared on Sunday that his nation had refused direct talks with the United States about the nuclear program.
“We do not shun conversations; what has troubled us thus far is the breaking of promises. They have to demonstrate their ability to earn trust,” Pezeshkian has previously stated.
