Opinion | Iran Just Made a Big Mistake. Israel Shouldn’t Follow.
New York TimesApr 15
Iran Could Build Nuclear Weapons if Existence Threatened, Official Says
Image copyright: Ramin Talaie/Contributor/Corbis Historical via Getty Images
The Facts
On Thursday, Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Iran could change its nuclear doctrine and pursue the production of nuclear weapons if the country's existence were to be threatened.
Kharrazi is quoted as saying that if Israel were to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which it has long insisted are for peaceful purposes, the country's "deterrence will change" and it will be left with "no choice" but to build nuclear weapons.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
It is of the utmost importance that Israel curb its aggression against Iran to avoid inflaming further tensions. Instead, the global community needs to come together to isolate Iran and not give in to these brazen nuclear provocations, avoiding any direct confrontations. To avoid a disastrous war, and hasten the downfall of an unpopular regime, deterrence and isolation are the prudent choice.
Pro-Israel narrative
The genocidal regime in Tehran has indicated that it will rule out nothing to destroy Israel. While the West is focused on mollycoddling Iran, the ayatollah will continue working towards a nuclear arsenal and supporting a proxy war against Israel. Washington's policy of restraint has not deterred Iran or its nuclear ambitions, but a strong show of force to protect Israel will.
Establishment-critical narrative
The settler-colonial state of Israel is intent on wiping out any opposition to their antagonizing influence on the region. Iran is merely acting in their own self-interest in the face of ferocious Israeli and Western aggression and is entitled to take any steps necessary to ensure the survival of the republic. This statement is only of concern to those war-mongers who seek to destroy Iran.
Nerd narrative
There is a 51% chance Iran will possess a nuclear weapon before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.