Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Email Print
Ali Larijani, advisor to the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, appears on state TV on March 31, 2025, issuing threats of pursuing nuclear weapons development if attacked
Three-minute read
Amidst a new wave of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, the Iranian regime has escalated its rhetoric and military posturing, including threats of pre-emptive strikes against U.S. assets in the region and retaliatory measures involving nuclear armament. The unfolding crisis underscores Tehran’s growing desperation and vulnerability as international pressure mounts.
On April 1, 2025, the IRGC’s naval forces announced the seizure of two foreign oil tankers, the Star 1 and Vintech, in the Persian Gulf. According to the IRGC, the tankers were allegedly carrying over three million liters of smuggled diesel fuel. While the regime claims the operation was aimed at combating fuel smuggling, analysts have noted that the timing coincides with increasing threats from Tehran over potential U.S. military action.
Ahmad Naderi, a member of the Presidium of the regime’s Parliament, explicitly called for the production of a nuclear bomb. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Naderi argued: “Observing Trump’s behavior and rhetoric during his first term toward North Korea shows that possessing a nuclear bomb has brought security to that country. For a long time, many of the nation’s elites and patriots have called for testing and announcing [a nuclear bomb]. If we were armed with a nuclear bomb, Trump would not dare to threaten bombing.”
#Iran News: #IRGC Telegram Hints at Nuclear Bomb Threat Amid International Pressureshttps://t.co/fuynLdqOnQ
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 5, 2025
Naderi’s public endorsement of nuclear armament underscores the regime’s broader ambitions and hypocrisy. A regime infamous for concealing its nuclear weapons program under the guise of “peaceful purposes” has been dispatching officials every now and then to openly threaten to weaponize its nuclear program. His remarks align with recent statements from other senior officials who have repeatedly invoked nuclear escalation as a tool of intimidation.
Speaking to state media on March 31, Ali Larijani, a senior advisor to the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, declared that if the U.S. or Israel launches a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Tehran would be forced to pursue nuclear weapons development. “If you pressure us, it will find secondary justification. The people will demand that, for the sake of national security, we build nuclear arms,” Larijani warned.
Furthermore, a high-ranking Iranian official speaking anonymously to The Telegraphclaimed that Iranian commanders have been ordered to prepare “pre-emptive strikes” against Diego Garcia, a strategic U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean, should Trump’s threats materialize. The official stated, “Commanders are under intense pressure to launch pre-emptive strikes on the island to force Trump to reconsider.”
Soona Samsami: "The regime in #Iran has never been so weak, so desperate as it's today. For this reason, it needs a nuclear bomb more than ever before to alter the balance of power in the region."#NuclearThreathttps://t.co/nU2yiZQzbG
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 31, 2025
Satellite imagery confirmed the presence of at least three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers at Diego Garcia last week, which the Iranian regime perceives as a direct threat. The source further added that some military officials have proposed launching missiles towards the island, not necessarily to hit any specific targets, but to send a clear warning signal to the U.S. government.
Meanwhile, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, openly threatened all U.S. military bases in the region. “The Americans have at least ten bases surrounding Iran, with over 50,000 troops. They are sitting in glass houses. If they act against us, we will shatter them.”
These threats underscore a regime besieged by escalating domestic unrest, economic deterioration, and growing diplomatic isolation. Far from projecting strength, Tehran’s increasingly erratic and belligerent rhetoric betrays the desperation of a clerical dictatorship struggling to maintain its grip on power.
The clerical regime’s actions reaffirm its status as a principal source of instability in the Middle East. Achieving lasting peace and security in the region necessitates regime change led by the Iranian people and their organized resistance, who persist in their struggle against oppression in pursuit of freedom and democracy.