Iran must build a nuclear bomb to ensure “peace and calm,” an Iranian media outlet linked to the Revolutionary Guards Corps has said.
In an article published on Sunday, under the title, “No choice but to build the atomic bomb,” Fars said Iran must negotiate with its enemies from a position of strength—which means having nuclear weapons.
“To achieve the peace and calm that Iran needs, it must absolutely reach nuclear deterrence to ensure that the rest of the issues can be resolved through negotiation,” the piece says, before comparing Iran’s situation to that of China in the 1970s.
“America threatened China with nuclear attack twice—similar to Trump’s recent nuclear threats against Iran—but when did Kissinger secretly meet with the Chinese and then negotiate? It was when China built the atomic bomb.”
“Nuclear deterrence means that you can reach a balance of power against America and Israel, who possess atomic bombs—not so that war does not happen, but so that the scope of conflict remains controllable.”
Iranian politicians have echoed the article’s argument in recent days.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement on X on Friday that “Iran’s military capabilities ensure the Iranian people’s inherent right to legitimate self-defence in the face of aggression and crimes, while at the same time guaranteeing peace and stability in the region.”
He also accused Iran’s Gulf neighbours of “engaging in aggression against their Muslim neighbor,” and “remaining silent regarding the Israeli nuclear arsenal.”
Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the US and Iran this month, Iran agreed to allow international nuclear inspectors back into the country and also said it would not develop nuclear weapons.
The US has called for a 20-year pause on all uranium enrichment by Iran.
Hostilities resumed over the weekend as the US and Iran traded tit-for-tat attacks after the US accused Iran of attacking commercial shipping.
US forces attacked Iranian missile, drone and radar sites after Iran attacked a Singapore-flagged vessel on Friday.
In response, Iran hit US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The Revolutionary Guards Corps said it “destroyed eight important US military facilities at the Ali al-Salem base in Kuwait and at the Fifth Fleet naval base in Port Salman in Bahrain.”
The extent of the damage is not clear.
After the attacks on shipping, President Trump warned Iran negotiations for lasting peace could end, with disastrous consequences for the Islamic regime in Tehran.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started.” Trump said on Truth Social.
“If that happens the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”
Late on Sunday, a US official said the two sides have agreed to stop attacking each other.
“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU [memorandum of understanding]. Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” the official said.
3 Responses
In all reality, if I had a radical terrorist neighbor like Israel, id want a nuke as well.
The wars will mostly end once the AI control grids are operational.
This from the dying western republics.
A joke, but not really.
Why lie, Alex?
This is what really happened: “Several outlets warned that “Iran” now says it has no choice but to build a nuclear bomb. Not true.
Iranian media published an opinion piece making that argument. That is not the same thing as an official Iranian government position, an IRGC directive, or a policy announcement from Tehran.
The piece argued that Iran needs nuclear deterrence to force the U.S. and Israel to negotiate from a position of equality. That is a domestic strategic argument, not a declaration that Iran is building a bomb.
Iran’s official position remains that nuclear weapons are forbidden under Ayatollah Khamenei’s fatwa, first publicly reported in 2003 and later cited by Iran at the IAEA.
So no, “Iran” did not announce that it is building a nuclear bomb. A writer in Iranian media argued that it should.
That distinction matters. But apparently it matters less when the panic headline is already written.”