Iran said that “Israel only understands the language of force,” and threatened to change its doctrine of possessing nuclear weapons if it was threatened.
The Iranian Mehr Agency quoted the head of the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations, Kamal Kharazi, as saying that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas’) acceptance of the ceasefire proposal by Qatar and Egypt, and its rejection by Israel, “indicates that Tel Aviv only understands the language of force.”
Kharazi added, “We will change our belief in possessing nuclear weapons if we are threatened.”
Last week, Hamas said that it informed the mediators in Qatar and Egypt of its approval of their proposal for a ceasefire, which includes three stages and includes a complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza, the return of the displaced, and an exchange of prisoners.
Despite Hamas’s approval of the deal proposal, the Israeli occupation army announced that its forces had begun a “surprise” attack against “the movement’s targets” east of Rafah, coinciding with its forces taking control of the Rafah crossing and intensifying its bombing of the city.
Kharazi – who is also an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – previously said that Tehran would be forced to change its nuclear doctrine if it was exposed to an existential threat from Israel, pointing to Iran’s ability to possess a nuclear weapon.
Kharazi added – in a previous interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Mubasher – that Tehran has not yet taken a decision to make a nuclear bomb, but “if Iran’s existence becomes threatened, there will be no choice but to change its military doctrine.”
He continued: “If the Zionist regime (Israel) launches an attack on our nuclear facilities, our deterrence will change.”
The Iranian official said that Tehran has already hinted that it has the ability to manufacture such weapons.