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.
More Worthy News
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Cambridge Christian School v. Florida High School Athletic Association, effectively letting stand a lower-court ruling that bars two Christian schools from offering a brief pre-game prayer over a stadium loudspeaker — even though both teams wanted the prayer and the event was between two private Christian schools.
President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that the United States will move forward with selling advanced F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, announcing the decision just one day before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at the White House for a high-profile visit aimed at deepening economic, technological, and defense cooperation.
The UN Security Council voted 13-0 on Monday to adopt a sweeping U.S.-drafted resolution that codifies President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, endorses a new International Stabilization Force (ISF), and formally recognizes the establishment of a “Board of Peace” to be chaired by Trump himself. Russia and China abstained, allowing the measure to pass without a veto.
Questions have been raised about the future of one of Europe’s largest on-shore natural-gas reserves after parts of the Dutch province of Groningen were struck by one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded there.
Gunmen abducted 25 students from a girls’ school in northwest Nigeria early Monday after killing at least one staff member, adding to fears among the nation’s Christian minority, police and other sources confirmed.
South Africa has launched an investigation after 153 Palestinians unexpectedly arrived on a chartered flight at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport last week, prompting questions over who organized the journey and whether any fleeing Hamas fighters or officials may have been among them.
A planned auction of more than 600 Holocaust-era artifacts was cancelled in Germany after an outcry from survivors, victims’ families, civil society groups, and top government officials.