The Times of Israel: Change in Iran’s Nuclear Program
The Times of Israel published an article titled “New Nuclear Signs in Iran Should Light Red Light in the West”.
According to the article, so far there has been no intelligence indication that Iran has decided to step over the nuclear threshold and build a bomb, but the growing rhetoric on the matter among senior officials is a departure from the vague line that has been followed so far, hence the sensitivity.
Kamal Kharazi, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, last week told ISNA, “Although we have not made the decision to build a bomb, if Iran explains that there is any threat to its existence — and nuclear sites are attacked — there will be no choice but to change our nuclear policy”.
“The hint here is clear, the Iranians in this case leave no room for doubt but at the same time they are cautious, any explicit mention of military nuclear capability, especially by a high-ranking figure close to the leader, can be interpreted in the West as a decision, and this can then bring, along with harsh sanctions, a real threat of military action (US, Israeli or even by the coalition)”.
Kharazi’s remarks came after an attack attributed to Israel on April 19 near Isfahan, which according to foreign reports disabled the control and radar system of the S300 batteries, which protect the nuclear sites at Natanz, south of Isfahan.
The hardline trend is that Iran interprets the attack on anti-aircraft systems as an attack on nuclear sites, if this is the Iranian explanation, it’s not unlikely that there is preparation for the breakout of nuclear capability.
The most moderate – and perhaps the most plausible – explanation is that Iran doesn’t see this as an attack on a nuclear site, which means that there was no crossing of red lines by Israel, so this statement is a yellow card and a warning to Israel against attacking the sites themselves, now that they are exposed and without effective air defense.
