Days after the end of an agreement with European powers that limited Iran‘s nuclear arsenal, the regime renewed nuclear threats against Israel, adding that President Donald Trump‘s military operations to weaken its nuclear capabilities were insufficient.
“[Iran is] prepared for any scenario,” Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday. “We are at the apex of preparedness at all levels. Israel will suffer another defeat in any future war.”
As Araghchi noted, Iran was able to restart its nuclear program because while Trump’s Operation Midnight Hammer wiped out the country’s existing nuclear arsenal, it left intact its most critical element — the technological framework behind it.
“Our nuclear buildings and equipment are damaged, but our technology remains intact,” he added.
According to Araghchi, the regime’s top diplomat, the blow to Iran’s nuclear arsenal only handed it crucial experience that strengthened its offensive.
“We have gained a lot of experience from the recent war and tested our missiles in a real battle,” he said. “If the Zionist regime launches an attack, it will come with dire consequences for it.”
Araghchi’s statement comes less than two weeks after the Oct. 18 expiration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which Iran signed with European powers in 2015 to limit its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions.
In his statement, Araghchi also promised the regime would no longer engage in disarmament negotiations, which shows that it will no longer compromise with others on its nuclear ambitions.
“There will be no negotiations on our missile program. It would be foolish if one hands over his weapons,” he said.
Araghchi’s statement comes as a clear threat to Israel, as well as the United States and its Western allies.
Through its financing of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, its June missile strike on a U.S. air base in Qatar, and its constant barrage of missiles directed at Israel, Iran has long expressed its hatred toward Israel and the U.S.
A day after Araghchi’s remarks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the regime plans to rebuild the nuclear arsenal “stronger than ever.”
“Destroying buildings and factories will not create a problem for us,” he added. “We will rebuild and with greater strength.”
Despite Pezeshkian’s claim that the nuclear facilities will solely be used for civilian purposes rather than military purposes, sources close to the regime took the president’s words as a serious threat.
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“We want to return to the negotiations between Iran [and] the United States,” said Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, foreign minister of Oman, which has long been a mediator between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic.
Pezeshkian also did not refute Busaidi’s promise to deliver another “defeat” to Israel, and confirmed the nuclear facilities will be used to build weapons.