“Iran’s nuclear program is based on indigenous knowledge and cannot be eliminated by bombing,” the top diplomat told Lebanon’s al-Manar television network in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
“Our nuclear facilities are designed in a way that makes them not vulnerable, and nuclear materials are distributed in a manner that makes any decisive strike difficult,” he noted.
The official, meanwhile, identified the Islamic Republic’s defensive and deterrent capabilities to be “very strong,” further dismissing the likelihood of the country’s not enjoying the upper hand in case of coming under attack.
The remarks came after various senior American officials, including President Donald Trump, insisted, on multiple occasions, upon complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The assertions, which the United States has not rowed back from through any official statement, echoes strongly with persistent similar demands on the part of the Israeli regime, Washington’s closest regional ally.
Warning to aggressors
Araghchi, however, reiterated the Islamic Republic’s unequivocal stance concerning such threatening language.
“Any aggression against Iran will have catastrophic consequences for the aggressors.”
‘Israel taken seriously, but not feared’
Addressing the issue of the Israeli brinksmanship, Araghchi said, “We take the threats of the Israeli regime seriously, but we do not fear them.”
Last year, the Islamic Republic conducted two major retaliatory operations against sensitive and strategic Israeli military targets across the occupied territories.
Operation True Promise I and II saw the country fire hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones towards the targets with commanding accuracy.
Tehran has, meanwhile, repeatedly expressed its readiness to resort to a third edition of such operation.
Adding to his remarks, Araghchi underscored the inseparable nature of uranium enrichment activities to the nation’s nuclear program, dismissing Trump’s and other US officials, including regional envoy Steve Witkoff’s calls for “zero-level” enrichment.
“Iran considers uranium enrichment to be one of the most important achievements of its scientists and will never renounce it,” the foreign minister said.
“Enrichment is essential for meeting our medical and industrial needs. The domestically produced radioactive isotopes help treat over a million patients each year,” he added.
The official, meanwhile, noted how at least seven of the country’s scientists had been assassinated amid their dedicated endeavor to advance the country’s nuclear energy program, as a means of underlining the sacrifices that had been made by the nation down the path of enhancing its peaceful nuclear knowhow.
Iran would, therefore, “never retreat” from maintaining and furthering its nuclear achievements, he stated.
Press TV