Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian threatened on Thursday (February 13) that Iran would rebuild its nuclear installations if they were attacked by enemy forces. He made the warning following reports in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, citing US intelligence officials, that Israel may attack Iran’s nuclear program in a pre-emptive strike by midyear.
“They are planning to attack our nuclear facilities… If you knock out a hundred, we’ll construct a thousand more,” said Pezeshkian in a statement run by Iranian state media. He added that despite the destruction of physical buildings, the knowledge and skills behind the Iranian nuclear development were still safe.
Trump’s Warning and Iran’s Response
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump stated that although he would rather see a diplomatic route taken, war with Iran was still on the table. “Everybody thinks that Israel, with our help or with our backing, is going to bomb the hell out of them. I would like that to be the last resort,” Trump told reporters on Monday (February 10).
In response, Iran’s Air Force Commander Hamid Vahedi reaffirmed Tehran’s defensive doctrine but warned that any attack on Iran would be met with a forceful response.
Israel’s Potential Strike and Iran’s Retaliation Threats
The expected Israeli attack is said to be a reaction to Iran’s recent massive missile salvo last October, known as “Operation True Promise 2.” The latter was said to be a counterattack against the killings of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and IRGC General Abbas Nilforoushan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened that any assault on its nuclear sites would unleash an instant and forceful counterattack, possibly spiraling into a general regional war. “Such an attack would be one of the biggest historical mistakes the US could make,” Araghchi declared.
