US Response to Implicit Threat from Khamenei's Advisor: The Islamic Republic Will Never Acquire Nuclear Weapons

The spokesperson for the US State Department, referring to recent threats from Iranian officials regarding a potential change in the regime's nuclear policy, stated: "The United States guarantees that Iran will never reach nuclear weapons." Matthew Miller said on Thursday, May 20, in response to a question about the recent threat from Kamal Kharrazi, senior advisor to Ali Khamenei, regarding a possible change in the Islamic Republic's nuclear policy if the regime's existence is threatened, adding: "These statements are irresponsible. As the President and Secretary of State have repeatedly stated, the United States will not allow the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons by any means." He continued: "We still believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve a sustainable and effective solution with the Iranian government and will continue to use various tools to achieve that goal, but we emphasize that all options remain on the table and will be used if necessary." The spokesperson also noted that due to the escalation of the Islamic Republic's destructive actions worldwide and their refusal to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, we are currently far from achieving a diplomatic solution. Kamal Kharrazi, head of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and senior advisor to Ali Khamenei, stated on Thursday, May 20, "We have no intention to build a nuclear bomb, but if the existence of the country is threatened, we will have to change our nuclear and military doctrine." Jawad Karimi Qodusi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also wrote earlier in May amid military tensions between the Islamic Republic and Israel: "If permission is granted, we are one week away from conducting the first test." Users on social media interpreted this post from the conservative representative of the Islamic Republic's parliament as a "threat to build a bomb," but Karimi Qodusi wrote a day later in a new post: "If permission is granted, we are one week away from conducting the first test of increasing missile range to 12,000 kilometers." Ali Akbar Salehi, former Foreign Minister and former head of the Islamic Republic's Atomic Energy Organization, also implicitly stated in a television program in late February 2023 that Tehran has the "necessary capability to build a nuclear bomb." These statements come while officials of the Islamic Republic have previously claimed that according to the "fatwa" of the Supreme Leader, building nuclear weapons is "haram." Kharrazi's advisor: If the "existence" of the Islamic Republic is threatened, we will change our "military and nuclear doctrine." Grossi in Isfahan: The Islamic Republic should take "real, tangible, and practical" steps. The Islamic Republic claims that negotiations with Grossi have been "positive"; Reuters quotes diplomats: We must be wary of "empty promises." The US has urged China and Russia not to entrust nuclear weapons control to "artificial intelligence." The US, UK, and Canada have coordinated sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Prince Reza Pahlavi: The Islamic Republic has made Iran the "North Korea of the Middle East." Karimi Qodusi's claim about nuclear fuel production: We are half a day away from producing 90% uranium.