Iranian MP claims Tehran is now equipped with nuclear bombs | The Gateway expert

Iranian lawmaker Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani claimed on Friday that Iran possesses nuclear weapons, despite the country’s formal policy under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The statement came shortly after the UN nuclear watchdog highlighted Iran’s ability to produce multiple nuclear bombs. Fox news reported.

Speaking to Rouydad 24, a local media outlet, Ardestani contradicted the official line that Iran is adhering to the JCPOA, which aims to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

“In my opinion, we have achieved nuclear weapons, but we are not announcing it. It means that it is our policy to possess nuclear bombs, but our stated policy currently falls within the framework of the JCPOA,” Ardestani said.

This controversial statement follows a warning from Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who recently stated that Iran has enriched enough uranium for several nuclear bombs.

The international community, especially the United States and Israel, have raised serious concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with the US withdrawing from the JCPOA in 2018 under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The conservative media exploded after it emerged that Barack Obama’s former Secretary of State, John Kerry, secretly met with Iranian officials to save Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Fox news reported:

Ardestani, who was re-elected to Iran’s quasi-parliament in March, added: “The reason is that when countries want to confront others, their capabilities must be compatible, and Iran’s compatibility with America and Israel means that Iran must have nuclear weapons. ”

The Iranian MP noted: “In a climate where Russia has attacked Ukraine and Israel has attacked Gaza, and Iran is a staunch supporter of the Resistance Front, it is normal that the containment system requires Iran to possess nuclear bombs. But whether Iran also explains this is another matter.” Fox News Digital sent press inquiries to Iran’s Foreign Ministry in Tehran and its UN mission in New York.

Experts on Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program warned against Ardestani’s apparently speculative comments. Jason Brodsky, the policy director of the US-based United Against a Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital that “Ardestani is just a member of parliament, and he is not at the core of the regime’s nuclear decision-making circle, so while his comments interesting, I think they need to be carefully weighed given his access and status.

Just two days before Ardestani’s announcement, Chairman of Iran’s Strategic Council for Foreign Relations Kamal Kharrazi told Al-Jazeera Network Qatar: “I announced two years ago in an interview with Al-Jazeera TV that Iran has the absorption capacity and the ability to produce an atomic bomb. Iran still has that capability, but we have not yet made the decision to produce an atomic bomb. However, if Iranian interests are threatened in this way, we can change this doctrine. The military officials in Iran have announced that if our nuclear facilities were attacked, we may change our military doctrine regarding the nuclear facilities.” The US-founded Middle East Media Institute (MEMRI) translated and published Kharrazi’s May 8 interview.

Brodsky said: “Kharrazi’s comments are part of a growing chorus of threats from Iranian officials that they will change Iran’s nuclear doctrine if Israel attacks them. The current advanced state of Iran’s nuclear program affords the country the luxury of making these threats as it hopes to deter Western policymakers from launching pressure campaigns on Tehran.”

Critics of the Biden administration’s Iran policy protest the White House strategy of de-escalation and containment Targeting Iran’s nuclear program has backfired. The Iranian regime – the world’s worst state sponsor of international terrorism – is moving at an astonishing pace toward securing an operational nuclear weapon.

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