Iran claims it can “make a nuclear bomb” but reiterates peaceful intentions of its program

Jul. 17 () –

The head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Kamal Jarazi, considered one of the closest elements to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has declared that his country has the technology to manufacture a nuclear bomb, but instead has decided to go for a peaceful program despite the suspicions of the United States and the Western community.

Jarazi has made these comments to Al Jazeera channel at a time when the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and the international community is virtually suspended.

The United States withdrew three years later under the Trump administration and reimposed US sanctions that weighed on the Islamic republic until the agreement was signed. Since then, Tehran has resumed its uranium enrichment operations.

“It is no secret,” Jarazi declared, that “Iran has the technical capabilities to make an atomic bomb, but it has decided not to do so,” before again pointing to the United States as the main culprit in blocking the talks in Vienna to revive the agreement.

“There are no guarantees from the US regarding the preservation of the nuclear agreement, and that eliminates the possibility of any pact,” explained the senior Iranian official, who also accused the UN nuclear agency of lacking impartiality. “If it were fair and independent, it would have been easy to resolve differences,” he commented.

On the other hand, Jarazi has defended the Iranian military operations around Israel as a defense mechanism against the Hebrew state, “which is going through a moment of weakness” before warning that “any attempt by countries allied with Israel to attack Iran will be answered not only against them, but directly against Israel.”