Abbas Araghchi Threatens the West: If You Impose Sanctions, We Will Build an Atomic Bomb

On Thursday, December 8, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic threatened Western countries, stating, "If the West reactivates UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic, nuclear negotiations will shift towards the construction of nuclear weapons." Abbas Araghchi, who traveled to Lisbon to participate in a meeting with European negotiators, added: "The Islamic Republic has now acquired the capability and knowledge to build nuclear weapons, but this is not currently Tehran's security strategy." He strongly criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director General Rafael Grossi for issuing a resolution against the Islamic Republic last week, noting: "Rafael Grossi had promised Iran that he would prevent the approval of this resolution after Tehran proposed to limit uranium enrichment to 60% and allowed four nuclear inspectors to visit the country's nuclear sites, but he failed because the Europeans were not interested in understanding and cooperation, but rather confrontation and discord." The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic also attributed Tehran's decision to launch thousands of "new and very advanced" centrifuges to European pressure and the issuance of last week's resolution, emphasizing: "Iran remains within the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and is still seeking cooperation; we currently do not intend to go beyond 60% enrichment to reach a dignified solution to this problem." Abbas Araghchi expressed concern about the danger of Iran being placed again under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter and the return of all sanctions against the Islamic Republic, stating: "If European countries reimpose sanctions in the UN Security Council, everyone in Iran will be convinced that the previous nuclear doctrine was wrong, and I believe that if sanctions are reinstated, we will face a crisis." The IAEA Board of Governors condemned the Islamic Republic's non-cooperation with the Agency and its secrecy regarding Iran's nuclear activities in a resolution passed on Thursday, December 1, 2023. The three European countries, Britain, France, and Germany, issued a resolution demanding Tehran to take "immediate and necessary actions" to cooperate with the IAEA Board of Governors to resolve compliance issues. The mentioned resolution also called on the Iranian government to provide "the necessary information, documents, and responses required by the Agency" and to facilitate access to locations and materials needed by the Agency's inspectors. Following this condemnation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic issued a joint statement declaring: "This politicized, unrealistic, and destructive approach has undermined the positive atmosphere created and the agreements resulting from it, and for this reason, the order to launch a series of new and advanced centrifuges has been issued."