Iran to pursue nuclear weapons if U.S. strikes, warns senior official

Iran will develop nuclear weapons if Donald Trump launches military strikes against the country, a senior official has said.

Iran will develop nuclear weapons if Donald Trump launches military strikes against the country, a senior official has said.

Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker and senior adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned the United States to “change its behaviour” after a military build-up on the UK-US base on Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands.

Tehran insists it is not developing nuclear weapons, but Mr Larijani said: “If they [Americans] move toward bombing Iran themselves or through Israel, they will force Iran to make a different decision, which is also not in America’s interest.

“If the US makes a mistake regarding Iran’s nuclear issue, it will force Iran to move toward nuclear weapons because Iran must defend itself.”

The United States has deployed stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia military base, in a warning to Iran and its rebel proxies. Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen have been attacking Israel and terrorising dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea.

Mr Trump ordered a campaign against the group of “sinister mobsters and thugs”.

Mr Larijani said the Islamic Republic adheres to a religious edict, or fatwa, issued by Khamenei prohibiting nuclear weapons development.

“The Leader’s fatwa says that we will not pursue nuclear weapons. A fatwa is different from political directives, and his letter has already been registered once at the United Nations,” he said.