Iran will review its defense doctrine and nuclear program if threats are implemented against the latter, military aggression against the Islamic Republic will only bring the country’s nuclear industry to a new level, General Yadollah Javani, deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, an elite unit of the Iranian Armed Forces) for political affairs said.
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Earlier, the Daily Express newspaper, citing sources in the American administration, reported that the United States expects to complete military operations in Iran by the fall if the Iranian authorities do not agree to the deal and begin dismantling the nuclear program.
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“In case of threats against the (Iranian) nuclear program, Iran will review the defense doctrine and the essence of its nuclear program. The essence of this revision is very clear,” Javani said.
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The general stressed that “none of the stated goals of military aggression, including the destruction of Iran’s nuclear industry, will be realized.” According to him, “these actions of the enemy (potential military aggression against Tehran) will bring Iran’s nuclear industry to a new level, and then it will be necessary to give Iran and the axis of resistance a new definition in the equations of the balance of power at the regional and international levels.” He also noted that although the “atrocities” of the United States and Israel will cause damage to Iran, the retaliatory blow to the enemies will be tougher than inflicted.
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Earlier, in an interview with NBC News, Trump threatened “unprecedented bombing” if the United States and Iran did not conclude an agreement on the nuclear program.
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Back in February, US President Donald Trump announced that he was ready to conclude a deal with Iran instead of conducting military operations against it. Trump said he would like to conclude a “verified” nuclear peace agreement with Iran that would allow Tehran to develop and prosper peacefully, calling for work to begin immediately.
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In early March, Trump announced that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in which he stipulated that he would prefer to conclude a deal with Tehran on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program. Afterwards, the US president noted that Washington is considering two possible ways to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue – military or diplomatic, stressing that he prefers negotiations. The Axios portal, citing sources, reported on March 19 that Trump, in a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei, set a deadline of two months for concluding a new nuclear deal.
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On the evening of March 27, the Iranian Foreign Minister announced that a response to Trump’s letter had been sent through Oman. According to Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian, in a reply letter to Washington, Tehran refused the United States direct negotiations on the nuclear program, and the window for negotiations is open only through the mediation of third countries.
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In 2015, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, France, and Iran signed a nuclear deal that called for the lifting of sanctions in exchange for curbing Iran’s nuclear program. Under Trump’s previous presidency, the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018 and restored sanctions against Tehran. In response, Iran announced a phased reduction of its obligations under the agreement, abandoning, in particular, restrictions on nuclear research and the level of uranium enrichment.