Ali Larijani—senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei—declared that if Israel or the United States dares to strike Iran, the Islamic Republic will “be forced to pursue nuclear weapons.”
This statement, delivered with the confidence of a regime that believes itself immune to international consequence, confirms what Israel has warned the world for decades: Iran’s nuclear program is not for peaceful purposes. It is a weapon-in-waiting, the final piece in the regime’s plan to dominate the Middle East and annihilate the Jewish state.
Larijani’s statement is not a defensive posture. It is a threat. A threat meant to blackmail the West into allowing Iran to continue its proxy war on Israel through terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias. These groups, backed and armed by Tehran, have launched daily attacks on Israeli civilians since the October 7 massacre—a genocidal rampage that Iran proudly hailed as a “historic achievement.”
This isn’t about self-defense. It never was. Iran’s terror network has already engulfed the region in fire: Hamas committed the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust on October 7, murdering over 1,163 civilians. Hezbollah has fired over 20,000 rockets at northern Israel. The Houthis have launched 23 long-range ballistic missiles aimed at Israeli cities, and Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq have turned Israel’s borders into active war zones.
And when Israel dared to strike back—when it dismantled Iranian missile sites in Syria, neutralized Hezbollah launch positions, and eliminated a nuclear weapons research facility inside Iran during Operation Days of Repentance—Iran did not retreat. It escalated.
On April 13, 2024, Iran launched the largest ballistic missile attack in world history: over 120 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles, and 170 suicide drones, targeting 4.5 million Israeli civilians. On October 1, Iran struck again with 200 more missiles. These were not warning shots—they were attempted genocide.
Now, as Israel continues its campaign to dismantle Hamas and push back Iranian terror from every front, Larijani is effectively saying: “Stop us, and we will build the bomb.”
This is nuclear blackmail, plain and simple. And the world must respond accordingly.
The Biden administration, the European Union, and the United Nations must finally acknowledge what is now undeniable: Iran is not a misunderstood power seeking regional respect. It is a genocidal regime racing toward nuclear capability while sponsoring terrorism across the globe.
Israel will not be intimidated. It will not allow a nuclear-armed Iran to hold a sword over its neck. And with the unwavering support of the Trump administration, which has restored full military aid to Israel and taken decisive action against Iran’s proxies, Israel is fully prepared to neutralize this threat—militarily, diplomatically, and strategically.
Ali Larijani’s threat should serve as a wake-up call to the world. Iran’s nuclear ambitions are not hypothetical. They are active, intentional, and existential. The time for warnings is over. The time for action is now.
When Iran threatens the free world with nuclear war, the free world must respond—not with appeasement, but with resolve.
