In case of nuclear strike, Iran’s ‘hands not tied’: Deputy FM
Iran’s deputy foreign minister warned that in the event of a nuclear strike against Iran, the country’s “hands are not tied,” saying Tehran would naturally take the necessary measures in accordance with such circumstances.
“Iran would not simply stand by and limit itself to pursuing legal measures at the international level if nuclear weapons were used against the country,” Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi told reporters on Tuesday, Press TV reported.
The diplomat cautioned that any official threat by a nuclear-armed entity to use nuclear weapons against Iran would undermine the credibility of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“If the head of state or a military or political official of a nuclear-armed country that is party to the treaty threatened to use such weapons, the NPT regime would no longer retain credibility,” he stated.
According to Gharibabadi, this could encourage countries to take the necessary decisions to defend themselves by any means available, warning of the regional and global consequences of such threats.
He, however, noted that Tehran had so far received no official position from US officials regarding threats reported by some Western media outlets about the possible use of nuclear weapons against Iran.
Separately, he said Iran had activated available legal mechanisms to pursue the American-Israeli attacks that had targeted its nuclear facilities.