【Revolutionary Guard Commander Hinted at Seeking "Nuclear Weapons"]
According to Fox News, Revolutionary Guard Commander Vahidi has publicly stated: as long as the United States and Israel possess nuclear weapons, for the sake of Iran's security, they will continue their work on nuclear arms; if the U.S. and Israel disarm, Iran will also disarm.
It remains unclear in what context Vahidi made this statement. However, it undoubtedly conveys two signals: First, following this round of conflict, Iran is displaying extraordinary confidence. Simply put, such a demand would have been unimaginable from Iran earlier. Now, Iran is attempting to link its own nuclear program directly with the fact that both the U.S. and Israel possess nuclear weapons. Clearly, Iran has gained confidence and boldness from this war—otherwise, it would never have proposed such an outlandish demand.
Second, the Iranian nuclear issue is likely to be extremely difficult to negotiate. Vahidi’s demand is utterly unrealistic, revealing clearly the immense difficulty ahead in future negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over nuclear matters. The most ironic part is that Trump has been engaged in prolonged confrontation with Iran, yet even now they are still locked in disputes over the Strait of Hormuz—and have not even begun actual nuclear talks.
From Israel’s perspective, this is clearly a signal that Iran intends to pursue nuclear weapons. Shortly after Fox News released the report, Netanyahu responded to Vahidi’s remarks, stating that this was a clear indication of Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons. He vowed that regardless of whether a diplomatic agreement can ultimately be reached, Israel will continue to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In the coming days, Netanyahu may use this as leverage to pressure Trump into intensifying actions against Iran.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872863595278407/
Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone.