By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Iran threatened Friday to launch a regional war and suggested it could build an atomic bomb if its nuclear sites are attacked by Israel or the Jewish nation’s allies, such as the United States.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, reportedly said that “Iran has the ability to build a nuclear weapon, but we choose not to do so” after similar remarks by an adviser of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Late last year, Kamal Kharrazi, the Khamenei adviser, said Iran has the capacity to produce nuclear weapons and is prepared to change its policies on using them if faced with an “existential threat.”
Speaking in an interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera television that aired Friday, Araqchi warned that “if the U.S. intends to attack Iran’s nuclear program, it will be their biggest mistake in history, and we will certainly respond. They know where we can target them.”
He stressed that Iran would respond immediately and decisively if its nuclear sites were attacked, which would lead to an “all-out war in the region.”
BROADER CONCERNS
He spoke amid concern among Iran’s top Islamic decision-makers that U.S. President Donald J. Trump will enable Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran’s nuclear sites while further tightening U.S. sanctions on Tehran’s oil industry.
The previous Biden administration had urged Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear sites, citing concerns about the prospect of broader instability in the Middle East.
Analysts say, however, that these worries, coupled with mounting anger within Iran over economic conditions, could drive Tehran toward negotiations with the Trump administration over the fate of its fast-advancing nuclear program.
Earlier this month, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied suggestions that his Islamic Republic plotted to kill then-President-elect Trump after two previous attempts on his life in 2024.
Pezeshkian also insisted that Iran’s nuclear program was still “peaceful” but warned Trump against risking “war.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Russia and North Korea have agreed to “strengthen” their strategic relationship amid indications that Moscow will use more North Korean forces and weapons in its war against Ukraine.
Baptist Christians in northern Nigeria are mourning the death of their pastor who was among two killed during a worship service, while several Christians were murdered or abducted elsewhere, Worthy News learned Saturday.
France and Saudi Arabia will convene a high-level international conference aimed at advancing the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on July 28-29, multiple diplomatic sources confirmed Friday.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the United States has reached a new deal with NATO to provide weapons to Ukraine, with full reimbursement from the alliance. The announcement follows growing frustration over Russia’s intensifying assault on Ukrainian civilians and a temporary Pentagon pause on U.S. arms shipments earlier this month.
Civilians backed by Sudanese security forces have demolished the building of a Pentecostal Church in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, Christians told Worthy News Friday.
There was mounting concern Friday that Ukraine will be split up under a future peace deal and that Kyiv will be forced to accept it due to relentless Russian long-range drone and missile strikes.
A major Christian advocacy group has asked Colombia’s government to urgently “conduct a full and coordinated investigation” into the disappearance of a Roman Catholic priest who was last seen on June 17.