Iraqchi Warns of Possible Change in Iran's Nuclear Policy; Netanyahu's Reaction

Following recent statements by Iran's Foreign Minister regarding the possibility of a "change in the nuclear doctrine" of the Islamic Republic if the trigger mechanism is activated, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his country would take any necessary actions to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On Thursday evening, December 8, Netanyahu told Channel 14 of Israeli television that his country would resort to "whatever is necessary" and use "all available means" to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Two days earlier, Netanyahu had also mentioned that the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon would allow Israel to focus more on Iran. The Israeli Prime Minister's remarks came just hours after the statements of Abbas Iraqchi, Iran's Foreign Minister. In Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, Iraqchi claimed that Iran possesses the knowledge and capability to build nuclear weapons, but this issue has "not yet found a place in Iran's nuclear doctrine and security strategy." According to a report by The Guardian, which published Iraqchi's statements, the Iranian Foreign Minister warned that if Western countries continue their threats to restore all UN sanctions against Iran, it is likely that Tehran will also change its approach and move towards producing nuclear weapons. Iraqchi's remarks were made ahead of negotiations between Iran and representatives of the three European countries involved in the JCPOA. The U.S. stated that it would not participate in the negotiations between Iran and the three European countries. In the negotiations scheduled for Friday in Geneva, Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, is set to discuss with representatives from Britain, France, and Germany. Iraqchi also claimed that following Tehran's agreement not to increase its 60% enriched uranium stockpile and granting permission for the return of four IAEA inspectors to Iran, Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the UN monitoring agency, had promised to prevent the issuance of a punitive resolution; an action that, according to the senior Iranian diplomat, failed due to the "confrontational approach of the three European countries." The Iranian Foreign Minister confirmed the operationalization of "thousands of new and advanced centrifuges" and the commencement of gas injection into them, attributing this action to the issuance of a punitive resolution by the Board of Governors and the continued pressure from Western countries. The senior diplomat of the Islamic Republic emphasized that Tehran's nuclear activities still comply with its commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that there is currently no plan to increase uranium enrichment purity beyond 60%, while warning that there is "no guarantee for continued cooperation between Iran and the West." Iraqchi claimed that Iran has adopted a "cooperation strategy aimed at reaching an acceptable solution"; however, the behavior of Western countries, according to him, has fueled a new discourse within Iran and at all levels of society regarding the potential need to revise the country's nuclear and security doctrine. According to Iraqchi, many state leaders and even ordinary people argue that after years of negotiations and Iran's acceptance of unilateral commitments, the West has shown that it is not willing to fulfill its reciprocal commitments, and as a result, the current policy is "mistaken and should be revised in the nuclear approach." While discussing the possibility of a change in Iran's approach and moving towards a military nuclear program, Iraqchi simultaneously emphasized the ongoing fatwa of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, which prohibits the production and use of nuclear weapons. Previously, some other figures in the Islamic Republic, including Kamal Kharrazi, former Foreign Minister and senior advisor to Ali Khamenei, had also warned about the potential change in Tehran's nuclear doctrine. In another part of his remarks, the Iranian Foreign Minister, while emphasizing the history of "legitimate" military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, again denied the sending of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. Iraqchi also emphasized Tehran's commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity, stating that questioning Iran's military cooperation with Russia by Western countries is illegitimate, given their military support for Israel to be used against "Palestinians and Lebanese." The senior Iranian diplomat rejected the "proxy nature" of groups aligned with Tehran in the region, emphasizing that if needed and at the request of Hezbollah, Iran would continue to provide military support to this group. Hezbollah is both a militant group and a political party. The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization, but the European Union has placed its military wing on the blacklist while not labeling its political wing as terrorist. The political wing of Hezbollah also has representatives in the Lebanese parliament. Simultaneously, the Iranian Foreign Minister described Netanyahu's claim about focusing on the threat from Iran after the ceasefire in Lebanon as "ridiculous and meaningless," emphasizing that Iran is not seeking war but is prepared for it, addressing Israeli leaders that they can test this matter. Iraqchi referred to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of Hamas's political bureau in Tehran on the day of Masoud Pezeshkian's swearing-in as the new president of Iran, stating that he has had to "spend the first hundred days of his activity as Foreign Minister preventing the onset of a full-scale war."