Tehran: Tensions between Iran and the United States reached new heights Monday as a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader delivered the clearest indication yet that Tehran might pursue nuclear weapons if attacked. Ali Larijani, a trusted adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made the stark warning on state television following US President Donald Trump's recent threat that "there will be bombing" if Iran failed to agree to a nuclear deal. "We are not moving towards weapons, but if you do something wrong in the Iranian nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself," Larijani stated in comments that represent a significant escalation in rhetoric from the Islamic Republic, which has consistently maintained its nuclear program serves exclusively peaceful purposes.
The extraordinary exchange follows Trump's weekend remarks reported by NBC News, in which the former president not only threatened military action but also promised to implement what he described as "secondary tariffs" against Iran. This dual-pronged approach of economic and military threats prompted an immediate and forceful response from Iran's highest authority. During a speech marking the end of Ramadan, Supreme Leader Khamenei warned, "They threaten to do mischief. If it is carried out, they will definitely receive a strong counterattack," signaling that Iran would not hesitate to respond to any American aggression.
The diplomatic fallout was swift, with Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani sending a formal letter to the United Nations Security Council condemning what he characterized as "warmongering provocations" from Washington. The letter emphasized that Iran "will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime." In a further display of diplomatic protest, Iran's foreign ministry summoned the charge d'affaires of the Swiss embassy, which represents American interests in Iran following the countries' diplomatic rupture decades ago.
Military leadership in Iran also joined the chorus of defiance, with General Amirali Hajizadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps delivering a thinly veiled threat: "The Americans have at least 10 bases in the region around Iran, and they have 50,000 troops." The general, who oversees Iran's formidable ballistic missile program, pointedly added that "someone who is in a glass room shouldn't throw stones at anyone," suggesting American military assets in the region could be vulnerable to Iranian counterattacks.
Reports from The Tehran Times indicate that Iran has allegedly "loaded all launchers" in its underground missile facilities—often referred to as "missile cities"—and stands ready to attack if provoked. This development marks a dangerous escalation in a conflict that has simmered for decades, with Western nations consistently accusing Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons capability despite Tehran's repeated denials. Iranian officials maintain that their uranium enrichment activities serve strictly peaceful purposes, primarily for energy generation and medical applications.
The current confrontation represents perhaps the most direct nuclear brinkmanship between the two adversaries since the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, an agreement from which the United States unilaterally withdrew under Trump's first administration in 2018. With both nations now seemingly entrenched in their positions—Trump demanding a new deal under threat of military action and Iran signaling preparedness for conflict rather than capitulation—the international community watches with growing concern as two longtime adversaries inch closer to potential armed conflict with nuclear dimensions.
